Rafael Amado, formerly head of oncology research and development at GlaxoSmithKline Plc, has been appointed chief medical officer at UK-based Adaptimmune Ltd, which is developing T cell therapies for cancer. Dr Amado will assume responsibility for the company’s clinical trials across the US and Europe under its collaboration with GSK. Prior to joining GSK, Dr Amado was executive director of therapeutic oncology at Amgen Inc. He trained as a haematologist/oncologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was a member of the faculty until joining Amgen in 2003.
Separately, Adaptimmune has appointed Adrian Rawcliffe as its chief financial officer. Mr Rawcliffe also worked for GSK including for the company’s corporate venture arm SR One Ltd. Mr Rawcliffe holds a BSc degree in natural sciences from the University of Durham and qualified as a chartered accountant with Coopers & Lybrand.