Latest news with #AnnieDeGroot
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EpiVax Appoints Dr. Vibha Jawa to Lead Scientific Strategy as CSO
PROVIDENCE, R.I., May 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EpiVax, Inc., a leader in preclinical immunogenicity assessment for biologic therapeutics and vaccines, is pleased to announce the appointment of Vibha Jawa, PhD, FAAPS as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Jawa succeeds EpiVax founder and Executive Chairwoman Annie De Groot, MD, who has transitioned from CSO to Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Jawa brings over two decades of leadership in biologics, vaccine, and gene therapy development and immunogenicity strategy to EpiVax. Most recently, she served as Executive Director of Translational Medicine at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she led bioanalytical strategy, supporting PK- and immunogenicity-related preclinical and clinical assessments across the development pipeline. She has held senior roles at Merck and Amgen where she led immunogenicity assessment efforts, supporting discovery to development. Dr. Jawa has contributed to more than 20 successful IND, BLA, and MAA filings across many therapeutic modalities, and was part of the team at the Institute of Human Gene Therapy (UPENN) that supported the first approved gene therapy product. A recognized thought leader in bioanalysis and immunogenicity from discovery through commercialization, Dr. Jawa has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and holds prominent roles in various renowned scientific societies and consortiums, including AAPS, IQ, SC, and EIP. She was named an AAPS fellow in 2022 for her significant contributions. "We're thrilled to welcome Vibha to the team," said Dr. Rich-Henry Schabowsky, CEO of EpiVax. "Her depth of experience in biologics, especially novel modalities, combined with her expertise in evaluating and mitigating immunogenic risk will be instrumental as we continue evolving our methods to meet the complex needs of the industry." Dr. Annie De Groot, EpiVax co-founder and CMO, added: "Dr. Jawa is the perfect scientific leader for EpiVax 2.0: the transformation of our company that began in 2024. She brings the exact energy that EpiVax needs at this juncture. I'm thrilled to be handing the baton to Dr. Jawa, who will ensure that EpiVax remains at the cutting edge of immunogenicity science— pushing boundaries, validating new ideas, building bridges between in vitro data, immunoinformatics and AI, and setting higher standards for translational immunology." Dr. Jawa will have outward and inward facing responsibilities as CSO. She will represent EpiVax at key meetings, while leading internal research and validation efforts. Her leadership will help expand the company's reach into new therapeutic areas and reinforce EpiVax as a trusted partner in biologic and vaccine development. "I'm thrilled to be joining the EpiVax team," said Dr. Jawa. "This is an extraordinary company with a long history of scientific leadership in immunogenicity assessment. I look forward to building on that legacy and continuing to refine the team's approaches, ensuring that we deliver the most accurate, insightful support." About EpiVax: EpiVax is a leader in preclinical immunogenicity assessment and sequence optimization for peptide therapeutics, biologic therapeutics, gene/cell therapies, and vaccines. EpiVax partners with a global roster of companies, agencies, and academics to accelerate immunogenicity risk assessment, immune modulation, and rapid vaccine design. Press Contact:Sarah MonizSmoniz@ View original content: SOURCE EpiVax, Inc. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Korea Herald
22-04-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
The Role of Treg Epitopes (Tregitopes) in Antibody Maturation Uncovered in New EpiVax Study: Implications for Therapeutic Antibodies
PROVIDENCE, R.I., April 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EpiVax, Inc. announces a new study published in Frontiers in Immunology unveiling the impact of peptides known as "Tregitopes" on antibody maturation during immune response. Lymph nodes contain antibodies that undergo changes to their sequence as they adapt to their immune target, such as a flu virus. As this happens, the content of regulatory T cell (Treg) epitope sequences (also called Tregitopes) in the antibodies appears to decrease, which enables the B cells to expand and persist. The study, " Regulatory T Cell Epitope Content in Human Antibodies Decreases During Maturation", was conducted by Andres Gutierrez, PhD and Annie De Groot, MD of EpiVax, using existing antibody sequence data. "This work provides important insights into how antibodies evolve over time, not just in terms of affinity, but in their ability to engage with the immune system." said Dr. Gutierrez. The discovery of Tregitopes in 2008 marked a shift in awareness about the function of natural Tregs in human and animal immunity. Tregitopes may explain, in part, the tolerogenic impact of IV immunoglobulin therapy (IVIG). Tregitope-like peptides have since been found in other self-proteins. A prior analysis of human antibody repertoires demonstrated that T cell epitopes decreased with increasing antibody maturation. However, that study didn't separate regulatory from effector T cell epitope dynamics. In this study, researchers examined antibody repertoires from four healthy human donors. They assessed three subsets of T cell epitopes: previously validated Tregitopes, potentially tolerated T cell epitopes and potential effector T cell epitopes. Findings revealed that as antibodies mature and have higher affinity for their target antigen, Tregitope content systematically decreases, while potential effector T cell epitope content increases. This suggests that Tregitope depletion is a fundamental feature of antibody evolution. The observation was confirmed by testing some of the 'natural' and 'modified' Tregitope sequences in vitro. "This mechanism is likely relevant to immunity from pathogens, to the development of autoantibodies during autoimmune disease, and for the selection of therapeutic antibody candidates", said Dr. De Groot. "We are pleased to contribute this finding to the literature on immune regulation and antibody design." About EpiVax EpiVax is a leader in preclinical immunogenicity assessment and sequence optimization for therapeutics and vaccines. EpiVax collaborates with globally recognized partners to accelerate immunogenicity risk assessment, immune modulation, and rapid vaccine design.
