Leading the FightAgainst Solid Tumors
About Us
Pioneering Novel Approaches
to Deliver on the Promise of TILs
At Turnstone, our mission is to develop new medicines to treat and cure patients with solid tumors.
Solid tumors present a major burden to society, with high mortality and poor outcomes associated with more advanced disease. Approved immunotherapies represent a significant advancement in the treatment of solid tumors, but many patients either do not respond or experience relapsed disease following an initial response. We believe the most significant challenge to creating curative immunotherapies in these patients is the low numbers of T cells that can recognize and attack the tumor, which we refer to as tumor-reactive T cells.
To address this problem, we are pioneering a differentiated approach to tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, or TILs, a clinically validated technology for treating solid tumors. We are developing next-generation TIL therapies by selecting the most potent and tumor-reactive T cells, which we refer to as Selected TILs. We are developing next-generation TIL therapies designed to drive therapeutic benefit and curative outcomes across multiple solid tumors.
-
One Turnstone
-
One Focus
-
One Fight
Leadership
Experienced Team of
Leaders and Innovators
Turnstone has assembled a seasoned management team, an accomplished Board of Directors and a distinguished Scientific Advisory Board whose contributions to science have meaningfully advanced the field and helped inform our understanding of the relationship between cancer and the immune system.
Our passionate team of leaders comprises world-renowned professionals with deep expertise in TILs, cell therapy, tumor immunology, innate and adaptive immunity, oncolytic viruses, and in the discovery and development, manufacturing, and business and commercial development of complex biologics.

Sammy Farah, PhD, MBA
President & Chief Executive Officer

Stewart Abbot, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer

Saryah Azmat
Chief Business Officer

Mike Burgess, MBChB, PhD
Interim Chief Medical Officer

P. Joseph Campisi, Jr., Esq.
Chief Legal Officer

Vijay Chiruvolu, PhD
Interim Chief Technology Officer

Venkat Ramanan, PhD
Chief Financial Officer

David Stojdl, PhD
SVP, Discovery Research

Chad Green, PhD
SVP, Technical Operations

TJ Langer
SVP, Cell Therapy Development and External Innovation

Adina Pelusio
SVP, Clinical Operations

Karen Major
VP, Regulatory

George Smith, MBA, PhD
VP, Cell Therapy Business Operations

James Mulé, IPhD
Associate Center Director of Translational Science
Moffitt Cancer Center

Nicholas Restifo, MD
Advisor, Cancer Data Science Laboratory
National Institutes of Health

Eric Tran, PhD
Adoptive Cell Therapy Laboratory Lead
Providence Cancer Institute

Jerel Davis, PhD
Chairman & Director
Versant Ventures

Mike Burgess, MBChB, PhD
Executive Director
Turnstone Biologics

Sammy Farah, PhD, MBA
Director
Turnstone Biologics

Robert Gould
Director
Fulcrum Therapeutics

Rishi Gupta, JD
Director
OrbiMed

Stefan Larson, PhD
Director
Sectoral Asset Management

Patrick Machado
Director
Former CFO/CBO Medivation

Santhosh Palani, PhD
Director
PFM Health Sciences

Kanya Rajangam, MD, PhD
Director
Senti Biosciences

Jeff Courtney
In Memoriam
Our Approach
Scientific Resources
Explore academic selection strategies that have demonstrated clinical proof of concept, relevant to Turnstone’s differentiated approach to TIL therapy:
Learn more about our scientific and clinical research, and the potential of Turnstone’s Selected TIL therapy in a broad range of solid tumors:
Pipeline
Designed to Shift the Paradigm
for the Treatment of Solid Tumors
We believe that our Selected TIL approach has the ability to drive therapeutic benefit in a wide range of solid tumors. We are developing a broad pipeline aimed at improving outcomes for patients with cancers with high unmet medical need, as illustrated in the chart below.
Program | Product Overview | Key Indications | Preclinical | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 | Next Anticipated Milestone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Selected TILs | ||||||||
TIDAL-01 | Tumor-reactive selected TILs |
Breast Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Uveal Melanoma |
![]() +
|
Clinical update | ||||
Cutaneous Melanomas, Non-cutaneous Melanomas |
![]() + Moffitt Collaboration*
|
|||||||
Combination with viral immunotherapy |
Solid Tumors |
![]() |
IND submission | |||||
TIDAL-02 | Selected TILs with next- gen manufacturing and TIL quality enhancements |
Solid Tumors |
![]() |
IND submission |
Selected TILs | |||
Preclinical | Phase 1 | Phase 2 | Phase 3 |
---|---|---|---|
TIDAL-01Tumor-reactive selected TILs +
|
|||
TIDAL-01Tumor-reactive selected TILs ![]() +
|
|||
TIDAL-01Combination with viral immunotherapy |
|||
TIDAL-02Selected TILs with next-gen manufacturing and TIL quality enhancements |
Partners
Optimizing Technological Innovations
Through Strategic Partnerships
We are backed by successful top-tier life science and biotech investors committed to Turnstone’s growth, and have forged select collaborations with key academic institutions, major biopharmaceutical companies, elite researchers and prominent international cancer medical centers to accelerate the development of our next-generation Selected TIL and immunotherapy pipeline.
Together with our strategic partners, we are devoted to delivering transformative therapies to the millions of cancer patients underserved by current treatment options.
Key Collaborators
In November 2022, Turnstone announced a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study TIL therapy in novel combinations with viral immunotherapy.
Select Investors
News
Careers
Empowering Our People
to Drive Science Forward
Turnstone is committed to true innovation, fearless execution and operational excellence. Our team work with an unrelenting sense of urgency to fulfill our mission. Our decision-making is driven by bold science and our therapeutics are designed with the patient at the forefront of our thoughts.
We continue to build a values-driven organization that embraces diversity, equity, and recognizes that the sum of our parts drives more success than any single individual. Our talented people and deeply ingrained culture are vital elements in maintaining our competitive edge in the vast biotech universe and key to unlocking the full potential of cancer immunotherapy.
If you are passionate about making a difference for patients and are excited by our mission and science, Turnstone might just be for you.
Team Opportunities
Turnstone Biologics (“Turnstone”), a privately held clinical stage biotech company, is developing breakthrough cancer immunotherapies by advancing two leading and complementary platforms that drive innate and adaptive tumor immunity, to provide benefit to the millions of cancer patients underserved by current treatment options. Turnstone’s proprietary vaccinia virus platform is engineered to drive coordinated immune activation, potent viral activity, and local expression of encoded therapeutics. The innovative Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes TIL cell therapy platform leverages clinically validated treatment protocols and has been specifically designed to extend beyond the use of bulk TILs to enrich for the most relevant T-cells for tumor eradication, preserving broad antigen diversity and minimizing time to treatment for patients.
At Turnstone, the science drives decision-making and our therapeutics are designed with the patient foremost in mind. We continue to build a world-class, high-performing company that embraces being a learning organization with a sense of urgency. Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding thereafter are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? If you are a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
Summary:
The Human Resources Director is responsible for developing and executing human resources programs and initiatives in support of the overall business plan and strategic directions for the organization. Works with all levels of management on the implementation and administration of human resources activities including, but not limited to: recruitment, performance management, employee relations, training and development, compensation and benefits.
Responsibilities:
- Partners with CFO and management team to ensure alignment between strategic plan and human resources
- Assesses and anticipates HR-related business needs, by developing, planning and delivering HR programs and
- Spearheads recruitment and hiring efforts to secure a diverse, talented and mission-focused workforce.
- Provides leadership in developing and supporting a global organizational culture that supports sustained organizational performance and motivates and retains staff.
- Guides leaders in the decisions/processes concerning promotions, compensation adjustments, transfers, terminations, recruitment and
- Manages employee relations matters and provides employee and management, coaching and counseling with objectivity and
- Develops and administers performance management and appraisal
- Manages and participates in the development compensation and benefit plans. Works with CFO and outside benefits consultant to negotiate benefit
- Maintains the salary and compensation
- Prepares HR analyses and reports for
- Develops, updates, and communicates HR policies and procedures that are consistent with organizational values and legal
- Keeps up-to-date on existing and emerging workplace, wage, and benefits laws and regulations
- Reviews HR policies on an ongoing basis and proposes updates and additions as appropriate.
- Performs additional human resources duties and responsibilities as
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree preferred in Business, Human Resources or related subject, or equivalent education or experience required.
- Ten (10) years of experience in Human Resources, with knowledge of broad spectrum of HR functions.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to develop strong working relationships.
- Knowledge of federal, state and local regulations and requirements for compliance and
- Strong organizational and time-management skills. customer service skills
- Proficiency in MS Office
- Ability to deal with HR matters in confidential, objective and professional manner.
- Experience in life sciences sector is preferred.
The anticipated salary range for this role is $160,000 – $200,000.
To Apply:
Turnstone Biologics welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected will be invited for an interview.
Contact
California
9310 Athena Circle
Suite 300
La Jolla, CA 92037
USA
(347) 897-5988
Ontario
12 York Street
3rd Floor
Ottawa, ON K1N 5S6
CANADA
(613) 421-8930