Tune Therapeutics adds Chief Scientific Officer and General Counsel
Epigenomic editing company Tune Therapeutics has introduced two members to its leadership team: Chief Scientific Officer, Derek Jantz, Ph.D., and General Counsel, Zachary Hale, J.D.
Dr. Jantz comes to Tune with deep expertise in developing cell and gene therapeutic candidates through the use of innovative genomic technologies.
Tune’s genetic tuning platform, TEMPO, enables precise and durable changes to gene expression without risking permanent, off-target mutations across the genome. Dr. Jantz will spearhead the development of Tune’s transformative genetic tuning platform, which has the potential to target a broad range of common, complex, and multigenic diseases.
Dr. Jantz co-founded Precision BioSciences in 2006 as co-inventor of a novel method for modifying the DNA-recognition properties of the I-Crel homing endonuclease, which in turn provided the foundation for the ARCUS genome editing platform. At Precision, he led the development of allogeneic CAR T and in vivo editing platforms, overseeing all research teams and serving on the board of directors. Dr. Jantz holds more than 50 patents relating to gene editing, gene therapy, and cancer immunotherapy, and is the author of more than a dozen gene-editing publications.
As Tune’s new General Counsel, Zach Hale will oversee all of Tune’s legal affairs.
Hale joins the company after over a decade of specialized legal work with biotechnology startups. He previously served as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Juno Therapeutics, and before that was a corporate attorney at the international law firm Latham & Watkins LLP. He received his J.D. from Yale Law School and his B.A. summa cum laude from Harvard.
