CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cue Biopharma, Inc. (Cue), an immunotherapy company developing biologics engineered to selectively modulate disease-relevant T cell subsets to treat cancer and autoimmune disease, announced the appointment of three new key opinion leaders to its scientific/clinical advisory board (SAB). The new members include Kenneth Pienta, M.D.; Jacques Banchereau, Ph.D.; and Karolina Palucka, M.D., Ph.D. These new members join Cue’s industry-leading SAB, which consists of three experts in immunology, immuno-oncology and protein design.

“We are very pleased with the additional knowledge and expertise that these three leading researchers and clinicians bring to our SAB in the fields of immunology and immuno-oncology, as Cue continues to advance its programs towards the clinic,” said Daniel Passeri, M.Sc., J.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Cue Biopharma.

“These new scientific/clinical advisory board members bring invaluable experience that complements our existing members, and we have already begun integrating them into our advisory function,” said Steven Almo, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Biochemistry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, scientific founder of Cue and Chairman of the Cue Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board.

Cue’s scientific and clinical advisory board now contains six leading oncology, immuno-oncology, immunology and protein design experts:

• Dr. Steven Almo is best known for his high resolution structural and biochemical characterization of the CTLA-4 and PD-1 immune checkpoint proteins and their respective ligands.
• Dr. Kenneth Pienta is the Donald S. Coffey Professor of Urology and Professor of Oncology and Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is currently involved in research defining the tumor microenvironment of prostate cancer metastases, and working to develop new therapies for prostate cancer. Dr. Pienta is a two-time American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor Award recipient.
• Hidde Ploegh, Ph.D., is a member of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. He is also recognized for his contributions to molecular immunology.
• David Baker, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biochemistry, Director of the Institute for Protein Design, Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and adjunct professor of Genome Sciences, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, and Physics at the University of Washington. His research group is focused on the prediction and design of macromolecular structures, interactions and functions.
• Dr. Jacques Banchereau is Director of Immunological Sciences at the Jackson Laboratory. His laboratory is working to characterize the human immune system in both healthy and disease states by leveraging modern genomic tools. Dr. Banchereau served as director of the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, as the Caruth Chair for Transplantation Immunology at the Baylor Research Institute in Dallas, Texas. Most recently, he was chief scientific officer of the Nutley, N.J. campus and senior vice president and head of the inflammation and virology discovery and translational research at Hoffmann-La Roche.
• Dr. Karolina Palucka is Professor of Immunology at the Jackson Laboratory. Her laboratory specializes in human immunology and is focused on experimental immunotherapy. Her group pioneered the development of dendritic cell-based vaccines for patients with cancer or HIV.

About Cue Biopharma

Immune Responses, On Cue. Cue Biopharma™ (Cue) is an immunotherapy company developing biologics engineered to selectively communicate with disease-relevant T cell subsets to treat cancer and autoimmune disease. Cue biologics have the potential to be highly effective as monotherapies as well as synergistic with existing checkpoint inhibitors, while reducing collateral toxicities often seen with less selective immunotherapies. Through this platform approach, Cue has developed a promising pipeline with its lead candidate currently approaching the clinic. Headquartered in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA, Cue is led by a strong, experienced management team and scientific/clinical advisory board with deep expertise in the design and clinical development of protein biologics, immunology and immuno-oncology.

For more information, visit www.cuebio.com.