cancer-immunology
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Howard L. Kaufman
Howard L. Kaufman, M.D., FACS, is a surgical oncologist and cancer immunotherapy pioneer who serves as President and CEO of Ankyra Therapeutics, a Boston clinical-stage biotech developing anchored immunotherapies. He led the pivotal Phase III trial of T-VEC, the first oncolytic virus ever approved by the FDA for cancer, and has published more than 500 scientific papers over a 20-plus year research career. He now leads Ankyra's work on anchored IL-12 therapy, tolododekin alfa (ANK-101), aiming to deliver powerful immune drugs directly into tumors without the toxicity of systemic dosing.
Sanuj Ravindran
Sanuj Ravindran, M.D., is the CEO of Simcha Therapeutics, a New Haven clinical-stage immunobiology company turning a once-overlooked immune molecule, interleukin-18, into a cancer weapon. A board-certified physician who spent a decade as a venture capitalist before becoming a serial biotech company-builder, Ravindran took the helm in 2022 to push ST-067, a decoy-resistant IL-18 designed to slip past the body's own off-switch and reawaken the immune system inside tumors. He has run drug programs across oncology and rare disease, structured more than $2 billion in deals, and bets his career on therapies that promise more than incremental gains.