SOMERSET, N.J., May 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Legend Biotech Corporation (NASDAQ: LEGN) (Legend Biotech), a global leader in cell therapy, today announced the engagement with a group of distinguished scientific advisors who will provide strategic input as Legend advances its pipeline and future research priorities.
The advisors, who include Renier Brentjens, M.D., Ph.D., Spencer Fisk, Carl June, M.D., Maximilian F. Konig, M.D., Anthony Polverino, Ph.D., and Georg Schett, M.D., bring deep expertise spanning oncology, immunology, development, and manufacturing of cell-based therapies.
“These advisors bring an exceptional breadth of experience that will help guide our scientific priorities and identify new opportunities for innovation,” said Ying Huang, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Legend Biotech. “As we look to advance and expand beyond our current portfolio, their perspectives will help shape our long-term scientific direction as we build a diversified, next-generation cell therapy pipeline focused on areas of high unmet need.”
Through ongoing engagement, these advisors will contribute their perspectives across emerging science, translational research, clinical development, and manufacturing priorities, including the identification of future areas of unmet need.
Collectively, these advisors reinforce the evolution of Legend Biotech as an end-to-end cell therapy company and the advancement of a next-generation pipeline with the potential to expand patient access and unlock new therapeutic possibilities.
About the Advisors
- Renier Brentjens, M.D., Ph.D. – A pioneer in CAR-T cell therapy, Dr. Brentjens serves as Deputy Director and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. He pioneered the early clinical development of CD19-directed CAR-T cell therapies, developed armored CAR-T cells to overcome the tumor microenvironment, and is actively exploring preclinical and clinical work advancing CAR-Ts against solid tumor antigens. Recently, Dr. Brentjens was named a recipient of the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize for his pioneering applications of CAR-T cell therapy.
- Spencer Fisk – A seasoned CMC and technical operations leader, Mr. Fisk currently serves as Chief Technology & Quality Officer at Ottimo Pharma. At Novartis, he initiated CMC development and later led the manufacturing readiness for the approval and global commercial launch of the first FDA-approved CAR-T cell therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). He brings more than 35 years of industry experience from Merck, Genentech, and other leading and innovative biopharmaceutical organizations.
- Carl June, M.D. – A globally recognized immunologist and pioneer of CAR-T therapy, Dr. June led the development of the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved CAR-T therapy and co-founded several biotech companies. He is Director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. Dr. June’s lab studies various mechanisms of lymphocyte activation related to immune tolerance and adoptive immunotherapy for cancer and chronic infection.
- Maximilian F. Konig, M.D. – A physician-scientist, Director of the Cellular Therapy Program (Autoimmunity), and Co-Director of the Center for Autoimmunity and Immuno-Oncology at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Konig specializes in rheumatology and immunology. His lab pioneers the development of antigen-specific and precision immunotherapy platforms for autoimmune diseases. He is also the scientific co-founder of Winnow Therapeutics.
- Anthony Polverino, Ph.D. – A veteran R&D leader in oncology and immunology, Dr. Polverino previously served as Chief Scientific Officer at Zymeworks and Kite Pharma, where he contributed to the approval of a CD19-targeted CAR-T cell therapy. He brings more than two decades of research leadership experience from Amgen and other biopharmaceutical organizations.
- Georg Schett, M.D. – A leading rheumatologist and immunologist, Dr. Schett serves as Professor of Internal Medicine, Head of the Department of Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology at Uniklinikum Erlangen and Vice President of Research at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. He pioneered the application of CD19-directed CAR-T therapy in autoimmune diseases, including early clinical studies demonstrating drug-free remission in patients with severe lupus.
About Legend Biotech
With over 3,000 employees, Legend Biotech is the largest standalone cell therapy company and a pioneer in treatments that change cancer care forever. Legend Biotech is at the forefront of the CAR-T cell therapy revolution with CARVYKTI®, a one-time treatment for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, which it develops and markets with collaborator Johnson & Johnson. Centered in the United States, Legend Biotech is building an end-to-end cell therapy company by expanding its leadership to maximize CARVYKTI® patient access and therapeutic potential. From this platform, Legend Biotech plans to drive future innovation across its pipeline of cutting-edge cell therapy modalities.
Learn more at https://legendbiotech.com and follow us on X and LinkedIn.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans, and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to Legend Biotech’s strategies and objectives, and the advancement of its pipeline and product portfolio. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors. Legend Biotech’s expectations could be affected by, among other things, uncertainties involved in the development of new pharmaceutical products; unexpected clinical trial results, including as a result of additional analysis of existing clinical data or unexpected new clinical data; unexpected regulatory actions or delays, including requests for additional safety and/or efficacy data or analysis of data, or government regulation generally; unexpected delays as a result of actions undertaken, or failures to act, by our third-party partners; uncertainties arising from challenges to Legend Biotech’s patent or other proprietary intellectual property protection, including the uncertainties involved in the U.S. litigation process; government, industry, and general product pricing and other political pressures; as well as the other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of Legend Biotech’s Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 10, 2026. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this press release as anticipated, believed, estimated, or expected. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Legend Biotech specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
INVESTOR CONTACT:
Jessie Yeung
Tel: (732) 956-8271
investor@legendbiotech.com
PRESS CONTACT:
Kim Fox
Tel: (848) 388-8445
media@legendbiotech.com
