What’s in a name?

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Eleven Biotherapeutics, Inc., a late-stage clinical company developing next-generation antibody-drug conjugate therapies for the treatment of cancer, announced today the company’s new name change to Sesen Bio, Inc. Sesen Bio will trade under the new Nasdaq ticker symbol “SESN,” effective on May 17. Additionally, the company announced the appointments of Madhu Anant M.Sc., Ph.D., RAC as vice president of regulatory affairs, and Hagop Youssoufian, M.Sc., M.D. as senior medical advisor.

Dr. Anant brings more than 35 years of experience to her role as vice president of regulatory affairs at Sesen Bio. Before joining Sesen Bio, she served as the vice president, global regulatory affairs, hospital products for Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, where she was responsible for all regulatory activities, including strategy, health authority liaisons and regulatory pathways for development of products.

Prior to Mallinckrodt, Anant served as an independent consultant in numerous roles, including head of regulatory affairs and lead strategist in regulatory affairs, clinical development and medical affairs. Earlier she served as director, global regulatory sciences, geographic optimization for Bristol-Myers Squibb. There, Anant led the global regulatory strategies for geographic optimization of mature brands in the cardiovascular, metabolic, anti-infective and oncology therapeutic areas. Anant earned her Ph.D. from the International University for Professional Studies and her M.Sc. from the Institute of Science in Nagpur, India.

Dr. Youssoufian joins Sesen Bio as senior medical advisor with more than 25 years of physician and drug development experience. He has spent over a decade serving as a consultant to more than 100 biotech companies and investment funds, acting in various roles including chief medical officer, clinical monitor and regulatory officer. In his career, Youssoufian has led a successful FDA advisory committee meeting and has worked on numerous approved treatments, including Sprycel, Taxotere, Erbitux, Cyramza and Lartruvo.

Prior to Sesen Bio, Youssoufian served as chief medical officer for Bind Therapeutics, where he was responsible for all clinical and regulatory programs, including interactions with key opinion leaders, investors and analysts; executive vice president of research and development for Progenics Pharmaceuticals; president of research and development and chief medical officer for Ziopharm Oncology; and chief medical officer at ImClone-Lilly. Youssoufian earned his M.D. and M.Sc. from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is a medical oncologist and geneticist and an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

“Over the last several years, we have undergone an incredible transformation as a company, and our new name, Sesen Bio, reinforces this evolution and our focused commitment to oncology drug development. Sesen, an ancient symbol of the lotus flower, represents life and our mission to bring forward medicines that will improve and preserve the lives of those with devastating cancers,” said Stephen Hurly, president and chief executive officer of Sesen Bio. “The additions of Dr. Youssoufian and Dr. Anant further strengthen our leadership team and drug development capabilities as we work to bring our lead asset, Vicinium, through Phase 3 development for high-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and advance regulatory interactions. 2018 is set to be a significant year for Sesen Bio, as we are well on our way to achieving our vision and bettering the lives of people in need.”