EpiVax Appoints New CTO to Lead Immunoinformatics Innovations and Advancements

EpiVax Enhances Leadership in Immunoinformatics with New CTO Appointment

EpiVax, an industry leader at the forefront of immunoinformatics, has made a notable strategic move by appointing Dr. Guilhem Richard as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). This announcement came on February 27, 2025. With significant experience in the field of bioinformatics and cancer vaccine development, Dr. Richard is set to spearhead the company's innovations and technology advancements.

Dr. Richard joined EpiVax in 2014 and has played a pivotal role in leading the development of Ancer®, a computational platform focused on personalized, neoantigen-based cancer vaccines. His leadership at EpiVax's subsidiary, EpiVax Therapeutics, from 2019 to 2024 further highlights his expertise in translational work. Dr. Richard, equipped with an M.Eng. from the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA) in Lyon, France, and a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from Boston University, combines academic brilliance with practical experience.

The timing of Dr. Richard's promotion coincides with several exciting developments in EpiVax’s technological landscape. The company has reported significant enhancements to its ISPRI platform, emphasizing the integration of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques. These updates are designed to optimize the platform's immunogenicity assessments for biologic therapeutics. The evolution in models has allowed EpiVax researchers to improve the prediction of tolerated epitopes, increasing precision and recall rates of the JanusMatrix model by an impressive 50%.

Dr. Richard's leadership is anticipated to propel these advancements further as EpiVax introduces new immunogenicity models. These models—which forecast the emergence of anti-drug antibodies (ADA) against monoclonal therapeutics—present a game-changing six-fold increase in the correlation between predicted and observed values, with a drastic 85% reduction in instances of false negatives. As these innovative tools are set to launch through the ISPRI platform on both SaaS and fee-for-service bases, they promise to enhance the accuracy of vital assessments for global biotech and pharmaceutical clients.

Moreover, EpiVax is taking significant strides in regulatory compliance by filing a new Model Master File (MMF) for its PANDA® In Silico Model with the FDA. This new filing supports the regulatory process of Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDA) concerning generic peptide drugs. The detailed structure of EpiVax's PANDA® MMF, which explains methodologies for evaluating the immunogenicity of peptide drugs and their impurities, streamlines the documentation needed for ANDA submissions. By allowing sponsors to reference the PANDA® MMF as a Drug Master File (DMF), EpiVax is simplifying both the preparatory tasks for sponsors and the review process for FDA officials.

EpiVax’s commitment to innovation does not end here; the company is gearing up for further enhancements to the ISPRI platform. Key upgrades include the next version of its predictive toolkit, EpiMatrix®, and improved guided analytics alongside a more intuitive user interface. These improvements are designed to empower partners in their efforts to strengthen the pipelines of therapeutic development.

In summary, with Dr. Guilhem Richard at the helm, EpiVax is poised to lead the charge in immunoinformatics advancements, enhancing its offerings and driving the future of drug development in the biotech sector. EpiVax continues to establish collaborations with a broad range of partners across the globe, focusing on the acceleration of immunogenicity risk assessment and rapid vaccine design, marking its ongoing dedication to healthcare innovation.