Zach is an immunologist and board-certified oncologist with extensive experience in clinical oncology and a strong passion for making a transformative impact on the lives of people with cancer. While at Kite Pharma, Zach was instrumental in the development and execution of the ZUMA trials across multiple indications for Yescarta®, the first FDA approved autologous CAR T therapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. But Zach knew early on that CAR T had to continue to evolve as a treatment and began championing an allogeneic program that could address the shortcomings of autologous CAR T and help even more patients access this potentially curative treatment. In 2023, he joined Allogene Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing allogeneic CAR T products for cancer, to focus exclusively on allogeneic CAR T and quickly advance a pipeline of promising product candidates. Zach’s dedication to making a difference in patients’ lives has been a red thread throughout his career and continues to drive him to challenge the standard of care and broaden patient access to life-changing allogeneic CAR T therapies.

Zach previously served as Instil Bio’s Chief Medical Officer, leading clinical and non-clinical programs, and earlier in his career he led several solid tumor studies at Amgen. He holds an M.D. and Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Maryland and he completed clinical and post-graduate training at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.