Tune Therapeutics Names John McHutchison as CEO and Chairman of the Board

World renowned hepatologist, industry leader, and drug developer set to guide the company’s next phase of growth

DURHAM, N.C. & SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading epigenome company Tune Therapeutics is proud to announce that veteran drug-development executive John McHutchison AO, MD will be its new CEO and Chairman of the Board.

“I am honored and excited to be taking on this new role with Tune, and to be leading such a talented team,” said Dr. McHutchison. “The company has such a strong scientific foundation, and the modality has enormous potential to address a vast range of diseases that have thus far remained untreatable via conventional genetic approaches. The approach is akin to gene editing without cutting, so we aren’t encumbered by the risks associated with those prior technologies. We can therefore apply this approach more broadly – not only to rare, but also to more common and complex diseases. I'm eager to help write this next chapter in medicine.”

Dr. McHutchison is an internationally recognized leader of the biopharma industry and accomplished drug developer. As the former CSO and Head of Research & Development for Gilead Sciences – and subsequently the CEO and President at Assembly Biosciences – he brings decades of executive leadership and experience in developing novel therapeutics. He spearheaded numerous New Drug Applications (NDAs) and supplemental label updates across multiple therapeutic areas, including treatments for chronic hepatitis B and the curative treatment regimens for chronic hepatitis C. Collectively, these therapeutics represent some of the most successful drug launches in the industry and, more importantly, have helped to treat and cure millions of patients worldwide.

He also brings extensive cell therapy expertise to Tune, having played a key role in Gilead’s strategic acquisition of Kite Therapeutics, helping to establish the company’s leadership in the CAR T cell therapy space.

“With our first clinical trial now underway in chronic hepatitis B patients in New Zealand and Hong Kong, Tune Therapeutics is at an exciting, pivotal stage,” said Ali Behbahani, MD, Partner and Co-Head of Healthcare at New Enterprise Associates. “In this context, John brings an unparalleled blend of knowledge, experience, and practical industry expertise. There could be no better person to advance Tune’s vision and drive our future success.”

“John has been an invaluable member of the Tune Board of Directors over the last two years, and we are thrilled to have him leading the company going forward as CEO,” added Dan McHugh, Head of Investments at Yosemite, and a Co-Founder of Tune who has served as Interim CEO since March 2024. “His background across large and small companies, and his expertise in both liver disease and cell therapies, positions John perfectly for translating our incredible technical advances into real clinical results. We see bright horizons ahead.”

About Tune Therapeutics
Armed with its powerful and innovative genetic tuning platform (TEMPO), Tune Therapeutics aims to bring gene, cell, and regenerative therapies into a new era of human medicine – expanding their range of application from rare disease to common, chronic, and age-related conditions.