Bright Peak Therapeutics Announces the Appointment of Cancer Immunotherapy Leader Jon Wigginton, M.D., as President of Research and Development

SAN DIEGO and BASEL, Switzerland, Aug. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bright Peak Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing next-generation precision immunotherapies to treat cancer and autoimmune disease, today announced the appointment of Jon Wigginton, M.D., as its President of Research and Development.

“With a lifelong dedication to improving the lives of patients with cancer, Dr. Wigginton is an internationally recognized expert in immunotherapy drug development. Jon helped demonstrate initial therapeutic synergy and key mechanisms of action of several cytokine-based regimens including IL-2 and IL-18 and oversaw the early clinical development of the BMS Immuno-Oncology portfolio. Jon’s exceptional track record in basic science, translational research, and clinical development will be incredibly valuable to our organization as we advance the development of our portfolio of novel precision immunotherapies,” said Fredrik Wiklund, Chief Executive Officer of Bright Peak Therapeutics. “On behalf of the entire company and Board of Directors, I would like to welcome Jon to the team.”

Dr. Wigginton has over 25 years of experience in clinical oncology and most recently served as Senior Advisor and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board at Cullinan Oncology, Inc., having previously served as the company’s Chief Medical Officer. Prior, he was Chief Medical Officer at MacroGenics, where he led the company’s evolution of a fully-integrated clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy organization. Dr. Wigginton also held leadership positions at Bristol Myers Squibb as Therapeutic Area Head and Executive Director, Immuno-Oncology Early Clinical Research and as Group Medical Director of Discovery Medicine-Clinical Oncology. There, he led early clinical development of the BMS Immuno-Oncology portfolio, including checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-PD-1 (Nivolumab)/Opdivo^®) and anti-PD-L1 (BMS-936559), checkpoint inhibitor-based combinations including anti-CTLA-4 (Yervoy^®)/anti-PD-1 (Opdivo^®) among others, and a spectrum of other I-O agents. He also co-founded and co-led the BMS International Immuno-Oncology Network (IION). Dr. Wigginton also previously served as President of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). Earlier in his career, Dr. Wigginton worked at the National Cancer Institute for 15 years, and served as Head of the Investigational Biologics Section in the Center for Cancer Research (NCI intramural program). There, he demonstrated the initial therapeutic synergy and key mechanisms of action by several novel cytokine-based regimens including IL-2 in combination with IL-18, as well as IL-12 and IL-27 among others. Dr. Wigginton is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Sutro Biopharma. He earned his M.D. and B.S in biology from the University of Michigan.

“Bright Peak is advancing a unique portfolio of first-in-class, cytokine-based precision immunotherapies which have demonstrated compelling selectivity, and safety/efficacy profiles in preclinical models. I look forward to joining Fred and the talented team at Bright Peak, and the opportunity to lead the advancement of these promising, next-generation investigational cytokines for patients with cancer and autoimmune disease,” said Dr. Wigginton.

About Bright Peak Therapeutics
Bright Peak is a privately held biotechnology company based in Basel, Switzerland and San Diego, CA. We use our unique ability to chemically synthesize and conjugate proteins to create a novel portfolio of designer immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Our pipeline stretches from discovery to IND-enabling and encompasses enhanced cytokines, antibody-cytokine conjugates and other novel formats. Bright Peak is funded by a syndicate of leading healthcare investors.

Contact: 
info@brightpeaktx.com