Verismo Therapeutics, a clinical-stage CAR T company, Penn spinout, and pioneer of the novel KIR-CAR platform technology, today announced that Sara Weiss has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations.
Sara has more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry with deep expertise in clinical operations and development. As an independent consultant, she assisted Verismo in the design and launch of its STAR-101 trial and now, as a member of the Verismo executive team, she will continue to play an integral role in the trial’s operations as well as all future products.
“It is exciting to be joining an organization like Verismo. They have an amazing team that is dedicated to bringing its potentially life-changing therapies to patients and I am looking forward to being part of the team,” said Sara.
“We are thrilled to have Sara join the Verismo team,” said Dr. Bryan Kim, Verismo’s chief executive officer. “Her vast experience in clinical trial design and operations will be invaluable as we bring our SynKIR™ products to patients.”
Prior to joining Verismo, Sara ran her own consulting firm that supported pharmaceutical and biotech companies from Phase 1 trials through to FDA approval and also served as senior vice president of Clinical Operations at Kadmon where she built the team from scratch. She has experience in designing and executing both domestic and international clinical trials, managing adverse events, overseeing data analysis and advancing products through FDA approval.
Sara is also passionate about volunteer work for the cancer community, which includes the founding of Thrive, a support organization for young cancer survivors, and serving as a peer mentor-volunteer in DFCI’s soulmates program. She is also a patient advocate at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute supporting newly diagnosed patients. She was also a patient advocate on the breast and gynecological team that has received a grant from SU2C (Stand Up to Cancer) and is on multiple DFCI SPORE grants.
Sara holds a Master’s Degree in Biology and Neurobiology from Boston University and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Massachusetts.
About the KIR-CAR Platform
The KIR-CAR platform is a dual-chain CAR T cell therapy and has been shown in preclinical animal models to be capable of maintaining antitumor T cell activity even in challenging solid tumor environments. DAP12 acting as a novel costimulatory molecule for T cells, aids additional T cell stimulating pathways, further sustaining chimeric receptor expression and improving KIR-CAR T cell persistence. This continued T cell function and persistence can lead to ongoing regression of solid tumors in preclinical models, including those refractory to traditional CAR T cell therapies. Furthermore, the KIR-CAR platform can be combined with many additional emerging technologies, such as in vivo gene engineering, advanced cell manufacturing and reprogramming, combinational therapies, and even allogeneic cellular therapies to provide the next-generation multimodal targeted immunotherapy for patients in need.”
About Verismo Therapeutics
Verismo Therapeutics is a pioneer in dual-chain KIR-CAR technology, on track to bring its first asset into first-in-human clinical trials in 2023. Verismo is the only company developing the KIR-CAR platform, a modified NK-like receptor designed to improve persistence and efficacy against aggressive solid tumors. The KIR-CAR platform technology was developed specifically for advanced solid tumors, an area of high unmet medical need. For more information, visit: www.verismotherapeutics.com
