CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Syros Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SYRS), a leader in the development of medicines that control the expression of genes, today announced the appointment of S. Gail Eckhardt, M.D., to the Company’s Board of Directors. Dr. Eckhardt is a highly respected oncologist and a leader in targeted oncology drug development.

“Gail brings tremendous vision and experience in translational and clinical research, with a focus on combining molecularly targeted agents to the underlying biology driving a particular cancer,” said Nancy Simonian, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Syros. “Her expertise and her unwavering commitment to patients will be invaluable to Syros as we expand our clinical programs and develop potentially transformative targeted approaches for a range of cancers. We are thrilled to welcome Gail to our board.”

Dr. Eckhardt is a tenured Professor, inaugural Director of the Livestrong Cancer Institutes, Chair of the Department of Oncology, and Associate Dean of Cancer Programs at the University of Texas at Austin’s Dell Medical School. Prior to joining UT Austin, Dr. Eckhardt was at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she was Division Head of Medical Oncology, Associate Director for Translational Research at the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center and Director of the Phase I Program and Fellowship. Dr. Eckhardt has served on numerous committees and study sections, including the ASCO Molecular Oncology Task Force, the ASCO Board of Directors, the FDA Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee, and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Centers Study Section. She is a member of the NCI Investigational Drug Steering Committee and serves on 10 external advisory boards of NCI-designated cancer centers, was a lead mentor in ASCO’s Leadership Development Program and currently is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI).

Dr. Eckhardt is the Principal Investigator on grants involving early clinical trials and colorectal cancer research, has conducted numerous phase I and II clinical trials and has published over 200 manuscripts. Her area of interest is in the preclinical and early clinical development of combinations of molecularly targeted compounds, with a laboratory focus on colorectal cancer. Dr. Eckhardt earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Stephen F. Austin State University and her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. She conducted her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia Medical School, followed by a post-doctoral research fellowship in Experimental and Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, and a fellowship in Medical Oncology at the University of California San Diego.

“In Syros, I see the same dedication to patients that has been a driving force throughout my career and the same focus on developing targeted new approaches that block fundamental processes in cancer,” said Dr. Eckhardt. “I look forward to working with the board and the management team to advance much needed new therapies for cancer patients.”

About Syros Pharmaceuticals

Syros is redefining the power of small molecules to control the expression of genes. Based on its unique ability to elucidate regulatory regions of the genome, Syros aims to develop medicines that provide a profound benefit for patients with diseases that have eluded other genomics-based approaches. Syros is advancing a robust pipeline, including SY-1425, a first-in-class oral selective RAR? agonist in a Phase 2 trial in a genomically defined subset of acute myeloid leukemia patients, and SY-5609, a highly selective and potent oral CDK7 inhibitor in a Phase 1 trial in patients with select solid tumors. Syros also has multiple preclinical and discovery programs in oncology and monogenic diseases. For more information, visit www.syros.com and follow us on Twitter (@SyrosPharma) and LinkedIn.