14 March 2023 - - US-based Abata Therapeutics, a company focused on translating the biology of regulatory T cells (Tregs) into transformational medicines for patients living with severe autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, has appointed David Kaufman, M.D., Ph.D., partner at Third Rock Ventures, to its board of directors, the company said.

With prior tenures at the Bill and Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute and Merck Research Labs, David brings 20 years of experience in translational medicine and novel drug development to Abata's board.

David Kaufman joined Third Rock Ventures as a venture partner in 2020 and was promoted to partner in 2022.

He was previously chief medical officer and head of translational development at the Bill and Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute.

He helped establish the Gates MRI as a "nonprofit biotech," developing novel drugs and vaccines for tuberculosis, malaria, enteric diseases, neonatal health, and other global health challenges.

Previously, he led translational oncology at Merck Research Laboratories, where he oversaw immuno-oncology translational medicine, novel biomarker development, and global translational research partnering.

He joined Merck through the Merck Drug Development and Leadership Program, where he worked across vaccines, infectious diseases, and clinical oncology.

Prior to joining Merck, he was a physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

He is a director of Hookipa Pharma and a director ex officio of the Society for the Immunotherapy of Cancer.

Abata Therapeutics is focused on translating the biology of regulatory T cells (Tregs) into transformational medicines for patients with severe autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Founded by pioneers in Treg biology, TCR and antigen discovery, disease pathogenesis, and molecular and imaging biomarkers, Abata has developed a differentiated product engine to create engineered Treg cell therapies that are tissue-specific, robust, and durable.