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(Sharecast News) - Avacta Therapeutics announced the appointment of Francis Wilson as its chief scientific officer on Monday, effective immediately, as the AIM-traded clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company prepared for further development of its 'preCISION' tumour-activated oncology delivery platform.
Wilson joined Avacta in September 2022 as vice-president of chemistry and had reportedly played a central role in advancing the company's preCISION technology.
The firm said he had been instrumental in developing new intellectual property around the platform, including the sustained-release mechanism that underpinned the FAP-Exd AVA6103 programme, which was expected to enter clinical testing in the near term.
"Francis is the ideal person to take us forward, both internally and across our industry, given his deep knowledge of the working of our unique preCISION platform," said chief executive Christina Coughlin.
"As Avacta enters a period of potentially significant preclinical development and intellectual property generation, we look forward to leveraging Francis' expertise and leadership in the drug development arena."
Coughlin also highlighted Wilson's external profile, saying he had been "a key member of the team positioning our business across the international drug development sector", and added that the company wished Morrow well and thanked her for her contributions.
Before joining Avacta, Wilson held senior medicinal chemistry roles across the sector, including research scientist at Roche Discovery Welwyn, head of chemistry at Xenova, director of chemistry at Cellzome and director of chemistry at Summit Therapeutics, where he led multiple programmes from discovery through to clinical development.
He holds a doctorate from Oxford University and is a chartered chemist and fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
The appointment coincided with the departure of former chief scientific officer Michelle Morrow, who was leaving the company to pursue another opportunity.
"I am thrilled to step into this role and look forward to partnering with Chris and the Management Team to move Avacta forward to our next chapter," Wilson said.
"Seeing AVA6103 - the molecule we invented - move to the clinic is a huge success for the company.
"We will learn more about this program in the clinic and apply that as we continue to develop novel intellectual property around our highly successful preCISION platform."
At 1254 GMT, shares in Avacta Group were up 1.72% at 61.54p.
Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.