KSQ Therapeutics Appoints John Lepore, M.D., to its Board of Directors

LEXINGTON, Mass., Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KSQ Therapeutics, Inc. (KSQ), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel treatments for solid tumors, today announced the appointment of John Lepore, M.D., to the company’s board of directors. Dr. Lepore brings over 20 years of leadership experience in R&D and drug discovery to KSQ’s board.

“As we continue advancing our eTIL programs through the clinic for the treatment of solid tumors, John’s extensive experience overseeing the discovery and development of novel therapies makes him an excellent match for KSQ,” said Qasim Rizvi, Chief Executive Officer of KSQ. “We are thrilled to add John to our board and look forward to leveraging his strategic insights in support of our innovative pipeline.”

Dr. Lepore commented: “KSQ has been firing on all cylinders clinically and operationally. They have carved out multiple significant industry partnerships to expand the reach of their platform and have maximized their potential for success by bringing their cutting-edge eTIL therapies to the clinic. I look forward to working with the team to build on their current momentum.”

John Lepore, M.D., is President and Chief Executive Officer at ProFound Therapeutics and CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering. Prior to joining ProFound, he spent over 15 years at GSK where he held roles of increasing responsibility and gained extensive experience leading large international R&D organizations across diverse therapeutic areas. He was most recently Senior Vice President, Head of Research at GSK where he led a large organization of scientists and physicians focused on leveraging the science of immunology, human genetics and genomics, and advanced technologies to identify novel drug targets, discover new therapeutic molecules, and demonstrate proof of mechanism in clinical studies. He also spent time as Interim Head of Business Development and played a key role in multiple preclinical and clinical deals to augment the GSK pipeline. Prior to joining the industry, Dr. Lepore was on the faculty of the Cardiovascular Medicine Division of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where his lab investigated the transcriptional regulation of cardiovascular development, and he was attending physician on the academic cardiology service.

Dr. Lepore received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Scranton and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Scholar. He subsequently trained in internal medicine and cardiology and served as Medical Chief Resident at Massachusetts General Hospital, with post-doctoral training at the Harvard School of Public Health.

About eTIL^®

KSQ-001EX, an eTIL therapy in which TIL are edited to inactivate the SOCS1 gene, and KSQ-004EX, an eTIL therapy in which TIL are edited to inactivate the genes encoding SOCS1 and Regnase-1, have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of solid tumors. In preclinical studies, both therapies demonstrated enhanced anti-tumor function in solid tumor models refractory to PD-1 as well as enhanced persistence and memory formation. Both therapies are manufactured by CTMC using KSQ’s ExPRESS™ process using patient tumor samples, including core biopsies, as starting material.

About KSQ Therapeutics

KSQ Therapeutics is advancing a pipeline of tumor- and immune-focused drug candidates to treat cancer across multiple drug modalities, including targeted therapies, adoptive cell therapies, and immunotherapies. KSQ’s proprietary CRISPRomics^® discovery engine enables genome-scale, in vivo-validated, unbiased target discovery across broad therapeutic areas. For more information, please visit www.ksqtx.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X. 

KSQ Media Contact: 
Cory Tromblee 
cory@scientpr.com