LEXINGTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cyteir Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CYT), a company focused on the discovery and development of next-generation synthetically lethal therapies for cancer, today announced the appointment of Dr. Jeffrey S. Humphrey, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Magenta Therapeutics to its Board of Directors.
Dr. Humphrey is an accomplished clinical researcher and drug developer who has shepherded numerous drugs through all phases of development from pre-IND to post-launch. He is also experienced at building clinical research capabilities at several biotechnology companies.
“Jeff’s background and drug development expertise perfectly align with our mission at Cyteir to develop next-generation synthetically lethal therapies to treat cancer. On behalf of our entire board, we are excited to welcome Jeff and look forward to his contributions as we advance CYT-0851 and our next-generation portfolio,” said Markus Renschler, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cyteir.
Dr. Jeffrey Humphrey is currently Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Magenta Therapeutics in charge of clinical development of Magenta’s pipeline of drugs to improve mobilization of stem cells and conditioning for stem cell transplants. Dr. Humphrey was previously CMO of Constellation Pharmaceuticals, recently acquired by Morphosys, directing development of drugs that modify epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Dr. Humphrey began his career in clinical research and development at Bristol-Myers Squibb and subsequently served in management positions for early- and late-stage drug development and medical affairs at Pfizer, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Kyowa Kirin where he was Chief Development Officer. He has contributed to the global registration of leading cancer drugs, including Nexavar®, Erbitux®, Sprycel®, and Yervoy®.
Dr. Humphrey is a graduate of Harvard College and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and held post-doctoral fellowships in human genetics and medical oncology at the National Cancer Institute, with board-certification in internal medicine and medical oncology.
“I am delighted to join the board of Cyteir Therapeutics at such an important time for the company and the portfolio,” said Dr. Humphrey. “I believe CYT-0851 has the potential to be used both as a monotherapy and broadly in combination with other therapeutic approaches. I look forward to working with the Cyteir team to bring CYT-0851 forward.”
Karen Hong, PhD, a partner at Novo Ventures, has tendered her resignation from the Cyteir board upon Dr. Humphrey’s appointment. “I’d also like to thank Karen for her service and contributions to Cyteir. She joined the board in 2019 during our Series B financing and has been an important champion for our company,” said Dr. Renschler.
About Cyteir Therapeutics, Inc.
Cyteir is a clinical-stage oncology company that is focused on the discovery and development of next-generation synthetically lethal therapies to treat cancer. The company is using its expertise in DNA damage response biology to advance a pipeline of novel drug candidates that selectively target key cancer vulnerabilities. Cyteir’s wholly owned lead compound, CYT-0851, is a potent and selective, oral investigational drug that was designed to inhibit RAD51-mediated homologous recombination and the repair of double-strand DNA breaks.