Umoja Biopharma Appoints Dr. Marcela Maus and Dr. Athena Countouriotis to Board of Directors
SEATTLE, March 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Umoja Biopharma, Inc. (Umoja), a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to delivering innovative and potentially curative immunotherapies for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases, today announced the appointment of Marcela Maus, M.D., Ph.D., and Athena Countouriotis, M.D., to its Board of Directors. Drs. Maus and Countouriotis bring deep expertise spanning cellular immunotherapy research, clinical development, and biotechnology company leadership.
“We are thrilled to welcome Marcela and Athena to Umoja’s Board of Directors,” said Andrew Scharenberg, M.D., co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Umoja Biopharma. “Their complementary perspectives on scientific innovation and clinical development leadership will be invaluable as we continue to advance our VivoVec™ platform and clinical programs with the goal of expanding access to transformative CAR T therapies for patients.”
Marcela Maus, M.D., Ph.D., is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, the Paula O’Keeffe Chair in Oncology and Director of Cellular Immunotherapy at The Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an Attending Physician in the Hematopoietic Cell Transplant and Cell Therapy division of Oncology at MGH. She is the Head of Cell Therapies and Associate Head of the Mass General Brigham Gene and Cell Therapy Institute and an Associate Member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. Dr. Maus is internationally recognized as a translational physician-scientist in immunology and T cell-based cancer therapies. She has authored more than 200 publications and holds multiple NIH R01 grants and several Investigational New Drug applications.
“Umoja’s approach to generating CAR T cells directly in the body represents an exciting possibility for the field,” said Dr. Maus. “I’m excited to support the Umoja team as they work to define how they may be applied across oncology and other serious diseases.”
Athena Countouriotis, M.D., is the co-founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Avenzo Therapeutics. She previously led Turning Point Therapeutics as President and CEO from its IPO to eventual acquisition in 2022. With over 20 years of industry experience, Dr. Countouriotis has also led multiple development programs to approval in the U.S. and Europe. Dr. Countouriotis serves on the boards of Biomarin Inc., Iovance Biotherapeutics, Passage Bio, Recludix Pharma, and Leal Therapeutics, and previously was chairperson of Capstan Therapeutics.
“Umoja’s platform has the potential to address some of the most significant barriers associated with traditional CAR T therapies, including complexity, timing, and scalability,” said Dr. Countouriotis. “This opportunity to simplify delivery and expand access for patients is incredibly important, and I’m excited to support the team as it continues advancing its clinical programs.”
About Umoja Biopharma
Umoja Biopharma, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to delivering innovative and potentially curative immunotherapies for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. Umoja’s VivoVec™ in vivo gene delivery technology empowers a patient’s own immune system to fight disease. Enabling its core technology is the Company’s state-of-the-art lentiviral vector development and manufacturing facility in Louisville, Colorado. Umoja believes its approach can provide broader access and improved effectiveness of the most advanced immunotherapies, enabling more patients to live better, fuller lives. To learn more, connect with Umoja on LinkedIn and visit umoja-biopharma.com.
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