Member of the Board of Directors
Dr. Allen joins the board of Nodality having most recently been Chief Medical Officer and EVP at Pharmion Corp, a young cancer therapeutics company acquired by Celgene for $2.9B in 2Q08. Pharmion was the leading company in the fast-growing field of epigenetic therapy, and was the first to show that epigenetic therapy, in the form of Vidaza, a DNA methylation inhibitor, could substantially extend survival in patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes. Pharmion also secured the approval in Europe of thalidomide for the front-line treatment of multiple myeloma patients ineligible for transplant.
Prior to Pharmion, Dr. Allen was Vice President Oncology Drug Development at Chiron, one of the original biotechnology companies in the Bay Area, which was acquired by Novartis in 2006. At Chiron, Dr. Allen's team initiated clinical development of three early-stage oncology drugs, both small molecules and biologics, and worked extensively to apply biomarkers and diagnostics to the process of early drug development. His team also collaborated closely with academia, and pioneered a clinical partnership with the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium. Previously, Dr. Allen served as global project head in Abbott Laboratories' oncology franchise, and prior to that he progressed through positions of increasing responsibility at McKinsey & Company, in the development and execution of business strategies for top-tier biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, with a focus on oncology.
Dr. Allen qualified in Medicine at Oxford University and earned his Ph.D. from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London. Dr. Allen also obtained post-graduate internal medicine qualification as a Member of Royal College of Physicians (MRCP).