Stacy Lindborg, Imunon President & CEO, on Bold Biotech, IL-12 Immunotherapy & Phase 3 Trials

Synopsis: What does bold biotech leadership look like in 2025? In this episode of Biotech 2050, host Alok Tayi sits down with Stacy Lindborg, President & CEO of Imunon, to discuss bold innovation in ovarian cancer treatment and how harnessing the immune system through targeted gene therapy is reshaping survival outcomes. Stacy shares insights from her 30-year career—from her statistical roots at Eli Lilly to her mission-driven leadership at Imunon. She highlights the groundbreaking results from Imunon’s IL-12 plasmid platform, which is showing a remarkable 13-month overall survival advantage in ovarian cancer patients and is now entering Phase 3 trials. They also discuss the evolving biotech landscape, how adaptive trial designs and AI are unlocking clinical potential, and why cultivating a bold, transparent company culture is key to advancing transformational science. Biography: Stacy R. Lindborg, PhD, was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Imunon in May 2024. Dr. Lindborg has served on Imunon’s Board of Directors since June 2021. Dr. Lindborg has nearly 30 years of pharmaceutical and biotech industry experience with a particular focus on R&D, regulatory affairs, executive management and strategy development. She has designed, hired and led global teams, guiding long-term vision for growth through analytics and stimulating innovative development platforms to increase productivity. Prior to joining Imunon, Dr. Lindborg was Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Executive Officer at BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics where she will remain a member of the company’s Board of Directors. At BrainStorm she was accountable for creating and executing clinical development strategies through registration and launch and progressed its novel cell therapy for ALS through a positive Phase 3 Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) study with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She interacted frequently with investors and analysts, represented the company in the scientific community as well as with the media, and played an active role in discussions with potential business partners. Dr. Lindborg previously was Vice President & Global Analytics and Data Sciences Head, responsible for R&D and marketed products at Biogen. She began her biopharmaceutical career at Eli Lilly and Company where over the course of 16 years she assumed positions of increasing responsibility, including Head of R&D strategy. Dr. Lindborg received an M.A. and Ph.D. in statistics, and a B.A. in psychology and math from Baylor University. She has authored more than 200 presentations and 90 manuscripts that have been published in peer-reviewed journals, including 20 first-authored. She has held numerous positions within the International Biometric Society and American Statistical Association and was elected Fellow in 2008.