Nouscom appoints COO and board members

Swiss oncology vaccine specialist Nouscom has appointed Dr Marina Udier Blagovic to the newly-created position of chief operating officer, with responsibility for all aspects of the firm's business operations and development.

Dr Blagovic (pictured) moves to Nouscom from Versant Ventures where she was an operating principal. Prior to this, she was the global head of neurodegeneration at Novartis, and worked in the healthcare sector of McKinsey & Company in Chicago.

Joining the company's board of directors as a non-executive director is Dr Jean-Paul Prieels, who most recently served as senior vice president of research and development at GSK Biologicals (now GSK Vaccines), having first joined the department in 1987.

Also appointed to the board are Dr Vincent Brichard and Dr Gianni Gromo, who become board observers.

 Dr Brichard has over 25 years of oncology and immunology experience, latterly as senior vice president in research and development for GSK's immunotherapeutics business unit.

Dr Gromo is a partner with Versant Ventures and previously served as research Roche's head of global cardiovascular and metabolic research as well as the head of Roche research and development centre in Shanghai, China.

Riccardo Cortese, chairman and chief executive officer of Nouscom, said: “I am delighted to welcome Marina to our executive team. Her experience at Novartis will be essential in supporting Nouscom's development of patient specific cancer vaccines.

“I am also proud to welcome industry veterans Drs Prieels, Brichard and Gromo to the board. Their expertise and in-depth knowledge of research and clinical development in vaccines will be invaluable to Nouscom.”