CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Black Diamond Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BDTX), a precision oncology medicine company pioneering the discovery and development of small molecule, tumor-agnostic therapies, today announced the appointment of Dr. Kapil Dhingra to its Board of Directors. Dr. Dhingra has more than 30 years’ experience in oncology clinical research and drug development, including as Vice President, Head of the Oncology Disease Biology Leadership Team and Head of Oncology Clinical Development at Hoffmann-La Roche (“Roche”). He has served as a clinical and strategic advisor to Black Diamond since 2017.

“I am delighted to welcome Kapil to the Black Diamond Board of Directors,” said Robert A. Ingram, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Black Diamond Therapeutics. “Kapil brings substantial oncology drug development experience, and his insights and perspectives will be of tremendous benefit as Black Diamond pursues its vision of becoming a leader in the field of precision medicine.”

“We are excited to welcome Kapil to our Board at this important time for Black Diamond,” said David M. Epstein, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Black Diamond Therapeutics. “Kapil is a recognized leader in the biopharmaceutical industry and has been an important advisor to the Company for several years. His clinical development expertise will be critical as we advance BDTX-189, BDTX-1535, and our broader pipeline of MasterKey inhibitor product candidates through clinical development.”

“Black Diamond has the potential to transform the landscape of oncology therapeutics, and I am thrilled to join Black Diamond’s Board,” said Dr. Dhingra. “I look forward to working alongside my fellow Board members and Black Diamond’s dynamic leadership team to advance innovative precision oncology solutions for patients who lack sufficient targeted treatment options.”

Dr. Dhingra is an accomplished medical oncologist and pharmaceutical executive with a proven track record in academic research, patient care, and drug development. From 1999 to 2008, Dr. Dhingra served at Roche, including as Vice President, Head of the Oncology Disease Biology Leadership Team and Head of Oncology Clinical Development, during which he led numerous drug approvals, including Herceptin^®, Tarceva^®, and Avastin^®. Prior to joining Roche, he worked in the oncology clinical development group at Eli Lilly and Company.

Dr. Dhingra has served as a faculty member at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Indiana University School of Medicine, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Dhingra is currently a member of the Boards of Directors of Replimune, Inc., Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc., Autolus Therapeutics plc, and Median Technologies, and he has previously served on the boards of several biotech companies acquired by major pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Dhingra founded KAPital Consulting, LLC in 2008, a company dedicated to helping biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and diagnostic companies realize the clinical and commercial advances in oncology. Dr. Dhingra obtained his M.B.B.S. degree from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, India. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center and New York Medical College and completed his fellowship in hematology and oncology at Emory University School of Medicine.

About Black Diamond Therapeutics

Black Diamond Therapeutics is a precision oncology medicine company pioneering the discovery of small molecule, tumor-agnostic therapies. Black Diamond targets undrugged mutations in patients with genetically defined cancers. Black Diamond is built upon a deep understanding of cancer genetics, protein structure and function, and medicinal chemistry. The Company’s proprietary technology platform, Mutation-Allostery-Pharmacology (MAP) platform, is designed to allow Black Diamond to analyze population-level genetic sequencing data to identify oncogenic mutations that promote cancer across tumor types, group these mutations into families, and develop a single small molecule therapy in a tumor-agnostic manner that targets a specific family of mutations. Black Diamond was founded by David M. Epstein, Ph.D. and Elizabeth Buck, Ph.D., and, beginning in 2017, together with Versant Ventures, began building the MAP platform and chemistry discovery engine. For more information, please visit www.blackdiamondtherapeutics.com.