TCR² Therapeutics Announces Immuno-Oncology Pioneer Dr. Axel Hoos Joins its Board of Directors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TCR² Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: TCRR), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing the next generation of novel T cell therapies for patients suffering from cancer, today announced the appointment of Axel Hoos, M.D., Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. An immuno-oncology pioneer with broad business and scientific expertise, Dr. Hoos is recognized for launching the field through development of the anti-CTLA-4 ipilimumab, the first FDA-approved checkpoint immunotherapy.

"With TCR² at a significant inflection point in the growth of its clinical pipeline and platform, we are delighted to announce that Axel Hoos, one of the most respected industry leaders in oncology, will be joining our Board of Directors," said Garry Menzel, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of TCR² Therapeutics. "Axel’s vision and leadership have had a profound impact on how the industry approaches the discovery and development of immunotherapies. His guidance and highly relevant immuno-oncology experience will be critical to expanding the use of our novel T-cell therapies and our mission of improving the lives of cancer patients suffering from a wide range of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies.”

Dr. Axel Hoos is Senior Vice President, R&D Governance Chair, and Therapeutic Area Head for Oncology at GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (GSK). He is responsible for technical and funding decisions and leads the Oncology business including discovery and development with the four focus areas of immuno-oncology, epigenetics, cell & gene therapy and synthetic lethality. He returned GSK to Oncology after a divestment of its marketed medicines to Novartis in 2015. Recent portfolio expansions included the acquisition of Tesaro and the cell & gene therapy licensing agreements with Adaptimmune, Lyell and Immatics.

"Our goal in immunotherapy is to create transformational medicines for patients through innovation and by challenging or expanding established scientific concepts," said Dr. Hoos. "TCR² has developed a promising and elegant approach by leveraging the power of the full T cell receptor independent of HLA. I am pleased to be joining the TCR² Board of Directors at such an exciting time and begin working with management to contribute to the development of its TRuC-T cell platform."