AdvanCell Appoints Philina Lee, PhD as Chief Executive Officer to Lead US Expansion and Drive Global Growth

Dr Lee is a seasoned biopharmaceutical executive with a proven track record of leading cross-functional teams to successfully develop and commercialize innovative therapies in oncology

AdvanCell Pty Ltd (“AdvanCell”), a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company developing innovative targeted alpha therapies for cancer, today announced the appointment of Philina Lee, PhD as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Dr Lee will head AdvanCell’s US expansion, accelerating clinical, manufacturing, and partnership activities to advance lead clinical candidate 212Pb-ADVC001 and the company’s innovative radiopharmaceutical portfolio. She will assume her role from January 1, 2026, and will be based at the company’s new US headquarters near Boston/Cambridge, MA.

“Philina brings a rare combination of global commercial leadership, deep radiopharmaceutical expertise, and an outstanding record of building high growth organizations and high-performance teams,” said Andrew Kay, Chair of AdvanCell. “Her leadership and experience positions AdvanCell to drive its next phase of growth, with the United States now a major strategic focus as the company advances 212Pb-ADVC001 and its emerging pipeline of targeted alpha therapies in the world’s largest pharmaceutical market.”

Dr Lee joins AdvanCell from Blueprint Medicines Corporation, recently acquired by Sanofi for approximately US$9.5 billion. At Blueprint, she served as Chief Commercial Officer and was instrumental in driving the company’s strategy and building commercial infrastructure in oncology and mast cell disorders. She also served on the Board of Directors of radiopharmaceutical company Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. and held senior roles in the US at alpha therapy pioneer Algeta ASA, where she contributed to building the organization that successfully launched the first and only approved alpha therapy Xofigo®* (radium-223 dichloride) in the US in collaboration with Bayer AG.

Dr Lee earned a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Alberta, and a PhD in Cell Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“AdvanCell is pioneering a new class of targeted alpha therapies powered by 212Pb (Lead-212) with tremendous potential to transform cancer treatment and position the company as the leading targeted alpha radiotherapy company,” said Dr Philina Lee. “The clinical data from the Phase 1b part of the TheraPb trial recently presented for 212Pb-ADVC001 in prostate cancer at ESMO are promising, demonstrating an encouraging safety profile and strong therapeutic index, including a 100% overall rate of response in patients with RECIST-measurable lesions. I am excited to accelerate the expansion of our US leadership and operational capabilities, building on AdvanCell’s strong foundation in Australia and advancing our mission to transform care for cancer patients globally.”

Dr Lee succeeds founder and long-time CEO Andrew Adamovich, who will continue as Managing Director, Australia, and remain on the Board of Directors. The Board acknowledges Mr Adamovich’s leadership in growing AdvanCell from concept to a leading clinical-stage, vertically integrated radiopharmaceutical company, with manufacturing in Australia, a growing US presence, and strategic partnerships across isotope supply, R&D, and clinical translation.

“AdvanCell’s growth trajectory is remarkable – driven by our team’s relentless focus on improving outcomes for cancer patients based on innovative science and strong execution,” said Andrew Adamovich. “Philina’s leadership further strengthens our ability to establish the United States as a global hub while continuing to deliver innovation from Australia and cementing our position as a leader in targeted alpha radiotherapies.”

*Xofigo® is a registered trademark of Bayer AG, used under license (approved in the US, EU, China, and other markets worldwide)

ESMO – European Society for Medical Oncology 2025 Congress 

About 212Pb-ADVC001

212Pb-ADVC001 is a proprietary and patented PSMA-targeting radioligand with optimized physicochemical properties and labelled with 212Pb, an alpha-emitting payload (radionuclide) with a high dose rate, 10.6 hour half-life and simple decay scheme. 212Pb-ADVC001 is designed to deliver radiation at a cellular level to effectively kill prostate cancer cells while minimizing toxicity.

212Pb-ADVC001 is being evaluated in the TheraPb trial (NCT05720130) – a prospective, open-label Phase 1/2 dose-escalation and expansion study to assess the efficacy and safety of 212Pb-ADVC001 in men with prostate cancer.

The Phase 1b dose escalation (n=22) showed a compelling therapeutic index for 212Pb-ADVC001, demonstrating encouraging safety and promising anti-tumor activity, including no dose-limiting toxicities or treatment-related serious adverse events, 80% PSA50 response at doses ≥ 160 MBq and 100% objective response rate (ORR) in patients with RECIST-measurable lesions, including two complete responses (see results presented at ESMO 2025 here).

Phase 2 utilizes a randomized dose-response design and adaptive dosing elements to evaluate optimal dosing strategies of 212Pb-ADVC001 in PSMA-positive mCRPC and in mHSPC.

About AdvanCell

AdvanCell is a vertically integrated, clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing innovative cancer therapies that harness the power of targeted alpha-emitting radionuclides. By leveraging its proprietary Lead-212 platform, advanced and scalable manufacturing capabilities and world-class clinical development capabilities, AdvanCell aims to deliver novel treatments that improve outcomes for patients with cancer globally. For more information, visit www.advancell.com.au and follow us on LinkedIn.

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