Leader in mRNA therapeutics strengthens clinical development expertise with globally recognized oncology innovator

Strand Therapeutics, the leader in programmable mRNA medicines, today announced the appointment of Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Luke, an internationally recognized physician-scientist in cancer immunotherapy, brings decades of clinical research, translational science, and leadership experience to advance Strand’s mission of developing next-generation mRNA therapeutics for patients with high unmet medical needs.

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Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, new Chief Medical Officer of Strand Therapeutics

Dr. Luke joins Strand from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, where he served as Associate Professor of Medicine, Associate Director for Clinical Research and Director of the Immunotherapy and Drug Development Center. A pioneer in early-phase clinical trials, Dr. Luke has led transformative research in immuno-oncology, including checkpoint inhibitors, novel cytokines, bispecific antibodies, and cancer vaccines. He has served as principal investigator for more than 100 clinical studies, including as global principal investigator for the FDA/EMA registration trial KEYNOTE-716 that established adjuvant therapy for stage II melanoma. Dr. Luke’s National Institutes of Health funded laboratory efforts focused on bio- and medical informatics, novel therapeutic target discovery and translational analysis of human biospecimens from clinical trials. He is widely published in top-tier journals such as Nature, The Lancet, and Journal of Clinical Oncology.

As CMO, Dr. Luke will oversee Strand’s clinical development strategy, pipeline advancement, and medical affairs, with an immediate focus on the company’s ongoing first-in-human clinical trial of its lead programmable mRNA therapy STX-001. Dr. Luke was previously an advisor to Strand for the clinical trial design and a site PI on the study.

“Jason is one of the most respected clinician-researchers in cancer immunotherapy, with a rare combination of deep scientific insight and a patient-first mindset,” said Jake Becraft, PhD, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Strand Therapeutics. “His leadership will be invaluable as we expand our clinical programs and unlock the full potential of programmable mRNA medicines.”

“I am thrilled to join Strand at such a pivotal moment in the field,” said Dr. Luke. “Programmable mRNA is an unprecedented platform to engineer sophisticated biological functions in vivo. Strand’s approach has the potential to transform cancer treatment and impact other high unmet need areas in biomedicine. I look forward to working with the team to bring these innovations to patients as quickly and safely as possible.”

Dr. Luke earned his MD from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/Chicago Medical School and completed his internal medicine residency at Boston University Medical Center. He then trained in medical oncology at Weill Cornell Medical College and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He was previously faculty of Harvard Medical School/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the University of Chicago. His work has earned him multiple awards, including recognition from the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the National Cancer Institute.

About Strand Therapeutics

Strand Therapeutics is leading the next generation of programmable mRNA therapies: where synthetic biology meets programmable biology to unlock the full potential of gene regulation and delivery inside the body. Unlike traditional mRNA technologies, Strand’s platform programs RNA to think, enabling logic-controlled expression, precision delivery, and unprecedented control over therapeutic outcomes.

Born out of MIT and led by world-class synthetic biologists, Strand is building the infrastructure to create medicines that respond to disease signals in real-time. With its computationally-driven design engine, self-amplifying/circular RNA modalities, and mRNA-only genetic circuits, the company is pioneering a new therapeutic modality poised to disrupt immuno-oncology, cell therapy, autoimmune diseases, and beyond.

Strand’s lead pipeline program, STX-001, is already in the clinic showing unprecedented response rates in late stage “salvage” cancer patients, with multiple patients showing RECIST responses. Strand’s modular platform opens a broad horizon of partnership and licensing opportunities. Strand isn’t just another mRNA company: it’s the operating system for the programmable medicines of tomorrow. Follow us on LinkedIn and on X at @strandtx.

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“Jason is one of the most respected clinician-researchers in cancer immunotherapy, with a rare combination of deep scientific insight and a patient-first mindset,” said Jake Becraft, PhD, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Strand Therapeutics.