Rigel Appoints Mark W. Frohlich, M.D. to Board of Directors

, /PRNewswire/ -- Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) today announced that it has appointed Mark W. Frohlich, M.D. to its Board of Directors. Dr. Frohlich is a medical oncologist and brings more than 25 years of experience developing cellular immunotherapies to treat cancer, including deep expertise in clinical drug development and translational research, and portfolio strategy.  

"We are pleased to have Mark join our Board," said Raul Rodriguez, Rigel's president and CEO. "His experience in clinical development, translational research and portfolio strategy will be a valuable addition to Rigel as we advance our hematology and oncology development pipeline and grow our portfolio."

Dr. Frohlich currently serves as chief executive officer of Indapta Therapeutics, a privately-held biotechnology company focused on developing and bringing to market allogenic natural killer cell therapies to treat the still unmet medical needs of patients with cancer as well as autoimmune diseases. Prior to joining Indapta, Dr. Frohlich served as a consultant and strategic advisor for several immuno-oncology biotechnology companies. Before that, he led portfolio strategy at Juno Therapeutics, which developed the FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy Breyanzi^® for large B-cell lymphoma, until the company was sold to Celgene, now part of Bristol Myers Squibb. Prior to joining Juno, he held various roles at Dendreon Corporation, a pioneer in the development of cellular immunotherapy, with his most recent role being chief medical officer and executive vice president of Research & Development. At Dendreon, he led the clinical team responsible for the development and U.S. and European regulatory approval of PROVENGE^®, one of the first commercially available cancer immunotherapies.

Prior to joining Dendreon, Dr. Frolich was an assistant adjunct professor of hematology/oncology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he specialized in urologic oncology and conducted laboratory, translational and clinical research. Dr. Frohlich earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Economics from Yale College and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School. At UCSF, he served as chief resident in medicine and completed a fellowship in hematology/oncology and a Howard Hughes postdoctoral fellowship.

"I am excited to join Rigel as it continues to advance its development pipeline," said Dr. Frohlich. "I believe the IRAK1/4 and IDH1 inhibitor programs have a significant potential to benefit patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome and glioma, respectively. I look forward to collaborating with the team as we further study these product candidates with the goal of bringing them to patients that need new treatment options."

About Rigel
Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) is a biotechnology company dedicated to discovering, developing and providing novel therapies that significantly improve the lives of patients with hematologic disorders and cancer. Founded in 1996, Rigel is based in South San Francisco, California. For more information on Rigel, the Company's marketed products and pipeline of potential products, visit www.rigel.com.

Contact for Investors & Media:
Investors:
Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
650.624.1232
[email protected] 

Media:
David Rosen
Argot Partners
646.461.6387
[email protected]

SOURCE Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.