Linkedin-in

About

Based on our deep science and focus on patients in need, we develop next generation immunotherapies for hard-to-treat cancers.

Our Story

AvenCell Therapeutics, Inc. was recently launched by Blackstone Life Sciences, Cellex Cell Professionals, and Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. and incorporated the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company GEMoaB GmbH, now named AvenCell Europe GmbH.

blue
green
orange

AvenCell’s mission is to overcome the limitations of current-generation CAR-T cell therapies with an improved therapeutic window and substantially expand the types of cancer treatable with adoptive cell therapy, including solid tumors.

With $250 million in committed capital from Blackstone as its sole founding investor, AvenCell brings together switchable universal T-cell technology developed by the former Cellex subsidiary GEMoaB GmbH, with a license to Intellia’s proprietary CRISPR/Cas9-based allogeneic platform to create a pipeline of autologous and allogeneic universal reprogrammable T cell products, focused initially on hard-to-treat cancers.

Our Values

Patient-Centric

We are putting patients with life-threatening diseases at the heart of all we do.

Science-Based

We are making decisions based on state-of-the-art scientific evidence and facts.

High-Performing

We are delivering outstanding results, realizing our vision, and creating sustainable value.

Quality-Driven

We are never compromising on highest quality and ethical standards.

Leadership Team

Andrew Schiermeier new

Andrew Schiermeier, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

Manfred Klevesath

Manfred Klevesath, MD, Ph.D.

Chief Medical Officer

reynald lescarbeau

Reynald Lescarbeau, Ph.D.

SVP, Global Research

marc cartellieri

Marc Cartellieri, Ph.D.

Chief Technology Officer

Jill Rogers

Jill Rogers

Chief Human Resource Officer

Susan Buttler_1_1

Susan Buttler

VP, Clinical Operations

Andrea Kistner

Andrea Kistner

VP, Finance and Corporate Controller

markus orchowski

Markus Orchowski

VP, Global Operations

jan pape

Jan Pape

VP, Finance and Controller

Board of Directors

Olivier Brandicourt 2

Olivier Brandicourt, M.D.

Chairman

Ari Brettman

Ari Brettman, M.D.

Michael Bauer

Michael Bauer

Andrew Schiermeier new

Andrew Schiermeier, Ph.D.

Nihal Sinha

Nihal Sinha

Our Partners

AvenCell is collaborating with a number of partners committed to the joint development of novel immunotherapies based on our next generation platform technologies. We are open to exploring new clinical or strategic collaborations. Please contact us for further details.
sponsers 1
sponsers 2
sponsers 3

Supported by:

sponsers 6 e1668677828228

SAB Sächsische Aufbaubank-Förderbank European Union/ European Social Fund

sponsers 5 e1668677869518

Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Andrew Schiermeier, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Andrew Schiermeier has spent over two decades as an executive in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors, with experience from managing operations for startups to directing the strategic expansion of global brands.

Prior to AvenCell, Andrew spent five years serving in a series of successive leadership roles within Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (most recently as Chief Operating Officer).  Intellia Therapeutics is a world leader in the biotech industry working to harness the genome editing technology CRISPR/Cas9 for human therapeutic use and is the first company to ever demonstrate clinical efficacy in a systemically administered CRISPR-based therapeutic.

Prior to Intellia, Andrew served as Senior Vice President and Global Head of Merck KGaA’s Oncology Business, which spans over 60 countries. While at Merck, he was responsible for rebuilding the company’s oncology pipeline, continuing the growth and expanded indications of Erbitux® (an antibody inhibiting EGFR) and overseeing the development and launch of the world’s first commercialized blood-based biopsy. After successfully partnering the company’s anti-PDL1 antibody Avelumab with Pfizer in a landmark deal in 2014, he also held the position of General Manager of the Merck-Pfizer Immune-Oncology Alliance. 

Prior to Merck, Andrew served as the chief operating officer of Aura Biosciences, Inc, a public Cambridge-based biotech harnessing virus like particles (VLPs) for therapeutic applications.  Prior to Aura, he was the chairman and CEO of Medicine in Need Corporation (MEND), an international not-for-profit supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at liberating burdened populations from disease of poverty through advanced drug and vaccine delivery. Andrew also served as the CEO of Lantibio, Inc., a private development-stage biotech company with three late-stage compounds in respiratory and ophthalmology therapeutic areas. 

Andrew holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University, an MS in Biomechanical Engineering from Stanford University, a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and an International MBA from College des Ingenieurs in Paris, France.

Manfred Klevesath, MD, Ph.D.

Chief Medical Officer

A physician by training, Manfred has more than 15 years of experience in clinical development in the pharmaceutical industry, starting at Astra Zeneca and then moving on to Merck KGaA. While at Merck KGaA, he held roles of increasing responsibility at the interface of pre-clinical, translational science and early clinical development in oncology. He served as the Global Program Lead for the c-Met inhibitor tepotinib (Tepmetko®) and designed and implemented a biomarker-directed development strategy in NSCLC (METexon14) utilizing ct-DNA based liquid biopsies. This strategy laid the foundation for the subsequent approval of Tepotinib via the Sakigake ’fast-track’ by PMDA in Japan, the first regulatory approval globally of a c-Met inhibitor. FDA approval followed in 2021.

Later on, he served as Head of Global Health and Bioethics and Digital Ethics at Merck, overseeing clinical development activities in malaria and schistosomiasis from Ph I to III and developing guidance on bioethical and digital ethics questions arising from Merck KGaA’s research activities and business sectors.

Manfred earned a PhD from Ruprecht-Karls-University in Heidelberg, Germany, and a Master of Philosophy from Cambridge University, England.

Reynald Lescarbeau, Ph.D.

SVP, Global Research

Reynald is the Vice President and Head of Research US for AvenCell where he is responsible for building and leading AvenCell’s US research presence. Reynald joined Intellia in 2015 as one of the company’s first hires, where he built and lead the Informatics team and Intellia’s genomics efforts. He additionally oversaw the development of the allogeneic T cell technology employed by AvenCell and Intellia. Prior to Intellia, he joined a Flagship Pioneering startup, Selventa, where he worked on the use of computational and genomic methods to stratify patient response to therapy in clinical trials. Reynald received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Tufts University.

Marc Cartellieri, Ph.D.

Chief Technology Officer

Marc has more than 20 years of research & development experience in CAR-T and viral vector development and manufacturing, as well as cancer immunotherapy. Prior to joining our team, Marc worked in cellular immunotherapy research in Dresden/Germany and published numerous scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals.

At AvenCell Marc is responsible for planning, development, and implementation of manufacturing strategies for our cellular immunotherapy platforms, clinical manufacturing and our long-term manufacturing plans in collaboration with our contract manufacturers as well as the continued optimization of cellular components of our clinical stage cellular immunotherapy products.

Marc holds a Master of Science degree in Biology from University of Greifswald and obtained his Ph.D. from Technical University in Dresden.

Jill Rogers

Chief Human Resources Officer

Jill Rogers is the Chief Human Resources Officer for AvenCell Therapeutics. In her role, Jill is responsible for leading human resources strategy, reinforcing a strong company culture, creating and leading employee engagement and development programs, and implementing reward and talent management strategies that support the achievement of business goals and objectives.

Before joining AvenCell, Jill was Vice President of Human Resources at Celanese, a global chemical and specialty materials company. During her time with Celanese, Jill held a variety of responsibilities including leading global Manufacturing HR teams, International HR (Asia, Europe and Latin America), Talent Management, and DE&I.

Prior to her time at Celanese, Jill held variety roles of increasing responsibility during her fourteen year employment with Amgen, a global pharmaceutical company. Key roles included – strategic HR business partner to global Clinical Development and IT, leader of Strategic Staffing and HR Project Management Office, and an expatriate assignment to integrate acquired site in Ireland. Jill also served in HR roles at Dell Computer Corporation and Motorola.

Jill holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Baylor University.

Susan Buttler

VP, Clinical Operations

Susan is the Vice President, Clinical Operations for Avencell; she brings over 30 years of experience in Global Clinical Operations to AvenCell’s Clinical Operations team.  Prior to joining Avencell, Susan had multiple senior level roles within the Biotech, Pharmaceutical and CRO organizations.  Susan has experience in leading clinical operations teams to successful study execution and multiple global regulatory submissions. Susan is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology.

Andrea Kistner

VP, Finance and Corporate Controller

Andrea is the Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller for AvenCell where she brings over 20 years of experience to AvenCell’s US finance and accounting operations. Prior to joining AvenCell in July 2022, Andrea served as Vice President of Finance at Castle Creek Biosciences, a rare disease focused gene therapy company where she oversaw the company’s finance and accounting functions. Prior to Castle Creek Biosciences, Andrea held similar positions at Recordati Rare Diseases and EKR Therapeutics, Inc.

Andrea is a certified public accountant and received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Post University.

Markus Orchowski

VP, Global Operations

Markus brings over 25 years of experience in business operations and IS/IT management. Markus focuses on advancing operational excellence through process optimization, automation, and adoption of technology across all functions and facilities. Prior to joining AvenCell, Markus served as a VP on the investment team at Blackstone Life Sciences (formerly Clarus). He empowered BXLS to gather and review data that informed financial analysis during due diligence processes with greater detail and accuracy. Markus received his BS in Computer Engineering from Northeastern University.

Jan Pape

VP, Finance and Controller

Jan is the Vice President of Finance and Controlling/Authorized Signatory for AvenCell Europe where he brings over 20 years of experience to AvenCell’s finance and accounting operations. Prior to joining AvenCell in December 2021, Jan served as Head of Finance & Accounting /Authorized Signatory at Maja Moebelwerk Group, a private equity funded mid size industrial company. Prior Jan held a similar Position at T-System MMS, a Deutsche Telekom subsidiary. Early in his career, he was an auditor at KPMG. Jan received a major degree in Finance and Accounting from Otto-von-Guericke University, Germany / University of Oviedo, Spain.

Olivier Brandicourt, M.D.

Chairman

Olivier Brandicourt joined the Board of Avencell after 20 years of general management and 10 years of medical and marketing experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having worked for 4 global companies in the US, the UK, Canada, Germany and France. He is currently a senior advisor at Blackstone Life Sciences, a director of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Dewpoint Therapeutics. Olivier retired from Sanofi S.A. in September 2019 after being its Chief Executive Officer since April 2015. Prior to joining Sanofi, Olivier was the CEO of Bayer HealthCare AG. From 2000 to 2013, he held a series of leadership positions at Pfizer of which President and General Manager of Global Specialty Care, Global Primary Care and most recently of the Emerging Markets and Established Products business units. Olivier was part of the Pfizer Executive team from 2010 to 2013.

Olivier studied medicine in Paris where he specialized in Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine and holds a Master’s Degree in Biology and an Advanced Degree in Cellular and Immunological Pathophysiology. During his responsibilities at Sanofi, Olivier was elected Chairman of the Board of Management of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (2019) and Vice-President of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (2017-2019). He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London.

Ari Brettman

Ari Brettman is a Managing Director in the Blackstone Life Sciences group, having joined Blackstone as part of its acquisition of Clarus in December of 2018. Dr. Brettman joined Clarus in September 2014. Dr. Brettman is focused on investments across the firm’s portfolio, including AvenCell, Alnylam, Anthos Therapeutics, Talaris Therapeutics, Essa Pharma, Praxis Precision Medicines, Entasis Therapeutics, and AvroBio. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of AvenCell and Anthos Therapeutics. Prior to Clarus, Dr. Brettman completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Brettman was also an NIH-sponsored post-doctoral fellow at the MGH Center for Systems Biology, where he studied the autophagy of lipid droplets and used electronic medical record-based big data analytics at Partners Healthcare to conduct clinical research and improve disease management. Dr. Brettman received his M.D. from Duke University and his A.B. in History and Science from Harvard College. While a medical student, he was a Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation Fellow at Stanford University, where he studied angiogenesis.

Michael Bauer

Partner, Venture Investments
Novo Holdings

Michael Bauer, Ph.D., is a Partner in the Venture Investments group at Novo Holdings.

Michael joined Novo Holdings Venture Investments in 2020 and is based in Copenhagen. Previously, from 2006-2020, Michael held positions with increasing responsibility at Genmab. He was first in Project Management, where he took daratumumab / DARZALEX®
into the clinic. Then, between 2010-2018 he led Clinical Development and was part of the senior leadership team that repositioned and rebuilt Genmab into a global cancer and antibody powerhouse. From 2018-2020 he led R&D Operations, preparing the company for
the filing of its first own product.

Prior to Genmab, Michael worked as Associate at BankInvest Biomedical Venture, and earlier as Licensing Associate in Scientific Licensing at Novo Nordisk. Previously, he was a Research Scientist at Novo Nordisk for 7 years, covering areas such as endocrinology,
metabolic disease, cancer and inflammation. Before joining the industry, Michael worked for 6 years at the Research Centre for Developmental Medicine & Biology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, investigating causes and possible treatment modalities of intra- uterine growth restriction.

Michael holds a Masters (Dipl. Ing. agr.) in Agricultural Science from the University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim, Germany and a Ph.D. in Agricultural Science – summa cum laude – from the University of Göttingen, Germany.

Nihal Sinha, MB BChir

Partner, F-Prime Capital

Nihal Sinha is a Partner at F-Prime Capital based in the London office and focuses primarily on biotech and life sciences in Europe and the US.

At F-Prime, Nihal was a member of the founding team of Orchard Therapeutics and an investor in Ensoma, Curie Bio, Charm Therapeutics, Aviado Bio, and T-Therapeutics. Prior to joining F-Prime in 2013, he worked as a strategy consultant at BCG and as an academic physician at Oxford University and UCL Hospitals.

Nihal holds a MB BChir with distinction from the University of Cambridge and is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians.

Andrew Schiermeier, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

Want to discuss my work or a challenge you’re facing?  Leave your details and I’ll get back to you. Want to discuss my work or a challenge you’re facing?  Leave your details and I’ll get back to you. Want to discuss my work or a challenge you’re facing?  Leave your details and I’ll get back to you. Want to discuss my work or a challenge you’re facing?  Leave your details and I’ll get back to you. Want to discuss my work or a challenge you’re facing?  Leave your details and I’ll get back to you. Want to discuss my work or a challenge you’re facing?  Leave your details and I’ll get back to you. Want to discuss my work or a challenge you’re facing?  Leave your details and I’ll get back to you. Want to discuss my work or a challenge you’re facing?  Leave your details and I’ll get back to you. Want to discuss my work or a challenge you’re facing?  Leave your details and I’ll get back to you.

Want to discuss my work or a challenge you’re facing?  Leave your details and I’ll get back to you. Want to discuss my work or a challenge you’re facing?  Leave your details and I’ll get back to you. Want to discuss my work or a challenge you’re facing?  Leave your details and I’ll get back to you.