Corbus Pharmaceuticals Expands Board of Directors with Appointment of Yong Ben, M.D., MBA

Corbus Pharmaceuticals, a precision oncology company, today announced the appointment of Yong Ben, M.D., MBA, to the Company’s Board of Directors.

“Dr. Ben is a distinguished oncology researcher and pharma industry executive, with multiple drug approvals to his credit, and his appointment is a welcome addition to our Board,” said Alan Holmer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Corbus Pharmaceuticals. “Our recent license agreement for CRB-701 has helped cement our position as a precision oncology, and this appointment augments our Board with extensive experience in oncology drug development in both the US and China. Dr. Ben’s more recent work in healthcare venture investment will add a unique perspective. We look forward to his contributions.”

“Throughout his career, Dr. Ben has led complex and diverse clinical development programs from Phase 1 to Phase 3 trials, from strategic planning and study execution to regulatory submissions,” added Dr. Yuval Cohen, Chief Executive Officer of Corbus. “We look forward to his expert counsel as we advance our nectin-4 targeting ADC (CRB-701) and our TGF-beta targeting mAb (CRB-601) programs.”

Dr. Ben has over 20 years of medical experience in academia and pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including clinical practice, drug discovery and development in oncology and hematological malignancies. He is currently a venture partner at Eight Roads Venture (formerly known as Fidelity Ventures). Prior to that he was Chief Medical Officer, Solid Tumors at BeiGene. Prior to BeiGene, Dr. Ben served as Chief Medical Officer at San Diego-based biotech company BioAtla . Previously, he was global clinical leader of immuno-oncology clinical development at AstraZeneca, leading the approval of durvalumab in urothelial cancer. Dr. Ben’s career highlights also include his work on the approval of ixazomib in multiple myeloma at Millennium Pharmaceuticals and the approval of axitinib in renal cancer at Pfizer. He started his career as a surgical oncologist at Peking Union Medical College Hospital and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at California Pacific Medical Center. Dr. Ben received his medical degree from Norman Bethune College of Medicine and his MBA from the University of California, San Diego.

“Corbus has assembled a compelling pipeline of precision oncology assets, and I am excited by the prospect of targeting Nectin-4 and TGFb,” said Dr. Ben. “I look forward to working with the talented Corbus team to develop CRB-701 and CRB-601 and realize their potential.”