Sébastien Desprez Joins Adaptimmune as Vice President of Communications and Investor Relations

PHILADELPHIA and OXFORD, U.K., Oct. 23, 2017 -- Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq:ADAP), a leader in T-cell therapy to treat cancer, today announced that Sébastien Desprez has joined the Company as Vice President of Communications and Investor Relations.

Sébastien has more than twenty years of experience in biotech and healthcare communications. He was most recently the Director of Communications at ViiV Healthcare where he developed and implemented the company’s integrated internal and external communications strategy and served as a member of the executive team. Previously, Sébastien was the Director of Communications at GSK, where he headed the communications team supporting the oncology business unit as well as its leadership team. His prior experiences encompass a broad range of senior in-house and agency roles in the pharmaceutical sector, with highlights including work with Roche Global and UK as well as leading accounts for brands such as Tamiflu® and Celebrex®.

"I am delighted to welcome Sébastien to Adaptimmune," said Adrian Rawcliffe, Chief Financial Officer. "Over the past few months, we have witnessed unprecedented validation of the cell therapy field with the recent approval of CAR-T therapies, acquisitions in the field, and GSK’s decision to exercise its option over our own NY-ESO SPEAR-T-cell program. Not unlike cell therapy as a whole, Adaptimmune is at a critical inflection point, as we are focused on data delivery from our wholly owned assets. This will take us beyond proof-of-concept in synovial sarcoma to being the true leaders in engineered T-cell therapy capable of addressing a broad range of solid tumors. It is critical to communicate effectively with clarity and transparency during times of rapid evolution, and Sébastien’s extensive strategic leadership experience in healthcare communications will enable us to evolve our communications strategy during this transformative period."

“I am excited to join Adaptimmune at a time when the teams are intensifying their efforts to deliver for patients who often have no other options," said Sébastien. “I strongly believe in the constantly evolving promise of immuno oncology, as well as Adaptimmune’s ambition to become leaders in the field of engineered T-cell therapy. I feel that the skills and experience I bring will support the company to communicate in an impactful way with our external stakeholders, and to further build our internal engagement culture, without which a company’s success cannot happen.”

About Adaptimmune
Adaptimmune is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel cancer immunotherapy products. The Company’s unique SPEAR (Specific Peptide Enhanced Affinity Receptor) T-cell platform enables the engineering of T-cells to target and destroy cancer, including solid tumors. Adaptimmune is currently conducting clinical trials with SPEAR T-cells targeting MAGE-A4, -A10, and AFP across several solid tumor indications. The Company is located in Philadelphia, USA and Oxfordshire, U.K. For more information, please visit http://www.adaptimmune.com

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA). These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, and include, without limitation: the success, cost and timing of our product development activities and clinical trials and our ability to successfully advance our TCR therapeutic candidates through the regulatory and commercialization processes. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to our business in general, we refer you to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on August 3, 2017, and our other SEC filings. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date the statements were made and we do not undertake any obligation to update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. 

Adaptimmune Contacts

Investor Relations
Juli P. Miller, Ph.D.
T: (215) 825-9310
E: [email protected]

Media Relations
Margaret Henry
T: +44 (0)1235 430036
Cell: +44 (0)7710 304249
E: [email protected]