The Board of Starpharma Holdings Limited (ASX: SPL, OTCQX: SPHRY) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Russell Basser as an independent non-executive director, effective from 20 February 2023.

Dr Basser is a medical oncologist and former corporate executive with over 30 years of international medical and biopharmaceutical experience, including 21 years at CSL.

Dr Basser has substantial expertise in international drug and vaccine development, having held multiple senior executive roles whilst at CSL, including Senior Vice President (SVP) of Research and Development at CSL Seqirus; Chief Medical Officer at CSL Limited / CSL Behring; and SVP of Global Clinical Research and Development at CSL Behring / CSL Limited.

As SVP of Global Clinical Research and Development at CSL Behring, Dr Basser was responsible for globalising CSL’s Clinical Research and Development group, and for conception and execution of CSL’s clinical trial strategies across a broad range of therapeutic areas from Phase 1 through to commercialisation.

Dr Basser was a founding member of CSL Seqirus’ executive leadership team in 2015 as SVP of Research and Development until his retirement in April 2022. In this role, he was responsible for all R&D activities through to commercialisation, including new global registrations of CSL Seqirus’ seasonal, pre-pandemic and pandemic influenza vaccines, major process improvements and annual influenza vaccine updates. He also had oversight of the establishment of the framework for real world effectiveness evaluation that led to enhanced understanding of the health benefits of differentiated influenza vaccines.

Prior to joining CSL, Dr Basser was a practicing medical oncologist at the Royal Melbourne and Western Hospitals and had an appointment at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. He also worked as an Experimental Medicine Physician for AstraZeneca in the UK and was the Director of the Centre for Developmental Cancer Therapeutics (now Cancer Trials Australia) for seven years.

Starpharma Chairman, Mr Rob Thomas said: “We are pleased to welcome Dr Basser to Starpharma’s Board, especially at such an exciting time for the Company. Dr Basser has extensive clinical development experience across multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology and influenza vaccines. His combined and very broad medical and corporate expertise, from a 30-plus year career in the medical and biopharmaceutical industry, will add to the breadth of capability and experience of Starpharma’s Board.”

Dr Basser said: “Starpharma has developed an impressive portfolio of products across oncology and infectious diseases, as well as commercial partnerships with global companies, based on its dendrimer technology. I am pleased to join the Company at such a dynamic stage and look forward to contributing to Starpharma’s ongoing development and to bringing improved medical products to patients in need.”

Dr Basser is a qualified physician, having completed a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and a Doctor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne. He is a Fellow of The Royal Australasian College of Physicians and an author of more than 90 peer-reviewed papers, reviews, and book chapters.

Dr Basser has previously served on the Board of the ANZ Breast Cancer Trials Group and advised on its Scientific Advisory Board; and the Breast, Bowel and Lung Cancer Advisory Committees of the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria.

To view the ASX announcement, see here.