About IngenOx
IngenOx Therapeutics is a biopharma advancing a clinical and pre-clinical pipeline of precision therapies and vaccines for different cancer indications.
Executive Team
Professor Nick La Thangue
MA MSc PhD FRSE FMedSci
Chief Executive Officer
Nick has over 30 years of experience in biotech, leadership, entrepreneurship, translational cancer science and drug development. He founded Prolifix focused on cell cycle therapeutics, where he acted as CSO and CEO until its merger with TopoTarget which led to a highly successful IPO. He founded Celleron Therapeutics and Argonaut Therapeutics, acting as CEO for each company, and led their merger in 2022 to form IngenOx. He has been CEO at IngenOx Therapeutics developing precision cancer drugs since the company was formed. Nick is Professor of Cancer Biology at Oxford University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Academy of Medical Sciences, the European Academy of Cancer Science, the Lister Institute and Professorial Fellow of Linacre College Oxford. He has over 200 publications and is an inventor on an extensive number of patents.
Professor David Kerr
CBE MA MD DSc FRCP FRCGP FACP FESMO FMedSci
Chief Medical Officer
David is a senior clinician with more than 30 years experience in cancer treatment. He has a strong record in clinical research and has built numerous life sciences companies over the years, including Cobra, Therexsys, Oxford Cancer Biomarkers, IngenOx and SynOx Therapeutics. David contributes to Oxford as Professor of Cancer Medicine and Consultant Medical Oncologist, where he has worked with colleagues to build a new Institute for Cancer Medicine and Cancer Hospital. He is an Honorary Professor of Oncology in Sichuan, Suchow, Xiamen, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Oslo Universities. He has published over 400 papers and has an H-Index > 100 associated with over 50,000 citations, placing him in the top 1-2% of cancer researchers in the world. He was elected President of the European Society of Medical Oncology in 2010. He is Editor in Chief of The Oxford Textbooks of Oncology and Cancer Biology, was Editor in Chief of Annals of Oncology, established the Journal of Global Oncology and leads a new course in Oxford on Global Health Diplomacy.
Shonagh Munro
PhD
Research Director
Shonagh has two decades of scientific research experience, initially in the MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit at the University Dundee where she gained a PhD in biochemistry, then subsequently at the University of Oxford where she undertook postdoctoral studies in the Department of Oncology. Her research was centred upon unravelling the complex mechanisms that regulate cancer cell growth, survival, and programmed cell death. She brings to the company a deep biological understanding and key technological expertise. She has published numerous scientific articles in high-impact publications and is listed as an inventor on a number of patents. In her role as research director at IngenOx she plays a pivotal role in leading a highly skilled scientific team in discovering and developing new precision cancer therapeutics.
Collette Coll
MBA
Operations Director
Collette is an experienced and qualified business leader. She has held a variety of management positions in both corporate and academic settings over her 40 year career. For the past decade, Collette has been an Operations Director, working solely in the biotech sector, across a portfolio of highly focused University of Oxford spin-outs. Collette works closely with Board level team members to deliver key strategic objectives across all areas of the business. On a day to day level, Collette is an enthusiastic and proactive team member delivering against company, operational, commercial and financial objectives, and performs a vital link to scientific colleagues across the organisation. Collette demonstrates leadership and professionalism in all aspects of her role across the many corporate and business activities that fall within her remit.
Shawn S Zheng
DPhil MBA FRSB
Science and Innovation Director
Shawn is a management professional with extensive scientific and business experience across multiple Oxford University spinouts, including IngenOx, Celleron, Argonaut, and SynOx Therapeutics. He was a principal investigator at MSD / A*STAR Singapore where he led a cancer drug discovery programme and published articles in top-tier research journals listed in the Nature Index. Shawn received his DPhil / PhD in Oncology at the University of Oxford and underwent post-doctoral training with Sir David Lane FRS. He received his MBA from the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, specialising in biopharma management. He is a Visiting Researcher at the Department of Oncology, University of Oxford and an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.
Simon Cook
MSc CSci MIBMS
Clinical Research Director
Simon Cook is a Chartered Scientist and Member of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, with 36 years of experience in running international clinical trials in all phases (I-IV). Initially graduating in Pharmacology from the University of Strathclyde, he has since become a specialist in the management of commercial drug development to GCP standards and has written two books on the subject. He began his career with manufacturers such as Beechams (now GSK) and then crossed into the CRO business: managing clinical trials at companies such as G H Besselaar Associates (now Covance), Quintiles (now IQVIA), and Kendle International (now Syneos Health). Since 2016 he has specialised in researching novel anti-cancer agents within the biotech sector, at IngenOx Therapeutics, Oxford; and latterly SynOx Therapeutics.
Wojciech Barczak
MSc, PhD
Translational Research Director
As Director of Translational Research, Wojciech is responsible for leading the Company’s cancer vaccine program from early development to first-in-human clinical studies. Wojciech is a cancer biologist with extensive scientific expertise in pre-clinical studies, both, in vitro and in vivo. Prior to joining IngenOx, he was trained in immuno-oncology, cancer epigenetics, and translational science as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Oxford, which resulted in multiple high-impact publications and a number of patents. His research focused on the discovery of non-canonical tumour antigens, their role in enhancing immune recognition, and the development of innovative cancer vaccines.
Wojciech received his Master and PhD training in cancer biology at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences. He also holds a Visiting Researcher position at the Department of Oncology, University of Oxford.
Dr Simon Carr
BA, D Phil
Director of Pre-clinical Development
As Director of Pre-clinical Development, Simon is responsible for managing the development of projects connected with the Company’s cancer vaccine program. He is a cellular and molecular biologist with extensive research experience in oncology and cancer epigenetics. Before joining IngenOx, he worked for many years as a Senior Researcher in the Department of Oncology, investigating cellular mechanisms governing tumour cell proliferation and survival, and how such activity might be targeted in cancer as a therapeutic strategy.
He has experience in the field of tumour immunology, understanding the nature of tumour antigens and their recognition by immune cells. He has published numerous articles in high impact journals and chapters in textbooks; and is an inventor on a number of patents. Simon received his BA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, before attaining a D.Phil and Junior Fellowship at Linacre College, University of Oxford. He continues to hold a Visiting Researcher position at the Department of Oncology, University of Oxford.
Board of Directors
A James Banaag
Chief Financial Officer
NantBio Inc.
Mr. Banaag joined NantWorks in 2013 and currently serves as Chief Financial Officer for NantBio, Inc. He has over 30 years of financial planning and accounting experience and is a Certified Public Accountant, formerly with Ernst & Young.
Prior to joining NantWorks, Mr. Banaag served as Corporate Controller of KARL STORZ Endoscopy – America, a manufacturer of minimally invasive medical devices, instruments and integrated operating room solutions. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Finance for Abraxis BioScience, a biotech company that specialized in injectible drugs and the developer of the first FDA approved protein nanoparticle delivery technology for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, Abraxane. During his tenure there, Abraxis successfully secured a $1.15 billion debt facility, successfully separated one publicly traded company into two independent publicly traded companies resulting in an over 20% increase in market capitalization and later sold the injectible drug business to Fresenius SE for $4.6 billion.
Mr. Banaag holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the University of Southern California and an MBA in Finance from Boston University.
Professor Nick La Thangue
MA MSc PhD FRSE FMedSci
Chief Executive Officer
Nick has over 30 years of experience in biotech entrepreneurship, translational cancer science and drug development. He founded Prolifix focused on cell cycle therapeutics, where he acted as CSO and CEO until its merger with TopoTarget which led to a highly successful IPO. He founded Oxford Cancer Biomarkers, which continues to develop a portfolio of marketed precision cancer medicine tests, where he held senior positions including CEO and CSO. He has been CEO at IngenOx Therapeutics developing precision cancer drugs since the company was founded. Nick is Professor of Cancer Biology at Oxford University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Academy of Medical Sciences, the European Academy of Cancer Science, the Lister Institute and Professorial Fellow of Linacre College Oxford. He has over 200 publications and is an inventor on numerous patents.
Professor David Kerr
CBE MA MD DSc FRCP FRCGP FACP FESMO FMedSci
Chief Medical Officer
David is a senior clinician with more than 30 years experience in cancer treatment. He has a strong record in clinical research and has built numerous life sciences companies over the years, including Cobra, Therexsys, Oxford Cancer Biomarkers, IngenOx and SynOx Therapeutics. David contributes to Oxford as Professor of Cancer Medicine, where he has worked with colleagues to build a new Institute for Cancer Medicine and Cancer Hospital. He is an Honorary Professor of Oncology in Sichuan, Suchow, Xiamen, Shanghai, and Seoul National Universities. He has published over 400 papers and has an H-Index of 95 associated with over 45,000 citations. He was elected President of the European Society of Medical Oncology in 2010. He is Editor in Chief of The Oxford Textbooks of Oncology and Cancer Biology, was Editor in Chief of Annals of Oncology, established the Journal of Global Oncology and has initiated a new course in Oxford on Global Health Diplomacy.
Sandeep “Bobby” Reddy
MD
Non-Executive Director
Dr. Sandeep Reddy joined ImmunityBio as Chief Medical Officer in August 2020 after serving as Chief Medical Officer of NantHealth where he oversaw education, outreach, clinical development programs, and FDA 510k clearance for the OmicsCore WES assay. Previously, he was Chief Medical Officer of Caris Life Sciences and before that Dr. Reddy was Chief of Staff at Los Alamitos Medical Center, actively practicing clinical hematology and oncology, while holding an adjunct faculty position at the Geffen/UCLA School of Medicine as a clinical instructor at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. His executive and medical oversight has produced over 100 abstracts at major medical conferences and over 40 peer-reviewed publications in the field of precision medicine and oncology since 2015. His medical training includes fellowship training in hematology and medical oncology and therapeutics research at City of Hope, and Internal Medicine residency at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Reddy received his MD from the Geffen/UCLA School of Medicine after receiving his BS in biomedical sciences at the University of California, Riverside.
Leonard S Sender
MD
Non-Executive Director
Dr. Lennie Sender joined ImmunityBio as its Chief Operating Officer in March 2020, having previously served as Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at NantKwest. Prior to joining NantKwest, he served as the Medical Director of the Hyundai Cancer Institute at Children’s Hospital in Orange County, California, and also has served as Medical Director of Clinical Oncology at the University of California’s National Cancer Institute-designated Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Sender is an accomplished blood and marrow stem cell transplant surgeon and oncologist who received his medical degree from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa and subsequently trained in pediatrics at the University of California, Irvine and in pediatric hematology-oncology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He has previously served as the President of the Society for Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology (SAYAO) and has served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology (JAYAO).
Strategic Collaborations
CUHK
IngenOx has established an academic partnership with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to conduct a clinical trial of zabadinostat in liver cancer.
Oxford
IngenOx maintains a close connection with Oxford University and key cancer hospitals in the UK, which benefits the company through collaborative research, clinical trials, and access to cutting-edge oncology expertise.
Roche
We acquired exclusive global rights to emactuzumab through a worldwide licence agreement with Roche. Our team raised significant funding and then founded SynOx Therapeutics as a dedicated spin-out company, installing a dedicated team to focus on the development of emactuzumab.
SynOx Therapeutics
SynOx Therapeutics, a spin-out founded by the team, is focused on the development of emactuzumab for the treatment of diffuse tenosynovial giant cell tumour (TGCT).