What Imugene CEO Leslie Chong has learned in her bid to create the world's best immunotherapy

When Leslie Chong took over as Chief Executive of Imugene in 2015, she was eager to advance the development of what could be the world’s first cancer vaccines. HER-VAXX, one of Imugene’s leading therapeutics, has shown remarkable efficacy in tackling HER2-positive cancers, such as breast and gastric, during phase 2 clinical trials.

• Efficacy Highlights:
  • 41.5% reduction in mortality risk when combined with chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone.
  • Survival rate of 13.9%, 5.6% higher than chemotherapy patients.
  • Low toxicity profile, offering improved patient safety and reduced side effects.

Under Ms. Chong’s leadership, Imugene has achieved strong clinical trial results and grown its market capitalization from seven to eight figures, now valued at nearly $1 billion.

Navigating Challenges in Therapeutic Development

Despite her success, Ms. Chong acknowledges the challenges of drug development, particularly in the competitive cancer therapy market:

"Cancer therapy is highly competitive, so you have to keep evaluating the landscape. Positive data is exciting, but you need to keep a close eye on competitors who may become the new standard of care."

With 24 years of experience and a track record of bringing four cancer drugs to market, Ms. Chong emphasizes the importance of constant learning and adaptability:

"Nobody is immune to failing in drug development. You have to keep innovating, pivoting your study, and anticipating anything that might go wrong."

Imugene's Team and Pipeline

Imugene operates with a small but highly experienced team of eight permanent clinical development staff. Ms. Chong describes her team as her strength, outsourcing tasks to key players in the oncology landscape when needed.

• Pipeline Highlights:
  • HER-VAXX: A vaccine that activates B cells to create antibodies, blocking cancer cell signaling pathways.
  • PD1-Vaxx: An immunotherapy that helps patients create antibodies to inhibit the immune regulator PD1, showing promise in Phase 1 trials for lung cancer.
  • Oncolytic Virus: A virus that selectively attacks and replicates in cancer cells.

Equity Raising and Regulatory Strategy

Ms. Chong advocates for a proactive equity-raising strategy:

"Raise equity whenever the opportunity arises. Companies don’t go out of business due to dilution; they go out of business due to funding."

She also stresses the importance of conducting clinical trials under FDA IND (Investigational New Drug) approval:

"Failure to listen to the FDA is a disservice to your technology or assets. This is the body that will license your drug, so it pays to heed their experience and validation."

Bio Connections Australia Conference

Leslie Chong will share her insights at the upcoming Bio Connections Australia Conference, hosted by Informa Connect. The event will take place on 29 July at the Crown Promenade Melbourne.

The panel theme, “The biotech crystal ball: road-bumps to success,” will address topics such as:

• Planning for success: Lessons learned.
• Challenges vs failures vs learnings.
• Equity raising and regulatory strategies.

Joining Ms. Chong on the panel are Jaime McCoy (General Manager ANZ, Gilead Australia), Hugh Alsop (CEO, Kinoxis Therapeutics Pty Ltd), and Jon Pilcher (CEO, Neuren Pharmaceuticals).

Visit Bio Connections Australia Website

About Leslie Chong

Leslie Chong has 24 years of oncology experience in Phase I–III clinical program development, including leadership roles in four marketed oncology products. She was previously Senior Clinical Program Lead at Genentech, Inc., in San Francisco, a globally renowned biotech company with a strong oncology franchise, including the best-selling breast cancer drug Herceptin.