In Loving Memory:
Dr. William G. Hearl, Immunomic Therapeutics Founder
April 30, 1957 – February 5, 2024
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Bill Hearl on February 5, 2024. There is no doubt that Bill will be missed by all that knew him, but our hearts go out to those closest to him: his beloved wife Maureen, his three children CJ, Tommy, and Kathleen, his grandchildren, his brother and mother and his best furry friend, Charlie. During this challenging time, we kindly ask you to keep Bill’s family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate through their loss.
Bill has been a Board Member for Hope Connections for Cancer Support for over 10 years. He and his wife Maureen have donated countless hours to supporting patients and fundraising events. If you would like to make a charitable donation in Bill’s name, please visit: https://hopeconnectionsforcancer.org/ and click on Donate Now, and there will be a field for In Memory. If you would prefer to send a check, please use the following address:
Hope Connections
10100 Laureate Way
Bethesda, MD 20814
Dr. William G. Hearl, Founder and Friend
Dr. Hearl was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Immunomic Therapeutics, Inc. (“ITI”) from 2006 to 2023. He was an experienced and successful scientific businessman and bio-entrepreneur that had a proven track record of successful product commercialization, having founded both ITI and formerly Capital Genomix in 2000 which sold for 10X return. He moved ITI steadily forward from an initial license agreement with the Geron Corporation in 2006 to an animal health license in 2012 and two license deals with Astellas Pharma for the treatment of allergies, one for Japanese red cedar and a second global allergy license. The second deal brought ITI an upfront payment of $315,000,000 and established the Company as one of the leading entities in nucleic acid research and generated a substantial return on investment for its shareholders. In 2020, Dr. Hearl closed on investments totaling close to $90M of financing led by HLB Co., LTD, a global pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel cancer drugs. Dr. Hearl funded the Company by following a strategy of seeking a series of angel investment rounds which raised in aggregate over $12 million to drive the development of its allergy products.
Dr. Hearl was a member of the Board of Directors of Hope Connections for Cancer Support and a major benefactor. As part of the Hope Connections activities, he periodically gave educational seminars on how to research your cancer on the internet. He was also a member of the Board of iCare, another cancer patient advocacy organization and a founding member and Board member of Why We Vax. He also became a significant donor to Shady Grove Adventist Medical Center Foundation and its Center for Healing, a new addition to the Cancer Center to provide innovative methods of relaxation to cancer patients. Additionally, Dr. Hearl was also a supporter of 4Ocean, a global organization fighting plastics in the world’s oceans and a missionary in Africa through Maryknoll Fathers. He served on the board of the Maryland Tech Council and BioHealth Innovation Inc. (BHI), two non-profit organizations committed to growth of the biotech community in Maryland. He also served on the Governor’s Life Science Advisory Board through 2020. In total, since 2015, his total philanthropic donations have exceeded $1 million.
At Immunomic Therapeutics, Dr. Hearl initiated the brain cancer travel fund to get glioblastoma patients to the clinical sites for the duration of their treatment at no cost to the patient and a family member. He directed the commitment to $5 million (over 5 years) to the Brain Cancer Alliance at the University of Florida to support new brain cancer research and through an alliance with Dr. Drew Pardoll at Johns Hopkins annually sponsor the Movable Feast, a charity that supplies meals to the hungry.
For the biotech community, since 2016, Dr. Hearl supported multiple biotech companies locally by providing free or discounted lab space and some modest financial support. This was highlighted by ITI’s first incubator competition held in conjunction with the BioHealth Innovation conference. He continually provided advice and guidance to local entrepreneurs.
In November, Dr. Hearl retired from the Company but continued to serve on the Board of Directors and to be a resource to our executive team. We are beyond grateful to him for his efforts on behalf of the Company since its inception.
