CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Surface Oncology (Nasdaq: SURF), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing next-generation therapies targeting the tumor microenvironment, announced today that Robert Ross, M.D., who has served as chief medical officer at Surface Oncology since 2016, will become the company’s president and chief executive officer and will also be appointed to the board of directors. Rob will succeed current CEO Jeff Goater, who will assume the role of chairman of the Surface Oncology board of directors.
“Surface has evolved significantly over the past year into a development stage company with multiple promising immuno-oncology programs in clinical development,” Rob said. “Together with our outstanding leadership team and all of Surface’s dedicated employees, I look forward to building on that success and leading the company at this important transition point as we continue to advance and expand our pipeline of novel therapies for patients with cancer.”
In addition to the CEO transition, Daniel Lynch, who currently serves as the chairman of the board of directors, will transition to a senior advisory role with the company. Geoffrey McDonough, M.D., who currently serves as a director, will be appointed to the new role of lead independent director of the board. These transitions will also become effective on April 1, 2021.
“We are delighted that Rob will be the next CEO of Surface Oncology,” Jeff said. “Rob has been a key contributor to Surface’s overall success. His leadership within the organization stretches well beyond clinical development, and his breadth of expertise will be a key driver of our success going forward. With four Surface programs expected to be in clinical development by the end of 2021, including our two wholly owned programs SRF617 and SRF388, Rob is the ideal person to lead the company through its next phase of growth. I also want to thank Dan for his support and guidance over the years. His contributions to Surface’s success have been significant.”
Prior to joining Surface, Rob served as head of oncology at bluebird bio, building a multifaceted oncology program. Before bluebird bio, he worked at Genentech and Infinity Pharmaceuticals on both small molecule and antibody programs from Phase 1 through pivotal trials. Rob was a faculty member at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute as a genitourinary oncologist. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, his master’s degree from Harvard Medical School and his medical degree from Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Rob was a resident in internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and an oncology fellow in the Dana Farber/Massachusetts General Brigham program.
About Surface Oncology:
Surface Oncology is an immuno-oncology company developing next-generation antibody therapies focused on the tumor microenvironment. Its proprietary pipeline includes two wholly owned clinical-stage programs targeting CD39 (SRF617) and IL-27 (SRF388), as well as a preclinical program focused on depleting regulatory T cells via targeting CCR8 (SRF114). In addition, Surface has two partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies: a collaboration with Novartis targeting CD73 (NZV930; Phase 1) and a collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline targeting PVRIG (SRF813; preclinical). Surface’s novel cancer immunotherapies are designed to achieve a clinically meaningful and sustained anti-tumor response and may be used alone or in combination with other therapies. For more information, please visit www.surfaceoncology.com.
