Clinical stage biotechnology company TORL BioTherapeutics LLC announced on Tuesday the appointment of Howard A. 'Skip' Burris III, MD, FACP, FASCO as a new board member.

Dr Burris is president and chief medical officer for the Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI). He served as the elected president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), holding leadership positions both before and after his ASCO president role, and is an active member of the ASCO community. Dr Burris is also the chair of the board for the ASCO Conquer Cancer Foundation. He was director of clinical research at the Institute for Drug Development of The Cancer Therapy and Research Center and was an associate professor at The University of Texas Health Science Center. He also served in the US Army and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Mark J Alles, chairman and CEO at TORL BioTherapeutics, said: "We are thrilled to have Skip join TORL's board. He is a renowned medical oncologist with decades of success developing first-in-human cancer therapies, many now FDA approved and that have become global standards of care."