PRINCETON, N.J., July 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Advaxis, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADXS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing cancer immunotherapies, today announced Ranya Dajani joined Advaxis as Vice President, Corporate Development from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (BMS), where she worked for nearly 20 years in business development and finance.

“Ranya brings deep experience in leading strategic corporate positioning and executing dozens of transactions for one of the leading immuno-oncology companies,” said Daniel J. O’Connor, President and Chief Executive Officer of Advaxis. “Her extensive corporate development expertise will prove invaluable as we develop multiple cancer immunotherapies with our proprietary Lm Technology™.”

Ms. Dajani held several finance and business development roles at BMS of increasing responsibility before serving as its executive director for investor relations. In her roles in business development, she was responsible for executing several important strategic collaborations, including key partnerships in immuno-oncology. She holds a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance and a master’s of arts in economics, both from Boston University, and a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Michigan.

“With the unique capabilities of Lm Technology™, a robust pipeline of novel product candidates and track record of being a strong collaborator, Advaxis is well positioned to advance immuno-oncology therapies for a wide range of cancers,” said Ms. Dajani. “I am excited to join the team.”

About Advaxis, Inc.

Located in Princeton, N.J., Advaxis, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing multiple cancer immunotherapies based on its proprietary Lm Technology™. The Lm Technology™, using bioengineered live attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) bacteria, is the only known cancer immunotherapy agent shown in preclinical studies to both generate cancer- fighting T cells directed against cancer antigens and neutralize Tregs and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that protect the tumor microenvironment from immunologic attack and contribute to tumor growth. Advaxis' lead LmTechnology™ immunotherapy, axalimogene filolisbac (AXAL), targets human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cancers and is in clinical trials for three potential indications: Phase 2 in invasive cervical cancer, Phase 1/2 in head and neck cancer, and Phase 1/2 in anal cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted AXAL orphan drug designation for each of these three clinical settings. Advaxis has two additional immunotherapy products in human clinical development: ADXS-PSA in prostate cancer and ADXS-HER2 in HER2-expressing solid tumors.

For additional information on Advaxis, visit www.advaxis.com and connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook,YouTube and Google+.