Atara Biotherapeutics, a pioneer in T-cell immunotherapy leveraging its novel allogeneic EBV T-cell platform to develop transformative therapies for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases, announced the appointment of Mr Ameet Mallik to the Board of Directors.

Mr. Mallik is a biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry expert with a successful track record of bringing innovative oncology therapeutics, including CAR T cell therapy, to market in the U.S. and other countries. With more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Mallik adds relevant and directly applicable management and operational experience that will be instrumental as Atara progresses toward commercial launch of its lead product, tab-cel^.

“From commercialization of innovative rare oncology therapies to payer, access and reimbursement expertise, Ameet brings a wealth of experience in the cell and gene therapy space to the Atara Board,” said Pascal Touchon, President and Chief Executive Officer of Atara. “Ameet joins us at a critical time as we advance our first-in-kind off-the-shelf allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy and anticipate our first approvals in 2022.’’

Mr Ameet Mallik is Chief Executive Officer of Rafael Holdings, a late-stage cancer metabolism therapeutic company and has held several leadership roles at Novartis Oncology, most recently as Executive Vice President and Head of U.S. Oncology where he was responsible for commercial and medical oncology operations

“Atara Biotherapeutics is an industry trailblazer for allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy and is rapidly advancing a robust pipeline,” said Mr. Mallik. “I am honored to join the Board and look forward to working with my fellow directors and the entire Atara leadership team to advance the company’s mission to transform the lives of patients with serious diseases.”