SAN DIEGO, March 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Poseida Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PSTX), a clinical-stage cell and gene therapy company advancing a new class of treatments for patients with cancer and rare diseases, today announced the appointment of Syed Rizvi, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer effective April 1, 2024. Dr. Rizvi is a seasoned executive with over 20 years of experience across all stages of drug development, including clinical strategy, execution, and commercialization.

"Syed brings to Poseida an impressive combination of industry leadership and highly specialized drug development experience in cell therapy, and I am excited to welcome him to our leadership team during this important period of execution across our clinical stage CAR-T portfolio," said Kristin Yarema, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Poseida. "Syed has a proven track record in guiding the development and commercialization of multiple cancer treatments, including three approved autologous CAR-T cell therapies, and his expertise will be an invaluable asset as we usher in the next wave of cell and gene therapies."

"Poseida's compelling and proprietary science, impressive manufacturing capabilities, and execution-focused mindset position the Company to bring potentially transformative therapies to patients with significant unmet medical need," said Dr. Rizvi. "I look forward to working with an experienced leadership team to advance Poseida's promising pipeline of allogeneic CAR-T and gene therapy programs at an important and exciting time for the Company."

Dr. Rizvi most recently served as Chief Medical Officer of Caribou Biosciences, where he was responsible for overall strategy and execution of all clinical development programs. Prior to joining Caribou, he served as Chief Medical Officer at Chimeric Therapeutics, where he helped build the company's pipeline by licensing programs from leading universities and progressing existing programs through the clinical development process. Dr. Rizvi previously led the development of CARVYKTI^®, an approved autologous BCMA CAR-T cell therapy for myeloma, along with other therapies as part of the leadership team at Legend Biotech.  Prior to that, he was the global medical head of the CAR-T program at Celgene, where he was responsible for the global medical strategy for both ABECMA^® in myeloma and BREYANZI^® in lymphoma, supporting the clinical development strategy resulting in approval and potential label expansion into additional indications. Dr. Rizvi previously held global clinical leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Novartis, Merck, and Genta, Inc. 

Dr. Rizvi received his medical degree from Dow Medical College and spent several years as a physician specializing in hematology and oncology before moving into a clinical research role at St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York. He has authored multiple scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, and the European Hematology Association, among other professional organizations. 

About Poseida Therapeutics, Inc.

Poseida Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing differentiated cell and gene therapies with the capacity to cure certain cancers and rare diseases. The Company's pipeline includes allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy product candidates for both solid and liquid tumors as well as in vivo gene therapy product candidates that address patient populations with high unmet medical need. The Company's approach to cell and gene therapies is based on its proprietary genetic editing platforms, including its non-viral piggyBac® DNA Delivery System, Cas-CLOVER™ Site-Specific Gene Editing System, Booster Molecule, and nanoparticle and hybrid gene delivery technologies as well as in-house GMP cell therapy manufacturing. The Company has formed a global strategic collaboration with Roche to unlock the promise of cell therapies for patients with hematological malignancies. Learn more at www.poseida.com and connect with Poseida on X and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, expected plans with respect to clinical trials, including timing of regulatory submissions and approvals and clinical data updates;  anticipated timelines and milestones with respect to the Company's development programs and manufacturing activities and capabilities; the potential capabilities and benefits of the Company's technology platforms and product candidates; the quotes from Dr. Yarema and Dr. Rizvi; future contributions of the Company's executive officers; the timing of the expected start date of Dr. Rizvi; the Company's ability to exploit and consummate additional business development opportunities; and the Company's plans and strategy with respect to developing its technologies and product candidates. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, the Company's reliance on third parties for various aspects of its business; risks and uncertainties associated with development and regulatory approval of novel product candidates in the biopharmaceutical industry; the Company's ability to retain key scientific or management personnel; and the other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.