TORL BioTherapeutics Announces Appointment of Anna Berkenblit, MD, MMSc, as Board Member

, /PRNewswire/ -- TORL BioTherapeutics LLC (TORL), a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing new antibody-based immunotherapies to improve and extend the lives of patients with cancer worldwide, today announced the appointment of Anna Berkenblit, MD, MMSc, as Board Member.

"We are excited and proud to welcome Anna to TORL's Board. Dr. Berkenblit's contributions as a clinician and an industry leader have made a significant global impact on patients, most recently by leading the clinical development of a new targeted treatment option for a subset of patients with ovarian cancer," said Mark J. Alles, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at TORL BioTherapeutics.

Dr. Berkenblit has more than two decades of experience in clinical development of novel anticancer therapies. Currently, she is the Chief Scientific and Medical Officer of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), responsible for the organization's scientific and clinical strategies through sponsored studies, research grants, health data, business development and patient services.

Prior to joining PanCAN, Dr. Berkenblit served as Chief Medical Officer at ImmunoGen where she led the development of mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx, a first-in-class antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting folate receptor alpha (FRα). Under Dr. Berkenblit's leadership, mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx received FDA approval for the treatment of patients with FRα -positive platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC).

"I am thrilled to add my experience and expertise developing novel cancer therapeutics to the TORL Board," said Dr. Berkenblit. "I look forward to working with the Board and Management to build on the Company's current discovery and development progress, and to establish TORL BioTherapeutics as a global leader among oncology-focused biotechnology companies."

"Anna's clinical and industry perspectives come at a critical time for TORL, advancing the portfolio of novel potential first- and best-in-class antibody-based therapies, starting with our Claudin 6-targeted ADC TORL-1-23. We are very excited that she has joined the TORL Board," commented Board Member and Scientific Co-founder Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine, and Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. 

Prior to her leadership role at ImmunoGen, Dr. Berkenblit was Senior Vice President, Clinical Development at H3 Biomedicine, and Vice President, Head of Clinical Research at Aveo Oncology. She also held positions of increasing responsibility at Wyeth/Pfizer including Vice President, Asset Team Leader. Throughout her career, Anna has led clinical development and oncology trials spanning early testing through large registration programs.

"Dr. Berkenblit's experience successfully developing mirvetuximab soravtansine-gynx, a first-in-class targeted ADC in PROC, will directly benefit the TORL team as we continue our registrational Phase 2 CATALINA-2 trial of TORL-1-23 ADC for Claudin 6-positive PROC patients, currently TORL's top priority in 2025," said Dave Licata, Co-founder, Board Member, President and Chief Financial Officer of TORL BioTherapeutics.

Dr. Berkenblit earned an MD from Harvard Medical School and a Master of Medical Sciences (MMSc) at Harvard/MIT Health Sciences & Technology. Her internship and residency were at Brigham and Women's Hospital and hematology/oncology fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) where she continued as staff to focus on clinical research in gynecological and gastrointestinal malignancies. Subsequently, Anna led the BIDMC/Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center Phase 1 oncology clinical trial program prior to entering the biopharmaceutical industry.

About Claudin 6

Claudin 6 (CLDN6) is overexpressed in multiple cancers with limited to no detectable expression observed in normal tissues, thus an ideal target for ADC development. CLDN6 is a transmembrane protein important for cell-to-cell connectivity in normal tissues during development but not in adult tissues. Overexpression of CLDN6 occurs in certain malignancies and is implicated in the initiation, progression, and metastasis of certain cancers, which include ovarian, non-small cell lung, endometrial, testicular and others. High expression correlates with shortened survival outcomes for patients with ovarian cancer.

About TORL-1-23

TORL-1-23 is a first- and potentially best-in-class clinical-stage ADC for the treatment of CLDN6+ solid tumors. TORL-1-23 has received Fast Track Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. TORL BioTherapeutics is currently enrolling the pivotal Phase 2 CATALINA-2 study of TORL-1-23 in women with CLDN6+ PROC. Further details can be found at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06690775.

About CATALINA-2

CATALINA-2 is a global, randomized, open-label Phase 2 study of novel CLDN6-targeted ADC TORL-1-23 in women with CLDN6+ PROC who have received one to three prior lines of therapy. The primary endpoint is objective response rate (ORR) per RECIST v1.1 by blinded independent central review. Secondary endpoints consist of duration of response, ORR by investigator assessment, progression-free survival, overall survival and safety. Further details can be found at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06690775.

About TORL BioTherapeutics LLC

TORL is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing new antibodies, both monoclonal antibodies and ADCs, with the goal of transforming the lives of patients challenged with a variety of human malignancies. Through a strategic partnership with the Slamon Research Lab at UCLA, TORL has exclusive development and commercial rights to a large program of biologics-based drugs for new, promising and novel cancer targets.

SOURCE TORL Biotherapeutics LLC