NEEDHAM HEIGHTS, MA, November 26, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Paul-Peter Tak, MD, PhD, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Dr. Tak is recognized for his long and successful career in medicine, biotechnology and pharmaceutical leadership, marked by transformative roles and significant scientific contributions. Since 2020, he has served as the president, chief executive officer and board director at Candel Therapeutics. Upon joining the company, Dr. Tak fundamentally reshaped its direction, taking it public on NASDAQ in 2021 through a remote process during the COVID-19 pandemic. He introduced a new executive and leadership team, prioritized the company's portfolio, and established a high-profile research advisory board that included a Nobel Prize laureate.

Under Dr. Tak's guidance, Candel Therapeutics achieved major clinical milestones, including a breakthrough in a significant phase 3 clinical trial of CAN-2409 for newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer, meeting both primary and secondary endpoints. The company's research has also demonstrated promising outcomes for patients with lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma, with findings published in Nature and Science Translational Medicine. Dr. Tak's efforts have positioned Candel Therapeutics to make a meaningful difference in patients' lives worldwide.

In addition to his role at Candel Therapeutics, Dr. Tak has been the director on the board of Levicept Ltd. since 2018. He is also the Chair of the board of directors at Citryll since 2023, having previously been a director from 2020 to 2023. He is a co-founder and board director of Sitryx. Dr. Tak's influence extends to advisory positions with organizations such as NovoNordisk Innovation Hub and Second Wave. Before these active board roles, he was instrumental in several other board positions, including as the co-founder and board member for MediPartners in Leiden.

From 2018 to 2020, Dr. Tak was a venture partner at Flagship Pioneering, the ecosystem that created Moderna. During this period, he also held the position of president and chief executive officer at Kintai Therapeutics. His tenure was characterized by cross-continental leadership between England and the U.S. As an entrepreneur, Dr. Tak also founded Arthrogen, a biotech company focused on gene therapy, serving as its chief scientific officer between 2005 and 2011.

Dr. Tak's industry experience included serving in several senior leadership roles with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), beginning in 2011 as the senior vice president and global head of ImmunoInflammation. He also excelled as the president and chief executive officer of Tempero Pharmaceuticals, a GSK company, from 2012 to 2017. During this time, Dr. Tak was also named the senior vice president of research and development, as well as the chief immunology officer and global development leader at GSK between 2016 and 2018. At GSK, he notably led global operations in immunology, autoimmunity, oncology, infectious diseases, and HIV. Earlier in his career, Dr. Tak was the medical director at Dubai Bone and Joint Center from 2004 to 2008.

Dr. Tak's academic career is equally notable. He was an associate professor at Leiden Medical Center from 1996 to 1999 and a clinical associate professor at the University of California San Diego from 1999 to 2004. He was also a professor of medicine at the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam (Amsterdam University Medical Center) from 1999 to 2020, where he led the department of clinical immunology and rheumatology, trained numerous physicians and medical specialists, and chaired the division of clinical immunology and rheumatology at the Academic Medical Center/University of Amsterdam between 1999 and 2011. Additionally, Dr. Tak was recognized as an honorary senior visiting fellow at the University of Cambridge from 2012 to 2022 and as an honorary professor of rheumatology at Ghent University between 2014 and 2020.

Dr. Tak earned a Doctor of Medicine cum laude from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Amsterdam University Medical Center) in 1986 after completing his VWO cum laude at Comenius College in Hilversum in 1979. He subsequently completed his residency in internal medicine at Bronovo Hospital from 1986 to 1990, trained as an internist at Leiden University in 1993, and pursued specialty training as an immunologist, culminating in a doctorate in immunology on campus in 1996. Dr. Tak further specialized as a rheumatologist at Leiden University until graduating in this field in 1999.

An active member of several professional organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American College of Rheumatology, Dr. Tak has also been recognized as an honorary member of the European League Against Rheumatism and as a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the U.K. Throughout his professional journey, he has also maintained strong civic engagement. He has been a trustee for Lorna & Yuti Chernajovsky Biomedical Research Foundation since 2019, chair for the Multimorbidity Clusters Programs Steering Group since 2022, and a trustee on the board for The Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research since 2024.

A prolific author, Dr. Tak has published more than 600 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals with more than 100,000 citations. He also shares insights through podcasts and articles published on LinkedIn.

Dr. Tak's achievements have been recognized with numerous awards, including a ranking of number 123 in the World Ranking of Top 1,000 Scientists in Immunology by Research.com in their 2024 edition. He also received a Medal of Honor from the Dutch Rheumatology Society, was recognized as Best Rheumatologist in the Netherlands by his peers, was included on PharmaVoice's Top 100 list, and was included in the Medicine Maker Power List.

Dr. Tak credits his success to a combination of clinical insights gained through patient care and extensive scientific experience acquired through rigorous research endeavors. He remains committed to advancing innovative therapies that address unmet medical needs with a focus on ensuring these medicines reach patients globally.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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