BOSTON, Nov. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ziopharm Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq:ZIOP) today announced the appointment of Mary Thistle, Special Advisor for the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, to the Company’s Board of Directors.

Ms. Thistle brings more than 25 years of experience in business development, strategy and operational leadership in the biotechnology sector. At the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, she previously held the role of Chief of Staff before recently being appointed Special Advisor. Prior to joining the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, Ms. Thistle was Chief Operating Officer of Dimension Therapeutics, where she directed multiple financing rounds (including the company’s IPO), expanded the pipeline through strategic business development transactions, and led the sale of the company for a significant premium. Previously, Ms. Thistle was Senior Vice President, Business Development at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, where she was responsible for multiple acquisitions and assisted in the sale of the company. She has also held leadership positions at ViaCell and PerkinElmer.

“We are delighted to welcome Mary to the Board,” said Scott Tarriff, Chairman of the Board. “Mary is recognized as a strong collaborator and strategic leader, both as an executive and a director. Her extensive industry experience and business acumen will help ensure the Board effectively supports the Company’s long-term strategy. Today’s announcement results from a national search, which demonstrates the Board’s ongoing commitment to refreshment with a diverse set of highly qualified individuals who can help take the Company through clinical and commercial success.”

Ms. Thistle added, “We have an exciting opportunity with Ziopharm, as the Company has established a broad portfolio of innovative, clinical programs to treat a range of cancers and assembled a talented team to advance company-sponsored trials in each of its core programs. I am delighted to begin working with the Board, as well as with Laurence Cooper and the management team.”

Ms. Thistle began her career in finance as a Certified Public Accountant, after graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business and accounting from the University of Massachusetts. Ms. Thistle serves on the Boards of Directors of Homology Medicines and Enterome SA.

The Company also announced today that Scott Braunstein, M.D., has resigned from the Board. “On behalf of the Board and entire Ziopharm organization, I’d like to thank Scott for his many contributions and wish him the best in the future,” said Scott Tarriff.

The Board consists of eight directors, including seven non-employee directors. Five directors have joined the Board in the last two years. The Board continues to actively review its composition, including addressing feedback from the 2020 annual shareholder meeting, to ensure that the skills and experience of its directors can effectively support the progress of the Company and the delivery of shareholder value.

About Ziopharm Oncology, Inc.
Ziopharm is developing non-viral and cytokine-driven cell and gene therapies that weaponize the body’s immune system to treat the millions of people globally diagnosed with a solid tumor each year. With its multiplatform approach, Ziopharm is at the forefront of immuno-oncology with a goal to treat any type of solid tumor. Ziopharm’s pipeline is built for commercially scalable, cost effective T-cell receptor T-cell therapies based on its non-viral Sleeping Beauty gene transfer platform, a precisely controlled IL-12 gene therapy, and rapidly manufactured Sleeping Beauty-enabled CD19-specific CAR-T program. The Company has clinical and strategic collaborations with the National Cancer Institute, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. For more information, please visit www.ziopharm.com.