Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel T-cell and other immune cell recruiting biologic therapies for the treatment of cancer and other immunologic disorders, today announced the appointment of William E. Picht, Jr. as chief financial officer.

Mr. Picht brings more than 25 years of industry experience in strategic finance, operations, investor relations, business planning and oversight. Most recently, he served as chief financial officer for Pearl Therapeutics, a respiratory disease company that was sold to AstraZeneca in a $1.15 billion transaction. At Pearl, he was responsible for finance, investor relations, administration and information technology. Previously, he held finance roles at Nektar Therapeutics, including head of R&D finance. Mr. Picht also conducted finance and market analytics at Syntex.

“I am pleased to welcome Bill to Harpoon, where his strong track record will be instrumental as we grow Harpoon to a clinical-stage company next year,” said Jerry McMahon, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Harpoon Therapeutics. “I look forward to working with Bill and the Harpoon team to advance our proprietary TriTAC™ T-cell engager programs in immuno-oncology to the clinic.”

“Bill brings the expertise and experience to help advance Harpoon at an important time,” said Luke Evnin, PhD, managing director at MPM Capital and chairman of Harpoon, who co-founded the company along with Patrick Baeuerle PhD, managing director of MPM Capital, in 2015. “We are pleased to expand the management team as the company enters its next phase of growth, and look forward to building a leading therapeutic company engaging T cells and other cells of the immune system.”

About Harpoon Therapeutics — Harpoon is a preclinical stage biotechnology company founded by MPM Capital to develop multiple T-cell recruiting platforms leading to therapies for cancer patients and other immunologic disorders. Harpoon created its proprietary TriTAC™ biologics platform to harness T cells to kill tumor and other cell types by recruiting T cells and other immune cells. This approach has been optimized to penetrate tissues and extend serum exposure, and has the potential to address a broad range of cancers and immunologic diseases. HPN424, a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeting TriTAC™ biologic, is in development for the treatment of prostate cancer and is expected to enter a clinical trial next year.

About MPM Capital — MPM Capital (http://www.mpmcapital.com) is an early-stage life sciences venture firm founding and investing in companies that seek to cure major diseases by translating scientific innovations into positive clinical outcomes. MPM’s portfolio of companies aims to revolutionize the face of medicine across multiple areas including cancer, diabetes, obesity, pain, eHealth and more. With its experienced and dedicated team of operating executives and medical and scientific advisory board, MPM is powering novel medical breakthroughs that transform patient lives. MPM invested in Harpoon from its two funds ─ the BV2014 and UBS Oncology Impact Funds.