SQZ Biotechnologies (SQZ), a cell therapy company developing novel treatments for multiple therapeutic areas, today announced the appointment of Oliver Rosen, MD, as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Rosen will oversee the clinical development of SQZ’s cell therapy pipeline and joins the company as it prepares to enter the clinic with a lead oncology candidate.

“We are delighted to welcome Oliver. His experience building clinical pipelines in oncology and cultural alignment with the SQZ vision of patient impact make him an excellent leader for our clinical team,” said Armon Sharei, PhD, founder and chief executive officer of SQZ Biotech.

Dr. Rosen added, “I am thrilled to join SQZ at such an important and exciting time in the company’s development. SQZ’s differentiated approach has the potential to create powerful cell therapies for patients suffering from cancer and a wide range of devastating diseases. I am looking forward to joining the team and supporting the SQZ commitment to bring these promising cell therapies into the clinic.”

Dr. Rosen has nearly two decades of experience in the healthcare industry, most recently as Chief Medical Officer of Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, where he oversaw the clinical development of the company’s extensive pipeline. At Deciphera, he oversaw the company’s lead asset, DCC-2618, from IND submission to complete enrollment of the first randomized phase 3 study and initiation of the second randomized phase 3 study. Prior to his time at Deciphera, Dr. Rosen held senior medical affairs and clinical development roles at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, The Takeda Oncology Company as well as at Genentech. Dr. Rosen has also served as associate director of medical affairs at Amgen, clinical scientist at F. Hoffman-La Roche and global project physician at Merck. Dr. Rosen received his medical training in oncology and hematology at the University Hospital Charité in Berlin, where his research focused on hematological malignancies and bone marrow transplantation. Prior to his clinical training, Dr. Rosen participated in a post-doctoral program in molecular and cellular biology at the University of Hamburg. Dr. Rosen holds an MD from the University of Cologne, Germany and did his thesis in clinical pharmacology.