CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — KOMO Biosciences said Tuesday that it has appointed patient advocate Tom Whitehead and immunotherapy pioneer Michael Kalos, Ph.D., to its Advisory Board as the company continues to advance its non-viral genome engineering platforms across therapeutic and industrial applications.
Whitehead is the co-founder and president of the Emily Whitehead Foundation, while Kalos is an internationally recognized leader in T-cell therapy and immuno-oncology. The company said the appointments strengthen its strategic, scientific, and patient-centered leadership as it develops targeted genome engineering technologies designed to enable precise and scalable delivery of genetic and molecular payloads.
KOMO’s proprietary platforms are being developed for use across cell and gene therapy, biologics, bioprocessing, agricultural biotechnology, and industrial life sciences. The company said the additions to its advisory board reflect its focus on translating scientific innovation into real-world impact while keeping patient outcomes at the center of development.
“Tom and Michael bring perspectives that inspire us to think bigger about what innovation can achieve for patients and society,” said Jennifer Manning, founder and CEO of KOMO Biosciences. “Tom ensures that the patient voice remains central as we build the tools needed to translate breakthrough science into meaningful outcomes. Michael brings deep scientific and industry leadership in cell therapy and immuno-oncology. Together, they strengthen our ability to develop genome engineering technologies that are powerful, practical, safe, scalable, and more accessible, helping enable the translation of scientific innovation in therapeutics and biologics, with broader applicability across agricultural and industrial biotechnology.”
Whitehead is widely known for his family’s experience with CAR T-cell therapy. His daughter Emily became the first pediatric patient in the world to receive CAR T-cell therapy for cancer at age five, a treatment that proved successful after other options had failed. Emily is now more than a decade cancer-free. The Whitehead family later founded the Emily Whitehead Foundation to support patients and caregivers and to advocate for broader access to advanced therapies.
“I’m honored to join KOMO’s Advisory Board at such an important moment for science and medicine,” Whitehead said. “KOMO’s non-viral, precision genome engineering technologies have the potential to reshape how therapeutics and biological products are developed and manufactured. By improving safety, predictability, and scalability, these platforms can help expand access to life-changing innovations across healthcare and the life sciences more broadly. I’m proud to contribute a patient and advocacy perspective to this work.”
Kalos brings more than 25 years of experience in cell therapy, oncology vaccines, and immuno-oncology. He is the founder and managing director of Next Pillar Consulting and serves as a Venture Partner with Alloy Therapeutics and Orange Grove Bio. His previous roles include Executive Vice President and Head of Research and Development at ArsenalBio, Vice President of Immuno-Oncology and Oncology Cell Therapies at Janssen, and Chief Scientific Officer of Immuno-Oncology at Eli Lilly and Company.
Earlier in his career at the University of Pennsylvania, Kalos founded a laboratory that played a central role in the clinical development of CTL019, the CAR T-cell therapy later licensed to Novartis and approved as Kymriah, the first CAR T-cell therapy approved by the FDA. He has co-authored more than 85 peer-reviewed publications and holds 26 issued patents related to cell therapy, immunotherapy, and vaccines.
“KOMO is building a foundational layer for the future of genome engineering,” said Dr. Kalos. “Its non-viral, targeted insertion platforms are designed to address some of the most important barriers across cell and gene therapy, bioprocessing, and synthetic biology, including safety, predictability, scalability, and cost. I am excited to join the Advisory Board and help advance technologies that can expand the reach of transformative innovations across the life sciences.”
KOMO said Whitehead and Kalos will provide strategic guidance across patient engagement, translational innovation, and scientific direction as the company works to develop safer, more predictable, and more accessible genome engineering solutions across medicine, biotechnology, agriculture, and industrial life sciences.
