Obsidian Therapeutics Announces Appointment of William Pao, M.D., Ph.D., to Board of Directors

2024-06-04

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Obsidian Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering engineered cell and gene therapies, today announced the appointment of William Pao, M.D., Ph.D., to the company’s Board of Directors as an independent member. “Dr. Pao is renowned for his groundbreaking oncology research and his executive leadership in global pharmaceutical early- and late-stage drug development and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Obsidian Board of Directors,” commented Maria Fardis, Ph.D., Chair of Obsidian’s Board of Directors. “Dr. Pao’s expertise in lung cancer will be critical as we expand OBX-115 development in both melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer.” “Obsidian’s tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte cell therapy is unique and has the potential to deliver a transformative treatment option to address the unmet need of patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor immune checkpoint inhibitor immune checkpoint inhibitor-resistant solid tumors,” added Dr. Pao. “I am excited to bring my experience in oncology drug development to Obsidian’s board and help guide the company’s next phase of growth.” “We are extremely fortunate to welcome an industry leader as distinguished as Dr. Pao to Obsidian’s Board of Directors. With his deep expertise in oncology research and a proven track record in clinical development, he will be an invaluable resource as we continue to advance OBX-115 through the clinic,” commented Madan Jagasia, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Obsidian. Dr. Pao is recognized for his seminal research in translational medicine, mechanistic and clinical studies of targeted cancer therapeutics, cancer genomics and personalized medicine. His work helped change the standard of care for lung cancer. Dr. Pao served as Chief Development Officer and Executive Vice President for Pfizer, where he was a member of the Executive Leadership Team and led the Global Product Development organization, responsible for the clinical development and advancement of Pfizer’s pipeline. Previously, he served as the Head of the Roche Pharma Research & Early Development unit, where he oversaw the discovery and early development of new molecular entities across multiple therapeutic areas. He was a member of Roche’s Enlarged Corporate Executive Committee and founded the Roche Institute for Translational Bioengineering (now the Roche Institute for Human Biology). Previously, at Vanderbilt University’s Department of Medicine, he was a Professor of Medicine and served as the Cornelius Abernathy Craig Chair of Medical and Surgical Oncology, Director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology, and Director of Personalized Cancer Medicine at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Cancer Center. Dr. Pao began his career as a practicing oncologist, lab researcher, and clinical investigator at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Pao is on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Cancer Research. He is an elected member of the prestigious medical honor societies the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. Dr. Pao is a member of the Council of Visitors of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where he is currently also an Adjunct Professor of Medicine. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. He co-founded MyCancerGenome, an internationally recognized online tool to enable a genetically informed approach to cancer medicine. Dr. Pao received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University. About OBX-115 Obsidian’s lead investigational cytoTIL15™ program, OBX-115, is a novel engineered tumor-derived autologous T cell immunotherapy (tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte [TIL] cell therapy) armored with pharmacologically regulatable membrane-bound IL15 (mbIL15). OBX-115 has the potential to become a meaningful therapeutic option for patients with advanced or metastatic melanoma and other solid tumors by leveraging the expected benefits of mbIL15 and Obsidian’s proprietary, differentiated manufacturing process to enhance persistence, antitumor activity, and clinical safety of TIL cell therapy. OBX-115 is being investigated in two ongoing clinical trials in advanced or metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (NCT05470283 and NCT06060613). About Obsidian Therapeutics Obsidian Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering engineered cell and gene therapies to deliver transformative outcomes for patients with intractable diseases. Obsidian’s proprietary cytoDRiVE® technology is designed to precisely regulate the timing and level of protein function by using FDA-approved small-molecule drugs. Obsidian is headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The Company has collaborations with Bristol Myers Squibb and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. For more information, please visit and follow us on LinkedIn.