Why Skills-First Leadership Is Replacing the Ivy League Playbook in the C-Suite
05/23/2025
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The old prestige pyramid—where Ivy League degrees and blue-chip consulting backgrounds paved the way to the CEO seat—is cracking.
NKGen Biotech, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing innovative natural killer (NK) cell therapies, today announced the closing of its previously announced business combination with Graf Acquisition Corp. IV (GRAF).
This transaction resulted in NKGen becoming a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq Global Market under the “NKGN.”
NKGen’s NK cell therapies are designed to harness the power of the body’s immune system to fight cancer and other diseases. NK cells are a type of white blood cell that play a critical role in innate immunity, the body’s first line of defense against infection.
NKGen’s lead NK cell therapy candidate, SNK02, is an allogeneic NK cell therapy currently being evaluated in a Phase I clinical trial to treat solid tumors. NKGen is also developing autologous NK cell therapies for treating neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.
The closing of this business combination provides NKGen with the financial resources and public market visibility necessary to accelerate the development and commercialization of its NK cell therapies.
“We are excited to complete this business combination and become a publicly traded company,” said Paul Y. Song, M.D., CEO of NKGen. “This transaction will allow us to expand our clinical programs, accelerate our manufacturing capabilities, and build a world-class team to bring our NK cell therapies to needy patients.”
NKGen’s business combination with GRAF is a significant milestone for the company and the field of NK cell therapy. It represents a vote of confidence in NKGen’s innovative platform and its potential to transform cancer treatment and other diseases.
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