BURLINGAME, Calif., June 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRVS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel immuno-oncology therapies, today announced Corvus’s Dr. Ian McCaffery will present at the inaugural Rational Combinations 360° event at the Park Lane Hotel, New York, June 23 – 24. 

The conference will encompass the most up-to-date developments from the business, clinical and scientific perspectives related to progressing and prioritizing the best combination cancer treatments for individual patients and tumor types.

Dr. McCaffery is co-chairing the conference as well as the Scientific Section on Day 2. On the 24^th, he will also present data supporting CPI-444 as a checkpoint inhibitor both as a single agent as well as in combination with other agents that modulate tumor immunity by a variety of mechanisms in a talk entitled:  “CPI-444, an oral checkpoint inhibitor of adenosine mediated suppression of tumor immunity.” Corvus’s ongoing clinical study evaluating CPI-444 as a single agent as well as in combination with the anti-PD-L1 antibody atezolizumab will also be discussed.

Dr. McCaffery is the vice president of translational sciences for Corvus Pharmaceuticals. With more than 15 years’ experience in the biotechnology industry, he has led target, biomarker and companion diagnostic discovery and development programs in research and early/late stage clinical development. Prior to Corvus, Dr. McCaffery led the companion diagnostic development group at Genentech where he developed and clinically validated predictive and prognostic biomarkers and associated technology platforms across the Genentech research and early development and Roche product development portfolio. He also worked at Amgen where he led the oncology therapeutic area biomarker group, with accountability for all early- and late-stage biomarker development.  Dr. McCaffery earned his PhD from the University of Leeds, UK and conducted his postdoctoral work at the University of Virginia investigating mechanisms of gene regulation.

About CPI-444
CPI-444, Corvus’s lead checkpoint inhibitor, is designed to disable a tumor’s ability to subvert attack by the immune system by inhibiting adenosine in the tumor microenvironment. CPI-444 is a small molecule that is taken orally. CPI-444 is being evaluated in a multicenter Phase 1/1b clinical trial in patients with various solid tumors. This successive expansion cohort trial is examining the activity of CPI-444 both as a single agent and in combination with TECENTRIQ™ (atezolizumab), Genentech's investigational cancer immunotherapy. TECENTRIQ™ (atezolizumab) is a fully humanized monoclonal antibody targeting protein programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1). Corvus is conducting the trial with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, under a clinical trial collaboration the two companies entered into in October 2015.

About Corvus Pharmaceuticals
Corvus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CRVS) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of small molecule and antibody agents that target the immune system to treat patients with cancer. These agents block or modify crucial immune checkpoints and reprogram immune T-cells. For more information, visit www.corvuspharma.com.

Investor Contact:
Leiv Lea
Chief Financial Officer
LLea@corvuspharma.com
650-900-4522

Media Contact:
Julie Normart, W2O Group
415-946-1087
jnormart@w2ogroup.com