Ziopharm Oncology Appoints Carl June, M.D., as Chairman of Scientific Advisory Board

BOSTON, June 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ziopharm Oncology, Inc. (“Ziopharm” or “the Company”) (Nasdaq: ZIOP), today announced the appointment of renowned oncology and immunotherapy pioneer, Carl June, M.D., as Chairman of its newly formed Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. June is recognized in the oncology field for his groundbreaking work in the development and commercialization of gene therapy and T-cell therapies. The SAB will provide strategic counsel to guide the efficient development of Ziopharm’s innovative technologies and pipeline of immunotherapies to treat the many patients with solid tumors.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. June as the leader of our SAB,” said Laurence Cooper, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Ziopharm. “His unmatched experience and immense knowledge of immuno-oncology and cell therapies is a key addition for Ziopharm. We look forward to Carl’s guidance helping to develop our T-cell receptor program in our fight against solid tumors.”

Dr. June added, “Ziopharm has built a robust, scientifically-validated T-cell therapy program based on the Sleeping Beauty platform that offers the potential to transform the state of cancer care. I am excited to lead Ziopharm’s SAB and look forward to working with other experts, and the Company’s strong internal team, to help advance Ziopharm’s portfolio of cell and gene therapies toward commercialization.”

Dr. June has published more than 500 manuscripts on immunotherapy. He currently serves as the Richard W. Vague Professor in immunotherapy in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and as the Director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at the Perelman School of Medicine, as well as the Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including his election into the National Academies of Medicine and Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2018, Dr. June was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People for his work in the oncology field. Dr. June graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and earned his medical degree from the Baylor College of Medicine. He also completed training in immunology and malaria at the World Health Organization and completed his postdoctoral training in transplantation biology with the late Nobel Prize winner Dr. E. Donnall Thomas at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.