LIfT BioSciences Appoints Mark A. Exley as Chief Scientific Officer
- Mark brings 30 years of experience in R&D spanning discovery to late-stage clinical development
London, 7 April 2025 – LIfT BioSciences, (‘LIfT’ or ‘the Company’), a rapidly emerging biotech and world leader in neutrophil immuno-therapies, today announces the appointment of Mark A. Exley, PhD as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), effective 7 April. The appointment of a CSO with extensive clinical expertise comes at a pivotal time for LIfT, as the Company prepares for clinical trials of its first-in-class immuno-modulator, designed to rejuvenate patient immunity and overcome treatment resistance in solid tumours.
Mark is a translational immunologist, bringing over 30 years of R&D experience leading technology from discovery to late-stage clinical trials in industry and academia. Most recently, he served as Chief Scientific Officer of Imvax Inc, a private clinical-stage biotech company developing personalised immunotherapies against solid tumours. Prior to this, he served as Vice President of Immunology at the predecessor company of MiNK Therapeutics, a NASDAQ listed clinical-stage biopharma developing allogeneic natural killer T cell therapies for cancer and immune-mediated diseases, where he is still a Scientific Advisory Board Member. Additionally, he co-founded NKT Therapeutics and has consulted for various biotechs and venture capital funds, including Abingworth. Mark has held several academic roles of increasing seniority at Harvard Medical School and the University of Manchester, UK, and currently retains an honorary academic appointment. He holds a PhD in Cell Biology from the Institute of Cancer Research, an MSc in Immunology from King’s College London and a BSc in Biochemistry from Imperial College London.
Alex Blyth, Chief Executive Officer of LIfT BioSciences, commented: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Mark as our new CSO. He joins LIfT at an exciting time as we prepare to progress our proprietary Neutrophil-based Leukocyte Infusion Therapy (N-LIfT) platform into the clinic. His wealth of experience in cell therapies and clinical trial design will prove invaluable as we enter this next significant stage of development.”
Mark A. Exley, Chief Scientific Officer at LIfT BioSciences, added: “LIfT’s first-in-class cell therapy offers a novel approach to solid tumour treatment, harnessing the largely untapped power of neutrophils to prevent tumour escape and relapse. The Company’s preclinical data is compelling, and I look forward to collaborating with the team and applying my R&D expertise to advance N-LIfT through clinical development, bringing us a step closer to making this transformative therapy available to patients in need.”
The appointment of Mark Exley follows the recent announcement that LIfT has gained access to half a million allogeneic donors through a collaboration with Gift of Life Biologics.
About LIfT BioSciences
LIfT Biosciences is a UK & Ireland biotech moving into clinical trials for their first-in-class unique allogeneic neutrophil based cell therapy that rejuvenates immune competence and overcomes treatment resistance in solid tumours. LIfT’s Immunomodulatory Alpha Neutrophils (IMANs) kill in a non-antigen specific manner and turn the tumour microenvironment against the tumour to give a durable response and lasting immunity. LIfT’s extensive patents give them ownership over the allogeneic neutrophil space in oncology and other therapy areas. The patented breakthrough N-LIfT platform is produced using exceptional stem cells (HPC, iPSC or HSC), a proprietary enhancement media and genetic engineering.
The Company is preparing initiatives with a range of pharmaceutical license partners to develop a portfolio of engineered CAR IMAN cell therapies to destroy a range of solid tumours. See www.LIfTBiosciences.com
Further information
Investors:
Alex Blyth
+44 (0)7718 759116
ablyth@LIfTBioSciences.com
Media:
ICR Healthcare
Lindsey Neville, Namrata Taak, Evi Useh
liftbiosciences@icrhealthcare.com
