Latest news with #Lyell
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lyell Immunopharma Strengthens Clinical and Commercial Capabilities with Key Board and Executive Appointments
Mark J. Bachleda, PharmD, MBA appointed as independent member of the Board of Directors David Shook, MD appointed as Chief Medical Officer, Mark Meltz, JD as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, and Jarrad Aguirre, MD, MBA as Senior Vice-President of Medical Affairs SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: LYEL), a clinical-stage company advancing a pipeline of next-generation CAR T-cell therapies for patients with cancer, today announced the appointment of Mark J. Bachleda, PharmD, MBA as an independent member of the Board of Directors, David Shook, MD as Chief Medical Officer, and Mark Meltz, JD as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. These appointments, along with the appointment earlier in the year of Jarrad Aguirre, MD, MBA as Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs, further strengthen the Company's clinical and commercial capabilities. 'As Lyell prepares to move forward with two pivotal programs designed to advance LYL314 towards approval for patients with aggressive large B-cell lymphoma, we are delighted to welcome leaders who further strengthen and bring new expertise to our Board of Directors and our Executive Committee,' said Lynn Seely, MD, Lyell's President and Chief Executive Officer. 'Collectively, these new leaders have deep cell therapy expertise and highly relevant experience launching new medicines for patients. We look forward to their contributions as we continue to make progress on achieving our mission of bringing next-generation cell therapies to patients with cancer.' 'The addition of Dr. Bachleda to the Lyell Board provides us with experienced commercial leadership, including in cell therapy, at this critical time as Lyell becomes a late-stage clinical company initiating pivotal clinical trials and anticipating a commercial launch of LYL314,' said Rick Klausner, MD, Chairman of the Lyell Board of Directors. 'I could not be more pleased with the progress the company is making and am confident that our new executive leaders will ensure operational excellence as we focus on rapidly advancing LYL314, our autologous CD19/CD20 CAR T-cell therapy, to patients.' Mark J. Bachleda, PharmD, MBA appointed independent member of the Board of Directors Dr. Bachleda is currently the Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Eyconis, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapeutics for eye diseases. He has served in executive leadership roles at Amgen, Juno Therapeutics, and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), and, most recently, he was Chief Commercial Officer at Galera Therapeutics. Prior to joining Galera, he served as Vice President & U.S. Business Unit Head of the CAR T-cell therapy franchise at BMS, a role he held previously at Celgene Corporation before its acquisition by BMS. Prior to this, he was Vice President, Sales & Account Management at Juno when it was acquired by Celgene. His experience includes a 15-year career at Amgen in the U.S. and international roles of increasing responsibility up to Country President & General Manager of Amgen Czech Republic. Earlier in his career, he held positions at Pfizer, Inc., and Johnson & Johnson. Dr. Bachleda is a registered pharmacist and received his PharmD degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship in health policy and economics at Thomas Jefferson University and earned MBA degrees from both Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley. David Shook, MD appointed Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shook is an early pioneer of cell therapy and remains a practicing pediatric oncologist and transplant physician. Prior to Lyell, Dr. Shook was Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research and Development at Nkarta where he was responsible for leading the clinical development of multiple CAR NK cell product candidates for oncology. Prior to joining Nkarta, Dr. Shook held roles as Medical Director, Pediatric Cellular Therapy at AdventHealth and was Fellowship Director and a Faculty Member at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. While at St. Jude, he conducted multiple first-in-human cell therapy trials, as well as research in the laboratory of Dario Campana, MD, PhD where he co-developed the membrane bound form of interleukin-15. He earned an MD from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a BS from Purdue University. Mark Meltz, JD appointed General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Mr. Meltz is an accomplished legal and business executive with more than two decades of experience leading and advising life sciences, technology and emerging growth companies. Prior to joining Lyell, Mr. Meltz was Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Kinnate Biopharma Inc., a clinical stage precision oncology company, through its sale to XOMA Corporation. Before Kinnate, he was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Audentes Therapeutics through its sale to Astellas Pharma. Mr. Meltz also was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development and Legal Officer at PaxVax through its sale to Emergent BioSolutions. Earlier in his career, Mr. Meltz was Associate General Counsel at Biogen and Head of Legal for North America at Novartis in its Vaccines & Diagnostics division. Mr. Meltz has supported multiple commercial launches at PaxVax, Biogen and Novartis. He earned a BA with Departmental Honors in Psychology from Yale University and a JD, Magna Cum Laude, from Boston College Law School. Jarrad Aguirre, MD, MBA appointed Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs Dr. Aguirre joined Lyell as Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs in January 2025. Prior to Lyell, Dr. Aguirre was Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Miga Health, a digital health company focused on heart health, through its sale to Bitterroot Bio. Before Miga Health, Dr. Aguirre served in leadership roles at Myovant Sciences, most recently as Head of Corporate Strategy. Dr. Aguirre earned an MD and an MBA from Stanford University, an MPhil in Medical Anthropology from the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and a BS in Biology from Yale University. About Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. Lyell is a clinical-stage company advancing a pipeline of next-generation CAR T-cell therapies for patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. To realize the potential of cell therapy for cancer, Lyell utilizes a suite of technologies to endow CAR T cells with attributes needed to drive durable tumor cytotoxicity and achieve consistent and long-lasting clinical responses, including the ability to resist exhaustion, maintain qualities of durable stemness and function in the hostile tumor microenvironment. To learn more, please visit Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements expressed or implied in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the performance of the Company's additions to its leadership team and Board of Directors, including the anticipated benefits of expanded strength of the Company's clinical and commercial capabilities; the continued clinical progress and anticipated commercial launch of the LYL314 trials; Lyell's anticipated progress, business plans, business strategy and clinical trials; Lyell's advancement of its pipeline, technology platform and research, development and clinical capabilities; the potential clinical benefits and therapeutic potential of Lyell's product candidates; and other statements that are not historical fact. These statements are based on Lyell's current plans, objectives, estimates, expectations and intentions, are not guarantees of future performance and inherently involve significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, which include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: the ability to retain the continued service of its key personnel; the complexity of manufacturing cellular therapies, which subjects Lyell to a multitude of manufacturing risks, any of which could substantially increase our costs, delay Lyell's programs or limit supply of Lyell's product candidates; the effects of macroeconomic conditions, including the effects of disruption between the U.S. and its trading partners due to tariffs or other policies, any geopolitical instability and actual or perceived changes in interest rates and economic inflation; Lyell's ability to initiate or progress clinical trials on the anticipated timelines, if at all; Lyell's limited experience as a company in enrolling and conducting clinical trials, and lack of experience in completing clinical trials; the nonclinical profiles of Lyell's product candidates or technology not translating in clinical trials; the potential for results from clinical trials to differ from nonclinical, early clinical, preliminary or expected results; significant adverse events, toxicities or other undesirable side effects associated with Lyell's product candidates; the significant uncertainty associated with Lyell's product candidates ever receiving any regulatory approvals; Lyell's ability to obtain, maintain or protect intellectual property rights related to its product candidates; implementation of Lyell's strategic plans for its business and product candidates; the sufficiency of Lyell's capital resources and need for additional capital to achieve its goals; and other risks, including those described under the heading 'Risk Factors' in Lyell's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 13, 2025. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of this date, and Lyell undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law. Contact: Ellen RoseSenior Vice President, Communications and Investor Relationserose@ while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Newsweek
8 hours ago
- Newsweek
Jennifer Lyell, Southern Baptist Church Leader and Survivor, Dies Aged 47
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Jennifer Lyell, who has previously made headlines for her allegations of sexual abuse against a Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) professor, has died at the age of 47. The editor and author, who worked on around 12 New York Times bestsellers, died on Saturday after "a series of massive strokes," according to the religious publications the Baptist Standard and Christianity Today, which both cited Lyell's friend Rachael Denhollander. Newsweek has contacted the SBC via email for comment. What To Know Lyell was deeply involved with the SBC, America's largest protestant denomination. She became a Christian at the age of 10, when she attended a Billy Graham crusade, a large-scale evangelical event, and went on to study at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with the hopes of becoming a missionary. In 2004, when she was 26 years old, she met David Sills, a professor in his late 40s at the time, who was president of the missionary nonprofit Reaching & Teaching International Ministries, who mentored her. Devastated & heartbroken as we grieve the loss of a faithful friend to so many, @Jenlyell. And yet grateful her faith is now sight and she is with the Father who never failed her. I wish all could know the hilarious, blunt, and loyal friend I did. She's finally free and at peace. — Megan Nichols Lively (@megannlively) June 8, 2025 Some 10 years later, Lyell alleged to her bosses that she was groomed and abused by Sills. In 2018, Sills admitted sexual impropriety and resigned from his post. None of this was public until 2019 when Lyell told her story to the Baptist Press, the official news publication of the SBC. But when the publication first published the story, it said Lyell had admitted to an inappropriate relationship, which caused public backlash for Lyell, who was a vice president at the SBC publisher Lifeway. Baptists Press retracted the story and apologized to Lyell, along with the SBC Executive Committee. This controversy was one of several that Guidepost Solutions investigation taking place, which looked into how the SBC handled sexual abuse allegations in general, assessing two decades of cases. Its 2022 report found that SBC had mistreated accusers, which led to multiple reforms, Christianity Today reports. After the report came out, Sills sued the SBC and Lyell, alleging that they had made him a scapegoat. "After various mischaracterizations, misstatements, and contrived investigations by Defendants, Plaintiffs have been wrongfully and untruthfully labelled as criminals and shunned by the SBC and every other religious organization with which Plaintiff Sills has tried to associate," his complaint says. Lyell had stuck to her version of the story, writing on social media when the suit was filed: "I do not need to be under oath, to tell the truth—and there are no lies that will shake my certainty of what is true." The headquarters of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, Tenn., is seen on Dec. 7, 2011. The headquarters of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville, Tenn., is seen on Dec. 7, 2011. AP What People Are Saying Lyell's friend Megan Nichols Lively posted on X: "Devastated & heartbroken as we grieve the loss of a faithful friend to so many, Jennifer Lyell. And yet grateful her faith is now sight and she is with the Father who never failed her. I wish all could know the hilarious, blunt, and loyal friend I did. She's finally free and at peace. Lifeway spokesperson Carol Pipes told Religion News Service: "We are saddened to hear the news of the passing of Jennifer Lyell. Lifeway sends our prayers and deepest sympathies to Jennifer's family and friends. "It takes years and years to recover from trauma, and no one should be in the position of having to explain it to the whole public while they're still trying to do that." Jeff Iorg, president of the SBC Executive Committee, said: "Jennifer Lyell's death is tragic and heartbreaking. My heart goes out to everyone who loved and cared for her because of the magnitude of their loss today. "While her life was marked by much pain and turmoil, now she knows only peace and rest. The eternal good news of the gospel is our only source of hope today, and we are grateful for the sure hope it provides." What Happens Next Sills' most recent lawsuit in relation to this, filed in Tennessee, is still ongoing, according to Baptist News. It is part of more than 24 filed against the SBC in relation to sexual abuse cases. It remains to be seen what will become of them.
Scottish Sun
28-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Woman, 24, watched a third of her skin ‘peel and detach' from her body just four days after taking routine NHS drug
Survivors of the condition have described the experience as feeling like they were being 'burned from the inside out' or 'cooked alive,' due to the intense pain and widespread skin loss it triggers SKIN HORROR Woman, 24, watched a third of her skin 'peel and detach' from her body just four days after taking routine NHS drug A YOUNG woman saw nearly a third of her skin peel away in sheets just days after starting a new medication. The 24-year-old had been prescribed lamotrigine, a drug commonly used on the NHS to treat mood disorders and epilepsy. Advertisement 3 The unnamed woman developed Lyell's syndrome, also known as toxic epidermal necrolysis Credit: Cureus 3 It caused the 25-year-old's skin to peel off in sheets Credit: Cureus 3 The skin condition carries with it a mortality rate between 20 and 40 per cent Credit: Cureus But just days after starting the medication to treat her bipolar, she noticed a red rash spreading rapidly across her body. By day four she decided to head to the hospital after the marks started blistering and large areas of skin started falling off. Doctors treating her at Cheikh Khalifa International University Hospital in Morocco quickly diagnosed her with Lyell's syndrome, also known as toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). This is a rare but life-threatening reaction to a medication - which in this case was lamotrigine. But it has also been associated with antibiotics, and anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen. Advertisement It happens when the body overreacts to a drug causing the outer layer of skin, known as the epidermis, to detach and peel away in sheets, exposing the raw, sensitive tissue beneath. In previous reports survivors of the condition have described the experience as feeling like they were being 'burned from the inside out' or 'cooked alive, due to the intense pain and widespread skin loss it triggers. In worst-case scenarios, it can leave those affected vulnerable to life-threatening complications like sepsis and organ failure - it carries a mortality rate between 20 and 40 per cent. In this case, published as part of a report in the journal Cureus, almost 30 per cent of her body surface area had been affected including her chest, back, arms, and thighs. Advertisement Large sections of skin had already sloughed off by the time she arrived at hospital, leaving painful, exposed areas that had to be treated like serious burns. Doctors also noted that her mucous membranes were involved, meaning the reaction had affected not just her skin but also the inside of her mouth and genitals, a common but dangerous feature of TEN. Charlotte's agony: Surviving Stevens-Johnson Syndrome Once admitted, the unidentified woman was transferred to a specialist burns unit, as TEN causes skin damage similar to that seen in people with major burn injuries. "TEN is often described as a severe burn-like skin reaction because it causes widespread epidermal necrosis and detachment similar to that seen in patients with extensive burns," the authors of the report wrote. Advertisement After intensive treatment in the burns unit including wound care, pain relief, and fluid replacement she began to recover. Doctors immediately stopped the lamotrigine to prevent further skin damage and prescribed another medication to manage her bipolar disorder safely. The authors stressed that while TEN is a rare reaction, patients starting drugs like lamotrigine should be monitored closely for early symptoms such as fever, rash, and blistering. "The early recognition and discontinuation of the offending drug is crucial in improving patient outcomes," they concluded. Advertisement
