We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering bispecifics in immunotherapy so more people with cancer and other serious diseases can live longer and improved lives.
Our novel technology platform of tetravalent mAb2 bispecific antibodies have a natural human antibody format. This allows for a straightforward manufacturing process, and may provide a favourable safety profile and strong biological potency. Multiple clinical trials are underway.
Our product candidates are designed to simultaneously address multiple immune-evasion pathways that limit the effect of existing therapies. These are potentially first- and best-in-class drug candidates for patients with cancer who have few other options. F-star has over 500 granted and pending patents related to our platform technology and product pipeline.
In 2022, F-star was acquired by invoX Pharma to accelerate the potential of our platform and programmes.
Leadership
Our executive leadership team members have extensive experience in immuno-oncology and have worked with global pharmaceutical companies as well as biotechs, with a well-established track record of building biotech companies and developing biologics.
Neil Brewis, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer & CSO, Board Member
Neil Brewis, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer & CSO, Board Member
Over 25 years of experience in antibody engineering and drug R&D and has successfully advanced novel platforms from inception to clinical proof of concept, with a therapeutic focus in oncology. Formerly at GSK and Domantis Ltd.
Louis Kayitalire, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Louis Kayitalire, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Kayitalire brings over 20 years of experience in oncology and immuno-oncology to his position as Chief Medical Officer at F-star. He joined the company in 2019 from Bristol Myers Squibb where he was responsible for immuno-oncology clinical research development for a variety of tumor types and advancing clinical research efforts with a team of medical directors. Prior to that, Dr. Kayitalire held senior positions at major pharmaceutical companies on both sides of the Atlantic including Celgene from September 2013 to March 2016.
Dr. Kayitalire completed his medical training at Butare University, Rwanda, and later as Assistant Professor in Oncology at the Paris XI University of France. He is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) , the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC).
James Sandy
Chief Development Officer
James Sandy
Chief Development Officer
Mr. Sandy joined F-star as Chief Development Officer (CDO) in March 2022, bringing over 35 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries across all phases of drug development from clinical trials through regulatory approval. Most recently, Mr. Sandy served as Chief Development Officer at Ellipses Pharma, leading the clinical development of the Company’s portfolio of oncology assets. Previously, he was CDO at Immunocore, and at Creabilis Pharmaceuticals before that. Earlier in his career, he held senior positions at AstraZeneca and at Pfizer, leading development operations teams in Europe and Asia. He holds degrees in Biology and an MPhil in Statistics and Operational Research from Imperial College London.
Pharmaceutical Partnerships
F-star’s platform has been validated through partnerships for over a decade. We have collaboration and licensing agreements with many leading biopharma companies to research, develop, and commercialize therapies leveraging our modular antibody technology and mAb2 programs. Our partners are targeting significant unmet needs across several disease areas, including oncology, immunology, and CNS, among others.
2021: Third Option Exercised by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in Immuno-Oncology Collaboration
2020: Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany Takes an Early Option in Immuno-Oncology Collaboration
2019: F-star expedites its transition to a wholly-owned portfolio strategy
2011: Joint discovery and development of new antibody-derived therapeutic products