Ankyra Therapeutics Appoints Experienced Financial Executive Stephen Gorgol as Chief Financial Officer

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ankyra Therapeutics, a biotech company developing targeted immune activating agents for the treatment of cancer, today announced the appointment of Stephen Gorgol as chief financial officer. Mr. Gorgol, a proven financial leader within the biotech industry, joins Ankyra from Replimune Inc., where he served as chief accounting officer.

“We are thrilled to welcome Steve to the Ankyra team at this pivotal point in our development as we prepare to transition our lead candidate, ANK-101, into the clinic” said Howard L. Kaufman, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Ankyra. “Steve brings extensive financial and accounting biotech experience to the role, and his expertise will provide a valuable resource as we advance the company toward becoming a clinical-stage organization.”

“Ankyra has significant potential to transform cancer care for many patients in need, and I’m excited to join the company at this exciting time,” said Mr. Gorgol. He added, that “with our unique Anchored Immunotherapy Platform, we have the potential to deliver the beneficial aspects of cytokine therapeutics to patients, while avoiding the unwanted side effects. This platform, and our lead program, could offer tremendous value to both patients and our stakeholders, and I am pleased to partner with Howard and the team to advance them forward.”

Mr. Gorgol brings over 40 years of experience in financial-focused roles across several industries, including nearly 25 years in life sciences and biotechnology. He joins Ankyra from Replimune, where he served as the chief accounting officer and was responsible for financial, accounting, tax and human resources functions, and played a key role in the company’s successful 2018 initial public offering. Before Replimune, he served as vice president, finance and administration at uniQure. Prior to that, he served as the chief financial officer for BioVex, and earlier, as chief financial officer of Vista Medical Technologies. Before entering the biotechnology industry, he held a number of controller-focused roles. Mr. Gorgol received his B.S. in accounting from Plymouth State College in New Hampshire.

About Ankyra Therapeutics

Ankyra Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing a novel approach to treating cancer, designed to expand the therapeutic window of cytokine drugs. Cytokine treatments have shown to be effective in treating cancer, but systemic dosing is limited by broad immune activation and toxicity. Using its proprietary Anchored Immunotherapy Platform, Ankyra has developed methods to localize cytokines specifically and persistently in tumor tissue, creating intense hot spots of inflammation that awaken an anti-tumor immune response. Using its platform, the company is building a pipeline of therapeutics designed to provide prolonged immune activation and potent local and systemic immunity with reduced systemic toxicity. For more information, please visit www.ankyratx.com.