Andrew Gengos joins ImmunoCellular as CEO

Cancer specialist ImmunoCellular Therapeutics has appointed Andrew Gengos as president and CEO.

Gengos joins from Neuraltus Pharmaceuticals, where he also served as president and CEO, and becomes the permanent replacement for Dr Manish Singh who left the company in August 2012 to "pursue other opportunities".

Since August, ImmunoCellular's founder and chief scientific officer Dr John Yo has served as interim CEO.

Gengos joins at an important time for ImmunoCellular, with the company having recently commenced a phase II trial investigating its lead product candidate ICT-107, a potential cell-based vaccine for glioblastoma brain tumours.

ImmunoCellular will benefit from Gengos's experience in neuroscience during his time at Neuraltus, which specialises in therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

“Joining ImmunoCellular is an extraordinary opportunity to help build a leading biopharmaceutical company with the potential to transform the treatment of cancer,” said Gengos. “I believe that the company's immunotherapy platform that targets both cancer cells and cancer stem cells represents a promising and innovative medical breakthrough.”

Prior to joining Neuraltus spent more than seven years at Amgen, holding such positions as VP, strategy and corporate development.

He has also spent time at Dynavax Technologies, Chiron Corporation and McKinsey & Company.