CancerVAX CEO Ryan Davies Discusses Biotech Entrepreneurship with Pyxis Oncology CEO Dr. Lara Sullivan

The two industry leaders focus on navigating the biotech industry and immuno-oncology research


LEHI, Utah, July 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CancerVAX, Inc., developer of a breakthrough universal cancer vaccine that uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer, today announced that in a recent Company podcast its CEO, Ryan Davies, and Pyxis Oncology President & CEO, Dr. Lara Sullivan, discussed her journey as a biotech entrepreneur and executive at Pfizer.

“My role at Pfizer was an incredible biotech training course and I didn't even know it at the time because I was in the heart of Pfizer’s innovation engine when Pfizer was the world's biggest pharma company,” said Dr. Sullivan. “They were reinventing their R&D approach with more efficient processes, while also placing a greater emphasis on innovation. Drug development is an apprenticeship model just like medicine.”

“We gained a number of insights from this discussion that can be applied to our own research,” said CancerVax CEO, Ryan Davies. “As we continue the fight against Cancer, we can benefit greatly by learning from the experiences of others within our industry.”

Dr. Lara S. Sullivan is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Pyxis Oncology. Prior to joining Pyxis Oncology, Dr. Sullivan was Founding President of SpringWorks Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company she conceived of, founded, and spun out from Pfizer. As a biotech entrepreneur and advisor, Dr. Sullivan has leveraged her expertise in asset evaluation, portfolio management, and start-up financing to raise nearly $500 million of capital from seed stage through IPO. While at Pfizer, Dr. Sullivan held a variety of executive roles including Vice President, Pfizer Medical and Vice President, Worldwide Research & Development, where she led strategy, competitive intelligence and portfolio operations for the company’s early-stage R&D pipeline. Earlier in her career, she held a variety of roles in management consulting, private equity, and investment banking. Dr. Sullivan holds an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Cornell University.

This Podcast can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb4DZ-G49c8  

For more information about CancerVAX, please visit http://www.cancervax.com/.

About Us

CancerVAX, Inc. is a pre-clinical biotechnology company developing a breakthrough universal cancer vaccine to fight cancer using the body’s immune system. Working with a team of experienced cancer researchers and physicians at UCLA, we intend to create a Universal Cancer Vaccine that will detect, mark, and destroy only the diseased cells with incredible precision. Like the COVID-19 vaccines that train the body to recognize and destroy the coronavirus, our cancer vaccine will leverage the body’s immune system to destroy cancer cells. As we develop our universal cancer vaccine, we work with UCLA to develop single-disease cancer treatments targeting Ewing sarcoma, a rare but deadly bone and soft tissue cancer primarily affecting children and young adults. We look forward to the day when treating cancer will be as simple as getting a flu shot.

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