SAN FRANCISCO, CA - December 12, 2023 – cTRL Therapeutics, a biotechnology company harnessing circulating tumor-reactive lymphocytes (cTRLs) in the blood to broaden the power and reach of solid tumor cell therapy, today announced the appointment of Ruben Rodriguez, Ph.D., as Head of Research. In this role, Dr. Rodriguez will lead research and early development efforts, helping guide strategy and advancement of the company’s research efforts and pre-clinical pipeline.  

“I am excited to welcome Ruben to the company as his deep experience leading across the drug discovery process, particularly in the cell therapy space, will be invaluable as we work to advance the development of solid tumor cell therapies engineered with immune cells extracted from blood instead of from surgically removed cancer tissue,” said Derrell Porter, M.D. chief executive officer of cTRL Therapeutics. “Ruben joins us at an important time of growth at the company, and I look forward to working closely together to drive our scientific and research strategy forward.”  

Dr. Rodriguez is an accomplished pharmaceutical research and development leader who brings a wealth of experience in oncology and cell therapy to the role. Most recently, Dr. Rodriguez was the Global Head of Research at InstilBio, a cell therapy company developing tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) for the treatment of solid tumor cancers, where he oversaw TIL research efforts and helped drive regulatory milestones. Before InstilBio, Dr. Rodriguez started his career at Kite Pharma, a biotechnology company that develops cancer immunotherapy products, where he developed multiple novel CAR-T constructs and led key collaborations. Dr. Rodriguez obtained his Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Molecular Biology at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona and later conducted his postdoctoral studies at Salk Institute for Biological Studies, advancing the fields of neurobiology and stem cell biology respectively.

“I was impressed to learn about cTRL’s innovative approach to cell therapy – finding a way to isolate circulating tumor-reactive lymphocytes from the blood and expanding this highly potent cell population, with the potential for a new generation of solid tumor cell therapy that can bridge gaps seen with existing modalities,” said Ruben Rodriguez, Ph.D., Head of Research at cTRL Therapeutics. “The potential to create less invasive solid tumor cell therapy from the blood will be life-changing for patients, providers and healthcare systems, and I’m thrilled to be able to contribute to making this a reality.”

About cTRL Therapeutics

cTRL Therapeutics is a biotechnology company harnessing circulating tumor-reactive lymphocytes (cTRLs) in the blood to broaden the power and reach of solid tumor cell therapy to more patients. Through a novel, proprietary platform that can isolate this previously elusive but powerful cancer-fighting cell from blood, we are pioneering the first cell therapies to reach solid tumors without the need for surgically removed cancer tissue. With broad applicability across numerous solid tumors, cTRL therapeutics hold the potential to address the longstanding challenges and complexities of solid tumor cell therapy development, manufacturing and administration. cTRL is founded and led by an exceptional team of industry and immunotherapy experts with deep knowledge of the adaptive immune system, immuno-oncology, biomedical engineering, and cell therapy research and development. For more information, visit www.ctrl-therapeutics.com.

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Marites Coulter, Verge Scientific Communications

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