“Matt is an experienced and highly respected R&D leader in the immunology and cancer biology field with an outstanding track record in the advancement of multiple commercialized antibody therapies,” said Susan Hill, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Mestag. “He joins us at an exciting time, as our pipeline of agonist antibody programs is poised to enter the clinic, we build our future portfolio of fibroblast immunology programs, and we explore novel targets through our proprietary RAFT platform and in partnership with MSD. His extensive expertise in the development of antibody-based therapeutics, combined with a deep insight into inflammatory disease and cancer biology is ideally suited to our fibroblast immunology focus. We are delighted to welcome him to Mestag.”
Dr. Sleeman has more than two decades of experience as an R&D leader and scientist in inflammatory disease and cancer. His career has encompassed the research and development of six FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies, in addition to over twenty monoclonal and bispecific antibodies that have entered clinical development.
Dr. Sleeman joins Mestag from Regeneron, where he served as Vice President of Research, Head of Therapeutic Focus Area Immunology & Inflammation, leading a team of over one hundred scientists spearheading new research, as well as supporting the ongoing development and approvals of Dupixent®, Kevzara® and Libtayo®. During his tenure at Regeneron, Dr. Sleeman’s team delivered a new platform of costimulatory bispecific antibodies to enhance the activity of checkpoint inhibitors and CD3 bispecifics in cancer, and the combination strategy of the anti-allergy franchise.
Earlier in his career, whilst Dr. Sleeman was the Cambridge site lead for the Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity Group at MedImmune, the department advanced six programs into the clinic, including mavrilimumab, Adbry® and Faserna®. At Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT), Dr. Sleeman led a team of biologists supporting the AstraZeneca alliance inflammation portfolio in rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and osteoarthritis, culminating in the acquisition of CAT by AstraZeneca in 2006 for $1.3 billion. Dr. Sleeman has a PhD from the University of Durham and a BSc (Hons) from the University of Dundee.
Dr. Sleeman added, “Over the last two decades, I have dedicated my career to advancing impactful antibody therapeutics, led by new biological insights that deepen our understanding of disease pathogenesis. Mestag’s compelling discoveries in fibroblast immunology, together with a unique portfolio of antibodies, offer an exciting opportunity to bring important new therapeutics to patients. I am energized to join the team and contribute to the development of a new class of therapeutics in inflammatory disease and cancer.”
