Singapore: Vaxxas, a biotechnology company commercializing a novel vaccine-delivery platform that activates immunological cells immediately below the surface of the skin, has appointed Mr David Hoey as its chief executive officer. He has also been appointed to the company's board of directors.

Mr Hoey has more than 20 years of executive-level experience in North America, spanning business development, licensing, strategic planning and financing for technology companies, including his most recent position as board member and vice president of Business Development for PathoGenetix. 

With Mr Hoey's appointment, Vaxxas is establishing operations in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to expand access to global pharmaceutical partners and complement the company's research and development operations based in Queensland, Australia. The company has recently tied up with Merck for developing a novel vaccine candidate.

"We are extremely pleased that David, a proven leader in the life sciences industry, has become Vaxxas' CEO and was attracted by the exceptional potential of Vaxxas' Nanopatch to enable a new class of next generation vaccines," said Dr Paul Kelly, chairman of Vaxxas. "David's ability to create strong partnering alliances and success in business strategy will be a great asset as Vaxxas capitalizes on the broad set of opportunities for its proprietary Nanopatch technology."

"I am excited to advance the commercialization of this unique technology and grow a company that has such broad potential to impact the next generation of vaccines and immunotherapies," said Mr Hoey. "With the potential to elicit a 100-fold increase in immune response compared to conventional needle-and-syringe, Vaxxas' Nanopatch platform has true game changing potential. Our strategy is to partner with leading pharmaceutical players to optimize their next-generation and existing vaccines, as well as being a platform to enable whole new classes of vaccines and immunotherapies."

Mr Hoey, originally from Australia, brings more than 20 years of executive-level experience in business development, licensing, strategic planning, and financing for technology companies. His experience spans the preclinical development of small molecule and biologic therapeutics, molecular diagnostic assays and platforms, and analytical instrumentation. Mr Hoey has completed over $400 million in corporate partnering transactions and equity financings in the US, Europe, and Japan and has secured extensive contracts for US Government sponsored research.

Most recently, Mr Hoey served as vice president of business development at PathoGenetix, a Boston-based company pioneering single molecule detection technologies for automated identification and strain-typing of microorganisms for biodefense, clinical, and industrial applications. During his tenure at PathoGenetix, Mr Hoey secured more than $55 million from US government contracts and corporate strategic alliances, in addition to a series of equity financings.