Senior addition augments company leadership with pioneering cancer physician-scientist

New York, NY – October 16, 2024 – Volastra Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering novel approaches to treating cancer by targeting chromosomal instability, today announced the appointment of Volastra Co-Founder, Samuel Bakhoum, M.D., Ph.D., as its Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).

Dr. Bakhoum, a renowned physician-scientist and leading expert in cancer research, joins Volastra’s management team from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, where he led a research group recognized for groundbreaking discoveries in the field of chromosomal instability.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Sam to the Volastra team at such a pivotal moment in the company’s growth,” said Charles Hugh-Jones, M.D., FRCP, Chief Executive Officer at Volastra. “His world-class research dovetails perfectly with our ongoing mission to attack cancer through innovative science.”

Dr. Bakhoum’s pioneering work linking chromosomal instability to cancer progression has been recognized with numerous awards. These include the NIH Director’s Independence Award, Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists, BioInnovation Institute & Science Prize, and Pershing Square Sohn Prize. His research has provided critical insights into the mechanisms of how cancers spread and evade immune responses.

Dr. Bakhoum expressed his enthusiasm saying, “I am thrilled to join Volastra’s leadership as it advances the field in discovering therapies targeting chromosomal instability. The company’s innovative approach represents a paradigm shift in oncology. I look forward to working alongside the entire team as well as Volastra’s industry-leading partners to make a meaningful impact for patients and their families.”

Chair of the Board, Ms. Sandi Peterson noted, “Dr. Bakhoum’s transition from a company founder to full-time CSO marks a significant milestone for Volastra at a time of accelerating inflection points. As we advance our first-in-class KIF18A clinical trials and exciting discovery programs, his scientific acumen and innovative thinking around cancer research will add greatly to our capabilities.”

Dr. Bakhoum received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and completed his clinical training at MSKCC. Most recently he was an associate member in the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at MSKCC and a practicing radiation oncologist.  His laboratory research on chromosomal instability has been widely published with over 80 papers in leading journals such as Nature, Science, Cell, and Cancer Discovery.

About Volastra Therapeutics, Inc.
Volastra Therapeutics is a New York-based clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering novel approaches to treating cancer by targeting chromosomal instability. The company was founded in 2019 by Lewis Cantley, Ph.D., Samuel Bakhoum, M.D., Ph.D., and Olivier Elemento, Ph.D., and is funded by investors including Polaris Partners, Arch Ventures, Droia Ventures, Vida Ventures, Catalio Capital Management, B Capital, and Eli Lilly & Company.

Volastra is developing new techniques to understand the biology of chromosomal instability and leveraging these insights to drive a pipeline of therapies towards innovative targets. The company leads the field with two differentiated clinical-stage KIF18A inhibitors, VLS-1488 and sovilnesib (formerly AMG-650) and a robust discovery pipeline targeting novel approaches to chromosomal instability.

For more information, please visit www.volastratx.com.

Media Contact:

Jake Robison
Inizio Evoke Communications
media@volastratx.com