LIXTE Biotechnology Holdings, Inc. (“LIXTE” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ:LIXT), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing a novel class of cancer therapy called PP2A inhibitors, announced that Bas van der Baan has been named as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, effective as of September 26, 2023. He has been a member of LIXTE’S Board of Directors since June 2022. Mr. van der Baan succeeds John S. Kovach, M.D., 87, who founded the Company in 2005 and was named Executive Chairman. Dr. Kovach will continue as the Company’s Chief Scientific Officer. Both Dr. Kovach and Mr. van der Baan will continue in their roles as members of the Board of Directors of LIXTE.
Mr. van der Baan, 51, has more than 20 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, with a key focus on oncology and diagnostics. Most recently, he was the Chief Clinical and Business Development Officer of Agendia, Inc. in Irvine, California and Amsterdam, Netherlands. In that role, Mr. van der Baan was instrumental in the initiation and execution of numerous clinical trials that led to full commercialization and adoption of precision molecular oncology diagnostics. He initiated the launch of Agendia’s business operations in the United States and has broad knowhow in clinical development, both in the United States and in Europe.
“Bas has extensive expertise managing products from clinical development to commercialization, and along with his involvement in establishing partnerships with pharmaceutical companies, he will be highly valuable to LIXTE in the next phase of the Company’s development,” said Dr. Kovach. “I look forward to working closely with Bas in my new role as Executive Chairman, as we continue to focus on expediting the clinical development of our promising lead compound, LB-100.”
“During my tenure serving on the Board of Directors, I have worked with the entire LIXTE team and am impressed with the progress made with LB-100. I am honored and delighted to accept this position with LIXTE as the Company continues its journey through the clinical trial process,” Mr. van der Baan said. “I look forward to leading LIXTE in its mission to improve medical outcomes for patients undergoing various chemotherapies and immunotherapies, and to establishing and commercializing what we believe to be the significant clinical potential of LB-100.”
