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Ex-Novartis Oncology Leader Riva Takes On Challenge Of Transgene Turnaround

Can Its Oncolytic Virus And Therapeutic Vaccine Platforms Finally Come Good?

 
• By Andrew McConaghie

After AstraZeneca walked away from a oncolytic virus vaccine partnership in May, French biotech Transgene was in sore need of a new direction. Enter new CEO Alessandro Riva, a man determined to deliver a proof of concept for the company.

Cancer cell
The concept of using viruses to stimulate an immune response to cancers has been around a long time, but has so far yielded no major successes.

French biotech company Transgene has endured multiple setbacks over the last 15 years as it tries to develop ”cancer vaccines” to stimulate an immune response to tumors, but its new CEO, Alessandro Riva, believes he can finally steer it to its first R&D success.

The Strasbourg-headquartered firm, established back in 1979 as one of France’s first biotech companies, has long had the backing of its

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