SAN DIEGO, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARTV), a clinical-stage biotechnology company whose mission is to develop effective, safe, and accessible cell therapies for patients with devastating autoimmune diseases and cancers, today announced the appointment of Alison Moore, Ph.D., as an independent member of its Board of Directors. Dr. Moore brings over 25 years of executive experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry, including an extensive background in cell therapy manufacturing. She currently serves as Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Codexis Inc. (Nasdaq: CDXS), a leading enzyme engineering company, and was the former CTO of Allogene Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ALLO), a pioneering clinical-stage company advancing CAR T-cell therapies.

“We are honored to welcome Alison to the Artiva Board of Directors. Her decades of executive experience in manufacturing and technical operations across modalities, specifically in allogenic cell therapies, will bring an important perspective to our team as we advance our pipeline in the clinic,” said Fred Aslan, M.D., CEO of Artiva. “In parallel to our efforts to evaluate the efficacy and safety of AlloNK^®, we believe the extensive history of our manufacturing process sets us apart from our allogeneic cell therapy peers, potentially accelerating our path to bring this experimental therapy to patients."

Dr. Moore added, “I have been impressed with the scalability and robustness of AlloNK^®’s manufacturing process at this stage of development. Built on a decade of leadership, the lack of genetic engineering simplifies the manufacturing process, and the clinical experience to date suggests this therapy offers a compelling approach to depleting B cells and potentially addressing the unmet need for patients with devastating autoimmune diseases and cancers. I am excited to join the board at this critical point in Artiva’s evolution to help realize the full potential of AlloNK^® for the treatment of autoimmune disease and cancer.”

Prior to Codexis and Allogene, Dr. Moore spent 20 years at Amgen, most recently as Senior Vice President of Process Development, with leadership roles in Supply Chain and Manufacturing. Before joining Amgen, she held positions at Genentech in chemistry, manufacturing and regulatory affairs. Dr. Moore holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacology with Honors and a Ph.D. in Cell Biology from Manchester University, England.

About Artiva Biotherapeutics

Artiva is a clinical-stage biotechnology company whose mission is to develop effective, safe and accessible cell therapies for patients with devastating autoimmune diseases and cancers. Artiva’s lead program, AlloNK^®, is an allogeneic, off-the-shelf, non-genetically modified, cryopreserved NK cell therapy candidate designed to enhance the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity effect of monoclonal antibodies to drive B-cell depletion. AlloNK^® is currently in clinical trials for treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus, for patients with or without lupus nephritis, and in an investigator-initiated basket trial in multiple autoimmune indications. Artiva’s pipeline also includes CAR-NK candidates targeting both solid and hematologic cancers. Artiva was founded in 2019 as a spin out of GC Cell, formerly GC Lab Cell Corporation, a leading healthcare company in the Republic of Korea, pursuant to a strategic partnership granting Artiva exclusive worldwide rights (excluding Asia, Australia and New Zealand) to GC Cell’s NK cell manufacturing technology and programs. 

Artiva is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, please visit https://www.artivabio.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements.  Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the potential benefits, accessibility, effectiveness and safety of AlloNK^® and Artiva’s manufacturing strategy.  These forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of the management of the Company as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. In light of these risks and uncertainties, the events or circumstances referred to in the forward-looking statements may not occur. These and other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results to differ from current expectations are discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the section titled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024.  You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date this press release is given. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts
Investors: Neha Krishnamohan, Artiva Biotherapeutics, ir@artivabio.com
Media: Jessica Yingling, Ph.D., Little Dog Communications Inc., jessica@litldog.com, +1.858.344.8091