BOSTON — Strand Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing programmable mRNA medicines, has appointed Jason J. Luke, M.D., FACP, as its new Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Luke, a globally recognized leader in cancer immunotherapy, will guide the company’s clinical development strategy and oversee advancement of its pipeline, including the ongoing first-in-human trial of lead therapy STX-001.
“Jason is one of the most respected clinician-researchers in cancer immunotherapy, with a rare combination of deep scientific insight and a patient-first mindset,” said Jake Becraft, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Strand Therapeutics. “His leadership will be invaluable as we expand our clinical programs and unlock the full potential of programmable mRNA medicines.”
Dr. Luke joins Strand from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, where he was Associate Professor of Medicine, Associate Director for Clinical Research, and Director of the Immunotherapy and Drug Development Center. Over his career, he has led more than 100 clinical trials, including serving as global principal investigator for KEYNOTE-716, the FDA- and EMA-registration trial that established adjuvant therapy for stage II melanoma.
His research has helped shape the field of immuno-oncology, spanning checkpoint inhibitors, novel cytokines, bispecific antibodies, and cancer vaccines. His NIH-funded lab has contributed to therapeutic target discovery and translational analysis of biospecimens, with findings published in leading journals including Nature, The Lancet, and Journal of Clinical Oncology.
“I am thrilled to join Strand at such a pivotal moment in the field,” Luke said. “Programmable mRNA is an unprecedented platform to engineer sophisticated biological functions in vivo. Strand’s approach has the potential to transform cancer treatment and impact other high unmet need areas in biomedicine. I look forward to working with the team to bring these innovations to patients as quickly and safely as possible.”
Luke earned his medical degree from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/Chicago Medical School, completed his residency at Boston University Medical Center, and trained in oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He previously held faculty positions at Harvard Medical School/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the University of Chicago. His work has earned recognition from the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the National Cancer Institute.
