Pyxis Oncology has appointed biotechnology executive Thomas Civik as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, as the company advances its lead antibody-drug conjugate micvotabart pelidotin through clinical development in head and neck cancer.
Pyxis Oncology, Inc. has announced the appointment of Thomas Civik as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, effective September 4, 2026.
Civik has served as Interim Chief Executive Officer since February 2026 and has been a member of the Pyxis Oncology Board of Directors since 2021.
As part of the leadership transition, John Flavin, co-founder and founding Chairman of Pyxis Oncology, will become Lead Independent Director while continuing to serve on the Board.
Flavin said Civik had demonstrated the “leadership, strategic focus and disciplined execution” needed as the company approaches important clinical milestones for its lead development program.
Civik said:
“I am honored by the Board’s confidence and proud to continue leading Pyxis Oncology.”
He added that the company remains focused on generating the clinical evidence needed to assess the potential of its lead candidate in addressing unmet needs in head and neck cancer.
Focus on Micvotabart Pelidotin
The leadership appointment comes as Pyxis Oncology continues the clinical development of micvotabart pelidotin (MICVO), its lead investigational antibody-drug conjugate.
Micvotabart pelidotin targets extradomain-B of fibronectin (EDB+FN), a structural component of the tumor extracellular matrix that is selectively overexpressed in the microenvironment of a range of solid tumors while being largely absent from normal adult tissues.
The investigational agent is designed to act through three mechanisms: direct cancer cell killing, a bystander effect and immunogenic cell death.
Micvotabart pelidotin is currently being evaluated as monotherapy in a Phase 1 study involving patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and in combination with pembrolizumab in a Phase 1/2 study involving recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and other solid tumors.
Pyxis Oncology expects to report updated results from the Phase 1 monotherapy study in second-line and later recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in fall 2026. The planned update is expected to include analyses of safety, tolerability, efficacy, and initial durability among patients treated at or below the dose cap.
Updated data from the Phase 1/2 study evaluating micvotabart pelidotin with pembrolizumab in the first-line setting are expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The candidate has also received Fast Track Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma whose disease has progressed following platinum-based chemotherapy and an anti-PD-(L)1 therapy.
About Thomas Civik
Thomas Civik is a biotechnology and oncology executive with experience spanning drug development, commercialization and corporate leadership.
Before becoming permanent CEO of Pyxis Oncology, Civik had served as the company’s Interim Chief Executive Officer since February 2026 and as a member of its Board of Directors since 2021.
He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Five Prime Therapeutics, where he led the company through its $1.9 billion acquisition by Amgen in April 2021.
Civik also served as Chairman of ImCheck Therapeutics and Repare Therapeutics, remaining in those leadership roles through the companies’ respective acquisitions by Ipsen and XOMA Royalty Corporation.
Earlier in his career, he served as Chief Commercial Officer at Foundation Medicine. Before joining Foundation Medicine, Civik spent approximately 17 years at Genentech, holding positions of increasing responsibility and ultimately serving as Vice President and Franchise Head with responsibility for commercialization efforts involving several oncology therapies.
Civik earned a Bachelor of Arts from St. Norbert College and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
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