Updates to Avelas Biosciences Management Team
October 22, 2018
SAN DIEGO, October 22, 2018 – Avelas Biosciences, Inc., a clinical-stage oncology company developing AVB-620 for real-time cancer detection, today announced the appointment of Jay Lichter, Ph.D., as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Lichter has served as the Chairman of Avelas’ Board of Directors since August 2009.
“I am excited to join the Avelas team and lead the company as it takes strides towards delivering AVB-620 to women undergoing breast cancer surgery,” said Dr. Lichter. “I have been involved with the company in one form or another since its inception, and it is incredible to see the potential of this technology materialize as we advance through the clinic.”
Dr. Lichter is an entrepreneur and seasoned investor in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical arena who brings to Avelas over 25 years of expertise in management, scientific research, and business development. Dr. Lichter is the inventor on over 260 patents and patent applications. Dr. Lichter has been either directly responsible for, or participated in, licensing or merger and acquisition deals valued in excess of $3 billion. Dr. Lichter currently serves as a member of the board of directors for 14 companies, including AristaMD, SynthoRx, COI Pharmaceuticals, Otonomy, Fortis Therapeutics, Adanate, PDI and Janux. Dr. Lichter held postdoctoral positions in Human Genetics at Yale University and pharmacogenetics at DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Co. He obtained his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a B.S. from the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
About Avelas Biosciences
Avelas Biosciences is a San Diego-based drug-device company focused on developing AVB-620, a novel drug-device combination product for use during cancer surgery. AVB-620 improves surgery by detecting cancer in real-time and has the potential to become part of standard-of-care treatment for a variety of cancer surgeries. AVB-620 has completed a Phase Ib clinical trial assessing safety, pharmacokinetics, and fluorescence properties using tissue image analysis. A Phase II clinical trial for AVB-620 in breast cancer is ongoing. Avelas was founded on technology from Roger Y. Tsien, Ph.D., co-winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry.