Strategic Advantages of Early-Phase Oncology Clinical Development Across Australia and the USA

Gabriel Kremmidiotis, Chief Scientific Officer, Avance Clinical

Gabriel has 26 years’ experience in medical research and drug development. He has devoted most of his career to the biotechnology industry, managing drug development programs from early discovery to completion of phase II proof of concept clinical trials and subsequent commercial drug licensing deals.

With primary expertise in oncology, Gabriel has a diverse scientific background spanning the fields of Clinical Development, Drug Discovery, Cancer Biology, Molecular Genetics, Bioinformatics and Immunology. He has a PhD and a Bachelor of Science (Honors) from Flinders University and a Bachelor of Science from The University of Melbourne. He has published research findings in 29 international scientific papers and has several patent inventions on cancer genes and small molecule anti-cancer therapeutics. Gabriel is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and ARCS Australia.

Alex Kavros, Executive Vice President, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs, Avance Clinical

Before joining Avance, Alex held significant roles at Ergomed, Worldwide Clinical Trials and Vifor Pharma, where he led clinical development campaigns, spearheaded global regulatory operations and optimized business processes and workflows . His expertise encompasses a broad range of pharmaceutical products, including biologics/ATMPs, small molecules and vaccines, across various stages of development from clinical development to marketing authorization and product launch.

Alex’s academic credentials are equally impressive, with a BSc (Hons) and PhD in Chemistry from Lancaster University, UK, followed by a Post-doc in Macromolecular Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. His robust scientific background has been instrumental in his professional achievements and in shaping his approach to regulatory science.

Alex finds the integration of ‘ClinicReady’ and ‘GlobalReady’ concepts within Avance’s development strategies compelling. This approach not only enhances Avance’s domain expertise in scientific and regulatory field but promotes the development of innovative products that meet critical patient needs.

John Zalcberg, Head of the Cancer Research Program, Monash University

Prof John Zalcberg is Head of the Cancer Research Program in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University, providing academic leadership to a number of clinical quality registries.

Prof Zalcberg holds the inaugural Tony Charlton Chair in Cancer Research at the Alfred Hospital and Monash University. A co-founder of the Australasian Gastrointestinal Trials Group (AGITG), he was the prior Chair of the Board of AGITG, a Co-Chair of the Cancer Drugs Alliance, past-President of the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (COSA), and a previous board member of Cancer Trials Australia, the Cancer Institute of New South Wales, and the Australian Red Cross Blood Service.

He is a current Board member of PRAXIS and the ICON Group and a Medical consultant for Avance Clinical.