16 January 2019 - - US-based clinical stage biotechnology company ImmunSYS has added Douglas G. Watson to its board of directors as lead independent director, the company said.

Watson is the founder of Pittencrieff Glen Associates, which he established in June of 1999. Prior to this, he was president and chief executive officer of Novartis Corp., the US subsidiary of Novartis AG. Watson's career spanned 33 years with Geigy/Ciba-Geigy/Novartis, during which time he held a variety of positions in the UK, Switzerland and the US.

He was president of Ciba Pharmaceuticals' US Division from 1986 until 1996, when he was appointed president and CEO of Ciba-Geigy Corp.

During this ten-year period, Watson was an active member of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association (PhRMA) Board in Washington, DC.

In 1997, when Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz merged, Watson became president and CEO of Novartis Corp., the US subsidiary of Novartis AG.

Watson elected to take early retirement from Novartis in May, 1999.

Watson currently serves as a member of the board of BZL Inc., and a member of the Advisory board of Cancer Expert Now Inc. Prior Board memberships include OraSure, Novartis, Engelhard, Summit Bank, Wright Medical Group Inc., BioMimetic Therapeutics Inc., Delcath Systems Inc., Dendreon, Javelin Pharmaceuticals Inc., Genta Inc., and Bionor Immuno AS.

ImmunSYS, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative cancer immunotherapy products to improve the lives of patients with late-stage metastatic prostate cancer and other adenocarcinomas.

The company's platform technology, YourVaccx utilises a novel combination of the proprietary ANTIGENerator energy delivery device system, a proprietary branded formulation of immunotherapeutic drugs, and a proprietary procedure developed by the focal prostate cancer pioneer and inventor of the male lumpectomy, Gary Onik, M.D.

This new immunotherapy therapy is designed to empower the immune system to recognize and selectively attack cancer cells. The company is initially developing this new cancer therapy for the treatment of late-stage metastatic prostate cancer, with a pipeline of additional development programmes for other cancers.