Verastem Oncology, a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing new medicines for patients with cancer, announced the appointment of John Hayslip, M.D., an accomplished oncologist with deep clinical research, development, and commercialization experience, to chief medical officer where he will lead the Company’s clinical and medical strategy. Dr. Hayslip succeeds Louis J. Denis, M.D., who recently departed the company.
“John is a recognized leader in oncology with broad expertise across cancer research and development, business development and organizational leadership, and we welcome him to the Verastem team,” said Dan Paterson, president and chief executive officer of Verastem Oncology. “John’s extensive experience will be integral as we advance our clinical programs focused on RAS/MAPK pathway-driven cancers, such as low-grade serous ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer and lung cancer, while also submitting our rolling NDA submission for the avutometinib and defactinib combination in low-grade serous ovarian cancer, planned in the first half of this year.”
Dr. Hayslip has more than 25 years of oncology and research and development experience across industry and academia, most recently serving as the chief medical officer at I-MAB Biopharma. Prior to that, Dr. Hayslip was the vice president of clinical development at Nektar Therapeutics and led clinical development activities for multiple therapies while at AbbVie Oncology. Prior to joining AbbVie Oncology, Dr. Hayslip served as the chief of hematology and bone marrow transplant and the director of clinical research and data management at the University of Kentucky’s Markey Cancer Center, where he led numerous cancer research studies. Dr. Hayslip received his medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University and a master’s degree in clinical research from the Medical University of South Carolina. Following his residency in internal medicine, Dr. Hayslip completed his fellowship in hematology-oncology at the Medical University of South Carolina, leading to dual board certifications in both hematology and medical oncology. He holds multiple U.S. and international patents and has published dozens of scientific papers and reviews in renowned journals including Lancet Haematology, Clinical Cancer Research, Leukemia Research, Blood, and Journal of Clinical Oncology.
“I am excited to join Verastem Oncology and I look forward to working with the team to potentially bring a much-needed new treatment option to patients with low-grade serous ovarian cancer in the near term,” said Dr. Hayslip. “I believe the company’s novel approach of addressing both the RAS signaling pathway and key mechanism of intrinsic and acquired resistance offers a promise of better outcomes for patients living with RAS/MAPK pathway-driven cancers and beyond.”
Source: BusinessWire