Skyhawk Therapeutics Announces Addition of World Leading SAB Head & New VP of Oncology Biology

- Tyler Jacks, Ph.D., head of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, joins as Chair of Skyhawk's Scientific Advisory Board

- Tai Wong, Ph.D., former Vice President Biology of Peloton Therapeutics, now being acquired by Merck, joins Skyhawk as Vice President, Oncology Biology

WALTHAM, Mass., July 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Skyhawk Therapeutics, Inc. ("Skyhawk") today announced that Dr. Tyler Jacks has joined the company as head of its Scientific Advisory Board, and Dr. Tai Wong has joined Skyhawk as Vice President, Oncology Biology.

Dr. Tyler Jacks is a highly decorated scientist, the Director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT – widely considered among the world's leading basic cancer research centers – and co-chair of the White House's Cancer "Moonshot" Blue Ribbon Panel. He directs a major research laboratory at the Koch Institute, carrying out cutting-edge studies in cancer genetics and cancer immunology.  Dr. Jacks received his B.A. in Biology from Harvard in 1983, and Ph.D. from UC San Francisco, where he trained with Nobel Laureate Harold Varmus.

"Dr. Tyler Jacks is a world-leading researcher in the biology of cancer," said Bill Haney, co-founder and CEO of Skyhawk Therapeutics. "Tyler's deep expertise in cancer biology will be invaluable in his leadership of Skyhawk's SAB, and in the application of the SkySTAR^™ technology platform to small molecules designed to selectively modify mRNA splicing for both oncology and neurology disease targets."

Skyhawk has also added Dr. Tai Wong as VP Oncology Biology. Dr. Wong recently left Peloton Therapeutics where he served as VP of Biology. At Peloton he led the team that was responsible for advancing the preclinical and translational biology for the company's novel small molecule therapeutic candidates targeting hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF-2α) for the treatment of patients with cancer, as well as other oncology programs in Peloton's exploratory pipeline. Peloton is now being acquired by Merck to bolster Merck's oncology pipeline through Peloton's unique expertise and lead program in HIF-2α biology, for a total deal value of $2.2 billion in cash and potential milestones. Prior to Peloton, Dr. Wong was at Bristol Myers Squibb for 19 years, most recently as Group Director in Oncology Drug Discovery where he led teams that developed inhibitors of protein kinases and other targets. 

"Dr. Tai Wong brings a strong track record of preclinical and translational oncology biology experience to Skyhawk," said Kathleen McCarthy, co-founder and CSO of Skyhawk Therapeutics. "We expect his contributions and wealth of experience to be critical as we advance our internal oncology targets and begin our first oncology partnerships, and are delighted to welcome him to our scientific team."

About Skyhawk Therapeutics
Skyhawk Therapeutics is committed to discovering, developing and commercializing therapies that use its novel SkySTAR^™ (Skyhawk Small molecule Therapeutics for Alternative splicing of RNA) platform to build small molecule drugs that bring breakthrough treatments to patients.

For more information visit: www.Skyhawktx.com, https://twitter.com/Skyhawk_tx, https://www.linkedin.com/company/skyhawk-therapeutics/.

SKYHAWK MEDIA CONTACT:
Maura McCarthy
[email protected]

SOURCE Skyhawk Therapeutics