Dr John Le Gall appointed Imugene Chief Medical Officer
Imugene Limited (ASX: IMU) has appointed Dr John Le Gall MD MBA as Chief Medical Officer, effective immediately, according to an announcement dated 7 October 2026. The appointment supports the company’s lead program, azer-cel.
Dr John Byon will step down as Chief Medical Officer by mutual agreement and will continue to support the company as a consultant. The company does not anticipate any interruption to the azer-cel clinical program.
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Why the Chief Medical Officer role was restructured
A focused, single-asset company
The change follows Imugene’s decision to concentrate its resources on azer-cel, its allogeneic CD19 CAR T cell therapy. As a single-asset company, the Board has restructured the Chief Medical Officer role to match the company’s current scale of clinical activity and cost base.
The announcement does not disclose any financial terms, including remuneration or cost savings.
Paul Hopper, Executive Chairman
“…Imugene is now a focused, single-asset company, and our cost base must reflect that…”
Continuity for investigators and patients
Dr Byon will continue as a consultant to ensure continuity for investigators and patients. Day-to-day medical monitoring of the azer-cel trial continues through the company’s in-house clinical team and CRO (contract research organisation).
Dr Byon joined Imugene in 2023 and has led the azer-cel clinical program through Phase 1b. The Board thanked him for his contribution and the foundation he has built for the program.
Dr Le Gall’s allogeneic CD19 CAR T experience
Dr Le Gall is a physician-scientist with clinical development leadership experience in CAR T and other cell therapies. His career highlights include:
- Allogene Therapeutics, Vice President, Head of Clinical Development (2023–2026): led clinical development across early and late-stage programs, including redesigning and implementing the pivotal development plan for cemacabtagene ansegedleucel (cema-cel), an allogeneic CD19 CAR T cell therapy.
- Instil Bio, Vice President, Clinical Development: led clinical development, operations, biometrics and safety.
- Kite, a Gilead Company, Director, Clinical Development: led the AML and myeloma program teams and was medical monitor on studies of Yescarta® (axicabtagene ciloleucel).
Dr Le Gall trained in paediatric haematology and oncology at Johns Hopkins University and the US National Cancer Institute. He holds an MD and MBA from Columbia University and is board-certified in paediatric haematology-oncology.
Dr John Le Gall
“The emerging clinical profile for azer-cel, including the latest Phase 1b results, demonstrates a clear rationale for an allogeneic, off-the-shelf CD19 CAR T in patients with B-cell cancers that have progressed on current treatments. I look forward to working with the team and our investigators on the next stage of development.”
What is an allogeneic CAR T therapy?
CAR T therapy reprograms a patient’s immune T cells so they can recognise and attack cancer cells. Allogeneic therapies use “off-the-shelf” cells from donors, rather than a patient’s own cells.
For investors, the relevance is direct: azer-cel is an allogeneic CD19 CAR T cell therapy, and Dr Le Gall’s background includes allogeneic CD19 CAR T clinical development.
azer-cel Phase 1b trial and next steps
The ongoing, open-label Phase 1b trial of azer-cel in the U.S. and Australia evaluates three main patient populations.
| Patient population | Trial detail |
|---|---|
| CAR T-relapsed | Patients evaluated in the open-label Phase 1b trial (U.S. and Australia) |
| CAR T-naïve | Patients evaluated in the open-label Phase 1b trial (U.S. and Australia) |
| Concurrent BTKi cohort | Patients with B-cell malignancies who previously failed BTKi therapy |
Across a broad range of non-Hodgkin lymphomas (including FL, CLL/SLL, MZL, WM, and MCL), treatment with azer-cel, lymphodepletion, and IL-2 has yielded “meaningful clinical activity including multiple complete responses in the BTKi cohort, with a manageable safety and tolerability profile.” No response rates were disclosed.
The BTKi combination cohort has since posted a 71% response rate across seven evaluable patients, including a complete response in mantle cell lymphoma, which lifts the full Phase 1b dataset to a 75% overall response rate across 55 patients.
Mr Hopper said the company’s focus remains on:
- Ongoing clinical execution from the Phase 1b azer-cel clinical trial
- Upcoming data readouts
- Future regulatory interactions
No dates were disclosed for these items.
Dr John Byon
“It has been a privilege to lead the azer-cel clinical program, including the results we reported this week. I leave confident in where the program is heading and, in the team taking it forward, and I will work closely with John to ensure a seamless handover for our investigators and patients.”
Ready to Learn More About Imugene’s Azer-Cel Program?
Imugene’s appointment of Dr John Le Gall as Chief Medical Officer arrives as the single-asset company advances azer-cel, its allogeneic CD19 CAR T therapy, with a 75% overall response rate across 55 Phase 1b patients. His allogeneic CD19 CAR T experience positions the program for its next stage of development.
Investors seeking the latest updates can visit the Imugene ASX announcements page to review the full leadership announcement and upcoming clinical news. Staying informed on data readouts and regulatory milestones may help sharpen your view of the opportunity.