T-knife Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, is proud to announce the appointment of Behzad Kharabi Masouleh, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Masouleh will lead the company’s mission to develop T cell receptor-based immunotherapies that have the potential to deliver life-changing results to cancer patients.
We are delighted to announce the addition of Behzad to the T-knife executive team! His impressive background in medical oncology and cancer research, paired with his success in shepherding novel cell therapies to approval, makes him the perfect candidate to support T-knife’s product candidates throughout their development life cycle. Thomas M. Soloway, Chief Executive Officer of T-knife, couldn’t be more thrilled to have him on board.
Mr. Soloway expressed his gratitude for the invaluable contributions of Prof. Eugen Leo, our departing CMO, to T-knife. His efforts enabled the construction of an expert development team, supported the successful financing of the company, and propelled TK-8001 into Phase 1 clinical development. We are ecstatic to continue our partnership with Eugen in his new roles as a strategic consultant and advisory board member.
Dr. Kharabi is confident that T-knife’s platform has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of advanced-stage, refractory solid tumor cancers. He is eager to collaborate with the T-knife team in the pursuit of TK-8001, and is thrilled to be a part of the recently initiated IMAG1NE Phase 1/2 study in MAGE-A1 positive solid tumor patients.
Dr. Kharabi has recently joined T-knife from Kite, a Gilead company, where he led the development of TECARTUS® – a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy – to its approval for the treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Prior to this, Dr. Kharabi served as the global clinical lead for bi-specific antibodies in multiple myeloma at Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Before entering the pharmaceutical industry, he was a physician and independent research investigator at the University Hospital of Aachen, Germany, and was the recipient of several awards and grants, including the highly prestigious Ernst-Jung Award for junior investigators. Dr. Kharabi earned his medical degree from the University of Muenster, Germany and has conducted research at prestigious institutes, such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the University of California, San Francisco.
Prof. Leo enthusiastically remarked, “Behzad is a highly experienced clinical developer in oncology-focused cell therapy, having successfully achieved multiple IND filings and BLA approvals. We are confident that he will be able to propel T-knife’s development organization to greater heights with his expertise.”
About T-knife Therapeutics
T-knife is pioneering the way in cancer treatment. Their innovative T cell receptor (TCR) engineered T cell therapies (TCR-Ts) use the company’s proprietary MyT Platform to generate fully human, tumor-specific TCRs that are naturally selected in vivo for optimal affinity and specificity. This revolutionary approach to immunotherapy promises to deliver transformational benefits to cancer patients, allowing them to reclaim their lives.
T-knife is revolutionizing the fight against cancer with their groundbreaking portfolio of TCR-T product candidates. These products are specifically designed to target cancer testis antigens and neoantigens shared by multiple tumors, both of which represent high unmet medical needs. Founded by renowned T cell and immunology experts, T-knife is powered by technology developed at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The company is backed by a powerful group of international investors, including Andera Partners, EQT Life Sciences, RA Capital Management and Versant Ventures.