Paul A. Hopper Explained

Paul A. Hopper (born 1956) is an Australian bioentrepreneur who has been associated since 2003 with a number of biotechnology companies, most of them publicly traded.

Background

Born in PNG to a prominent post WW2 Australian colonial family, Hopper was educated in Sydney at the King's School, Parramatta and subsequently received a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Political Science from the University of New South Wales.^[1] In 1988 he cofounded Alpha Healthcare, an Australian private hospital group based in Sydney where was managing director until 1999. He began his career as a bioentrepreneur in the early 2000s.

Australian Cancer Technology, 2003–2005

Hopper's first biotechnology company was the ASX-listed Australian Cancer Technology Ltd, where he was CEO based in Sydney from September 2003 to February 2005. Among the drugs which Australian Cancer Technology worked on during this period was RP101,^[2] a small molecule which, by binding to heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27), was designed to prevent the induction of resistance to chemotherapy. By early 2005 Hopper had relocated from Sydney to San Diego in order to further develop Australian Cancer Technology, but shortly after the move he resigned.^[3]

Investment banking in California, 2005–2014

In California in November 2005 Hopper joined Cappello Global, an investment bank based in Los Angeles. Hopper had been the Australian representative of Cappello since 2002.^[4] At Cappello in California he became Head of the Life Sciences and Biotechnology Group as well as the Australia Desk. Over the next nine years Hopper was involved in the corporate development of a number of Life Science companies,^[5] including:

• Polynoma (Founder). This company is developing a therapeutic melanoma vaccine called seviprotimut-L, based on various antigens shed by three cultured melanoma cell lines. The vaccine's Phase III trial, which initiated in 2012, was one of the world's largest Phase III melanoma trials.^[6]
• Bone Medical (Executive chairman July 2005^[7] to July 2007^[8]). This company was focused on oral delivery of large peptides using aromatic alcohols as absorption enhancers, with an initial focus on calcitonin and parathyroid hormone.
• Somnomed (Director July 2007^[9] to September 2011^[10]). This company (ASX: SOM) is commercialising a dental appliance to treat sleep-disordered breathing.
• Cell Aquaculture (Executive chairman August 2007^[11] to March 2008^[12]). This company's technology was designed to raise premium fish in a land-based recirculating system assembled with modular components.
• pSivida (Director July 2008^[13] to January 2014^[14]). This company (Nasdaq: PSDV, ASX: PVA) is commercialising controlled-release drug delivery systems.
• Fibrocell Science (Director September 2009^[15] to November 2010.^[16] This company (Nasdaq: FCSC) is developing regenerative fibroblast cells.
• iSonea (Director October 2010^[17] to March 2012^[18]). This company (ASX: ISN) is commercialising a monitoring system for respiratory disorders.

Current biotechnology companies, 2014 –

Hopper returned to Australia in 2015 in order to further develop a number of biotechnology companies of which was an executive. Hopper is currently on the board of three ASX-listed companies:

• Imugene (ASX: IMU, Executive chairman), a cancer immunotherapy company which he founded in October 2012^[19] and which he helped structure in its present form in 2013, becoming Executive chairman in December of that year.^[20]
• Viralytics a company which was developing an oncolytic virus where Hopper was a Non-Executive Director since September 2008^[21] and Chairman since November 2008.^[22] In 2018 Viralytics was acquired by Merck for A$502 million^[23]
• Vaxinia In 2018 Hopper founded private company Vaxinia, to license a novel oncolytic virus technology from the lab of Professor Yuman Fong at the City of Hope Cancer Centre in Los Angeles. Vaxinia was acquired by Imugene (ASX:IMU) in November 2019^[24]
• Prescient Therapeutics (ASX: PTX), a small molecule drug developer focused on cancer where Hopper was Founder and a director since May 2014 to Jan 2020.^[25]
• Glioblast In 2015 Hopper founded Glioblast based on technology licensed from Genentech for inhibition of the PI3K pathway in glioblastoma. Glioblast was acquired by ASX listed Kazia Therapeutics in 2016 (ASX:KZA)^[26]
• Arovella Therapeutics (ASX:ALA, former Chairman), a biotech company focusing on delivery of drugs across the oral mucosa using proprietary technology, where Hopper was Executive Chairman from May 2019 to June 2022^{[27] [28]}
• Chimeric Therapeutics (ASX:CHM, Executive Chairman) In 2019 Hopper founded Chimeric Therapeutics to develop a solid tumor CAR T cell therapy licensed from the lab of Professors Christine Brown and Michael Barish, at the City of Hope Cancer Centre in Los Angeles. The company is currently enrolling patients in a Phase 1 clinical trial for glioblastoma. Chimeric Therapeutics listed on the ASX in January 2021 (ASX:CHM)^[29]
• Radiopharm Theranostics (ASX:RAD, Executive Chairman) In 2021 Hopper founded Radiopharm Theranostics to develop radiopharmaceutical products for diagnostic and therapeutic uses. The company has a pipeline of products in pre-clinical and clinical stages of development.^[30] Radiopharm Theranostics listed on the ASX in November 2021 (ASX:RAD)^[31]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Capello Group Professionals. Capello Corp. 2 December 2015.
2. News: Urban. Rebecca. AustCancer drug deal a 'company maker'. 2 December 2015. Sydney Morning Herald. 11 September 2004.
3. News: Krelle. Renate. Opara rocks AustCancer, Polartechnics. 2 December 2015. Australian Life Scientist. 1 March 2005.
4. News: Cell Aquaculture Appoints New Chairman. 3 December 2015. ASX.com.au. 15 August 2007.
5. Web site: Imugene board of directors and management. Imugene.com. 2 December 2015.
6. News: Polynoma Commences Phase III Melanoma Vaccine Clinical Trial. 3 December 2015. Business Wire. 4 June 2012.
7. News: Bone Medical Announces Appointment of New Chairman. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 23 June 2005.
8. News: Chairman Appointment. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 16 July 2007.
9. News: Appointment of a Director. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 29 June 2007.
10. News: Somnomed Board Changes. asx.com.au. 22 September 2011.
11. News: New Executive Chairman and Operations Update. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 15 August 2007.
12. News: Board Restructure – Focus on Large-Scale Malaysian Production. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 27 March 2008.
13. News: pSivida New Board Appointments. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 14 July 2008.
14. News: pSiVida 8-K Filing with SEC. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 17 January 2014.
15. Web site: Isolagen, Inc. Reorganizes as Fibrocell Science, Inc.. PR Newswire. 2 December 2015.
16. News: Fibrocell Science, Inc. 10-Q for 3Q2010. 3 December 2015. sec.gov. 9 November 2010.
17. News: KarmlSonix announces board restructure. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 20 October 2010.
18. News: iSonea Announces Changes to Board of Directors. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 3 April 2012.
19. News: Imugene Announces Changes to its Board of Directors. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 31 October 2012.
20. News: Settlement of Biolife Science Qld Ltd Acquisition. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 20 December 2013.
21. News: Appointment of Paul Hopper as Non-Executive Director. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 4 September 2008.
22. News: Viralytics restructures Board and Management. 3 December 2015. asx.com.au. 23 October 2008.
23. Web site: MSD and Viralytics Announce Acquisition Agreement, Expanding MSD's Leading Immuno-Oncology Pipeline . asx.com.au . 21 Feb 2018.
24. Web site: Imugene Enhances Portfolio with Compelling Oncolytic Virus from City of Hope, a Cancer Centre in Los Angeles, California . asx.com.au . 15 Jul 2019.
25. News: Virax Completes Acquisition of US Specialty Company and Novel Cancer Drug Candidate. 6 December 2015. asx.com.au. 30 May 2014.
26. Web site: Novogen Licenses Phase II - Ready Molecule from Genentech for Development in Glioblastoma . asx.com.au . 31 Oct 2016.
27. Web site: ASX Release . sudapharma.com . 15 May 2019.
28. Web site: ASX Release . sudapharma.com . 7 Jun 2022.
29. Web site: ASX Market Release - Admission and Quotation . asx.com.au . 15 Jan 2021.
30. Web site: Theranostics . Radiopharm . 2023-05-09 . Radiopharm Theranostics Receives FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Trivehexin (RAD 301) in Pancreatic Cancer . 2023-07-07 . GlobeNewswire News Room . en.
31. Web site: ASX Market Release - Admission and Quotation . asx.com.au . 25 Nov 2021.