Marengo Appoints Dr. Everett Vokes to the Scientific Advisory Board While Advancing Invikafusp alfa Clinical Program in PD-1 Resistant Solid Tumors
- Appointment supports continued momentum of the company's rapidly accelerating precision oncology development strategy
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Marengo Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering novel approaches to precision T cell activation, today announced the appointment of Everett E. Vokes, M.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). This appointment marks the latest expansion of Marengo's industry-leading SAB, comprised of world-class experts in clinical and translational oncology and immunology.
With more than 40 years of clinical and translational research experience, Dr. Vokes is internationally recognized for his expertise in the treatment of head and neck and lung cancers. He is the John E. Ultmann Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Professor of Radiation and Cellular Oncology, and Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago. Dr. Vokes currently serves as Physician-in-Chief for the UChicago Medicine health system, and served as the 2021-2022 President of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
"We are honored to welcome Dr. Vokes to our esteemed team of scientific advisors guiding the development of Marengo's innovative oncology pipeline," said Zhen Su, M.D., M.B.A., Chief Executive Officer of Marengo Therapeutics. "Following our recent data presented at AACR showing pan-tumor activity of Invikafusp alfa in multiple solid tumors that are resistant to PD-1 treatment, Dr. Vokes' deep expertise and leadership in the landscape of clinical cancer research, specifically in thoracic oncology, will be instrumental in shaping our development strategy. His insight will not only help advance invikafusp as a next generation pan-tumor IO backbone but will also provide broader guidance as we progress our expanding pipeline."
A long-standing leader in cooperative group research, Dr. Vokes chaired the CALGB (now part of the Alliance) Respiratory Committee and has served as principal investigator on numerous NCI-funded trials. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Translational Research Professorship from ASCO and the "Giant of Cancer Care" award in 2013. Dr. Vokes has published more than 450 scientific papers and 80 book chapters and has served on editorial boards for leading oncology journals including Journal of Clinical Oncology, Annals of Oncology, and Clinical Lung Cancer.
"Marengo's approach to precision T cell activation represents a key scientific advancement with broad implications across different solid tumors that are treatment resistant to PD-1," Dr. Vokes said. "The early signs of activity in MSS CRC and PD-1 negative NSCLC – the populations historically resistant to immune checkpoint blockade — suggest a novel mechanism of action with the potential to overcome PD-1 resistance, which remains a very high unmet medical need. I'm honored to join this distinguished group of advisors and contribute to the clinical development of Marengo's pipeline as the team works to expand the impact of immunotherapy across difficult-to-treat cancers."
About Marengo Therapeuticseve
Marengo Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a first-in-class pipeline of novel TCR-targeting antibodies designed to selectively modulate disease-driving and protective T cell subsets. With its proprietary STAR™, TriSTAR™, and MSTAR™ platforms, Marengo is advancing precision immunotherapies that harness the body's T cell repertoire to provide durable responses against cancer and autoimmune diseases. Learn more at www.marengotx.com.
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SOURCE Marengo Therapeutics