CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jounce Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: JNCE), a clinical-stage company focused on the discovery and development of novel cancer immunotherapies and predictive biomarkers, today announced the appointment of Robert Iannone, M.D., M.S.C.E., to its board of directors.

“Rob brings enormous value to the Jounce board of directors as we move further into the clinic and continue to broaden our pipeline of discovery programs,” said Richard Murray, Ph.D., chief executive officer and president of Jounce Therapeutics. “With his depth of immuno-oncology expertise and clinical development experience, we believe that his insights will be unparalleled as we work to execute on our mission of transforming the way cancer is treated.”

Dr. Iannone serves as the executive vice president, research and development of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, which he joined in May 2019. Previously, he served as the chief medical officer and head of research and development of Immunomedics and has also held several leadership roles at AstraZeneca and Merck. At AstraZeneca, he was senior vice president and head of immuno-oncology, global medicines development. At Merck, Dr. Iannone served in various roles, culminating in his eventual role as executive director and section head of oncology clinical development. Dr. Iannone holds a B.S. from The Catholic University of America, an M.D. from Yale University and an M.S.C.E. from University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in Pediatrics and fellowship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at Johns Hopkins University.

“I am honored to join the Jounce board of directors and to work alongside this team of cancer therapy experts. Jounce’s multi-faceted approach to cancer treatment, particularly its prioritization of novel targets and related biomarkers as a way to address current challenges in immuno-oncology is differentiated, timely and exciting,” said Dr. Iannone. “I look forward to working with the board and management team during this time in the company’s development.”

About Jounce Therapeutics
Jounce Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company dedicated to transforming the treatment of cancer by developing therapies that enable the immune system to attack tumors and provide long-lasting benefits to patients through a biomarker-driven approach. Jounce has three development stage programs, two of which are clinical-stage programs, vopratelimab, a monoclonal antibody that binds to and activates ICOS, and JTX-4014, a PD-1 inhibitor intended for potential combination use with Jounce’s broader pipeline. Vopratelimab is currently being assessed in a Phase 2 clinical trial and JTX-4014 Phase 1 data were reported in November 2019 with additional studies planned. The next development candidate to emerge from Jounce’s Translational Science Platform is JTX-1811, a monoclonal antibody designed to deplete T regulatory cells in the tumor microenvironment. JTX-1811 is currently in IND-enabling activities. In addition, Jounce has exclusively licensed worldwide rights to JTX-8064, a LILRB2 receptor antagonist, to Celgene. For more information, please visit www.jouncetx.com.