MONROVIA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Xencor, a company developing protein and antibody therapeutics, today announced the appointment of Jeffrey D. Bloss, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., as chief medical officer. Dr. Bloss will leverage more than 15 years of clinical practice, research and drug development experience to direct Xencor’s clinical and preclinical development strategies. He will be responsible for building the company’s clinical development team and for the design and implementation of studies to evaluate the company’s pipeline of novel antibody and protein therapeutics.

“As we move our lead XmAb anti-CD30 antibody candidate into the clinic this year for Hodgkin’s disease and T-cell lymphoma, Dr. Bloss is a pivotal appointment for Xencor. He has a proven track record of success in advancing novel antibody and oncology drug candidates, managing both preclinical and clinical stage clinical development activities,“ said Bassil Dahiyat, Ph.D., president and CEO of Xencor. “His medical background and extensive senior leadership history make him an ideal member of our team, and we look forward to the positive impact he will have leading our clinical development activities.“

Dr. Bloss has extensive experience building and managing clinical teams to advance oncology and antibody therapeutics at major biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Most recently, he was the Vice President of Clinical Development at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. where he led the development for sorafenib. Prior to that, he led the development teams for Tarceva® (erlotinib) and pertuzimab as a group medical director at Genentech, and he worked on Gemzar® (gemcitabine HCI), Alimta® (pemetrexed) and the other pipeline drugs as the U.S. Director of Oncology at Eli Lilly and Company. Before joining Eli Lilly, Dr. Bloss served at the University of Missouri-Columbia as both the Director of the Office of Clinical Research and Compliance and as the Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology. Dr. Bloss also held senior medical positions with the United States Air Force Medical Corps. He received an M.D. from Thomas Jefferson University and a B.S. from Juniata College.

“Xencor’s unique approach to antibody Fc engineering has demonstrated promising results with safety and potency in pre-clinical studies,“ said Dr. Bloss. “I am delighted to join the company at this exciting stage and look forward to being a part of a team that is dedicated to the development of superior antibody therapeutics that provide better treatment options for patients with cancer and inflammatory conditions.“

About Xencor
Xencor, Inc. engineers superior biotherapeutics using its proprietary XmAb™ technology and is a leader in the field of antibody Fc engineering to significantly improve antibody potency, safety, and half-life. The company is advancing XmAb™ antibody drug candidates optimized for activity against biologically validated targets into the clinic, led by XmAb™2513, for the treatment of Hodgkin’s disease and T-cell lymphoma. With multiple partners, such as industry leaders Genentech, Boehringer Ingelheim, Centocor and MedImmune, Xencor is applying its suite of XmAb™ antibody Fc domains to improve a variety of antibody drug candidates. For more information, please visit www.xencor.com.