Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:BTX) (“Brooklyn” or the “Company”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on exploring the role that cytokine, gene editing, and cell therapy can have on the immune system for treating patients with cancer, blood disorders, and monogenic diseases, today announced the appointment of Matt Angel, Ph.D., Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Factor Bioscience Inc., as Interim Chief Executive Officer and President. He will replace Howard J. Federoff, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and President, who departs to focus on building a new venture. The Company also announces the appointment of Andrew Jackson as Chief Financial Officer.
“Matt’s deep experience in cell therapy product development was an important consideration in Brooklyn’s choice to license Factor’s RNA development platform, which is the foundation of our current development programs. Therefore, it is only fitting that he take on the mantle to lead Brooklyn,” said Charles Cherington, Brooklyn’s Chairman of the Board. “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Howard for his service and many contributions to the Company. I am also delighted that Andrew Jackson has joined our team as Chief Financial Officer at such an exciting time for the company. His impressive track record in financing both commercial and clinical-stage biotech companies will be critical as the company enters its next phase of growth.”
“I am excited for this opportunity to lead Brooklyn ImmunoTherapeutics and to help realize the full potential of the company,” said Dr. Matt Angel, Brooklyn’s Interim Chief Executive Officer and President. “I look forward to leveraging my experience as CEO of an mRNA-focused biotechnology company to help advance Brooklyn’s therapeutic platform.”
Dr. Angel is an experienced biotechnology entrepreneur and executive, having led Factor Bioscience Inc. as CEO since its founding in 2011. Dr. Angel is Co-Founder of the immuno-oncology company, Exacis Biotherapeutics, where he serves as Scientific Advisory Board Chair, and the cell therapy company, Novellus Therapeutics, which was acquired by Brooklyn in 2021. Dr. Angel has deep experience in cell therapy product development, intellectual property protection and licensing, contract negotiation, including collaboration and licensing agreements, and has raised more than $150 million through grants, equity financings, and M&A. A pioneer in mRNA technology, Dr. Angel is a prolific inventor with more than 100 patents covering mRNA, nucleic acid delivery, gene editing, and cell reprogramming technologies. Dr. Angel received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied immunology and synthetic RNA.
Mr. Jackson joins the Company from Ra Medical Systems, a medical device company focused on vascular diseases where he served as its Chief Financial Officer and Secretary and for a period, its Interim Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Jackson has held several senior financial positions, including Chief Financial Officer, at AltheaDx, Inc, a commercial stage molecular diagnostics company specializing in precision medicine and Celladon Corporation, a publicly-traded, clinical stage gene therapy company, as well as senior financial positions at Sapphire Energy, an industrial biotechnology company. Mr. Jackson received a MSBA in Finance in December 2006 from San Diego State University and a BSB in Accounting in June 1992 from the University of Minnesota. Mr. Jackson is also a certified public accountant (inactive).