Aprea Therapeutics Appoints Scott Coiante as Chief Financial Officer
BOSTON and STOCKHOLM, Aug. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Aprea Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing novel cancer therapeutics that reactivate mutant p53 tumor suppressor protein, today announced the appointment of Scott Coiante as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. An experienced finance executive in biotech, Mr. Coiante brings nearly 20 years of accounting, fundraising and operational experience to Aprea.
“We are thrilled to welcome Scott to the Aprea team,” said Christian S. Schade, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aprea Therapeutics. “His many years of finance leadership and company building complement Aprea’s determined strategy to advance novel oncology therapies.”
Mr Coiante commented, “Aprea is leading the way in developing small molecule reactivators of mutant p53 and, in addition to its growing clinical pipeline, is advancing rapidly in a Phase 3 clinical trial in MDS. I look forward to working with the management team to establish a financial infrastructure that will further the company’s success.”
Scott Coiante joins Aprea from Agile Therapeutics, where he was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Having served at Agile since 2010, he played a leadership role in the company and in the development of the internal finance and accounting infrastructure. Prior to joining Agile, he was from 2002 Vice President of Finance and Treasurer at Medarex, Inc., formerly a NASDAQ listed biotech company that was acquired in 2009 by Bristol Myers Squibb. Mr. Coiante received a BS in Accounting from Villanova University.
About Aprea Therapeutics
Aprea Therapeutics is a Boston, Massachusetts and Stockholm, Sweden based biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel cancer therapeutics that reactivate mutant p53 tumor suppressor protein. The Company’s lead drug candidate APR-246, a first-in-class small molecule p53 reactivator, is in clinical development for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), as well as additional hematologic and solid tumor malignancies. Aprea has commenced a Phase 3 clinical trial in p53 mutant MDS and completed enrollment in a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in p53 mutant MDS and AML with APR-246 and azacitidine. Additional Phase 1/2 trials of APR-246 in MDS and AML, in combination with approved anti-cancer therapies, are also underway and in planning. Aprea is also developing next generation p53 reactivators. For more information, please visit www.aprea.com.
About p53 and APR-246
The p53 tumor suppressor gene is the most frequently mutated gene in human cancer, occurring in more than half of all human tumors. These mutations are often associated with resistance to anti-cancer drugs and poor overall survival, representing a major unmet medical need in the treatment of cancer.
In trials to date, APR-246 has been shown to reactivate mutant and inactivated p53 protein – by restoring wild-type p53 structure and activity – and thereby inducing programmed cell death in human cancer cells. In pre-clinical studies to date, APR-246 has demonstrated anti-tumor activity in a wide variety of solid and hematological tumors. Additionally, strong synergy has been seen with both traditional anti-cancer agents, such as chemotherapy, as well as newer mechanism-based anti-cancer drugs and immuno-oncology checkpoint inhibitors. In addition to pre-clinical testing, a Phase 2 clinical program with APR-246 has been completed, demonstrating a favorable safety profile and both biological and confirmed clinical responses in hematological malignancies and solid tumors with mutations in the TP53gene.
Corporate Contacts:
Christian S. Schade
President and Chief Executive Officer
chris.schade@aprea.com
Gregory A. Korbel
Vice President of Business Development
greg.korbel@aprea.com
Source: Aprea Therapeutics