PNOC Foundation adds biopharma executive Jeremy Bender to board

PNOC Foundation has named longtime collaborator Jeremy Bender, Ph.D., MBA, to its board as the group seeks to expand pediatric brain cancer research and its Lose No Child campaign. Bender helped lead Day One Biopharmaceuticals’ work on tovorafenib, the first FDA-approved treatment for a pediatric brain cancer in more than 50 years.

Why it matters: - Jeremy Bender brings late-stage drug development experience to PNOC Foundation at a time when pediatric brain tumor programs still need faster trial completion and more funding. - Bender helped bring tovorafenib through clinical development, giving PNOC Foundation a board member with direct experience turning pediatric brain cancer research into an approved therapy. - The appointment supports PNOC Foundation’s Lose No Child campaign, which aims to prevent deaths from brain tumors.

What happened: - PNOC Foundation appointed Jeremy Bender, Ph.D., MBA, to its Board of Directors on July 15, 2026. - Bender is a senior biopharmaceutical executive with more than 25 years of drug development and corporate leadership experience. - Bender most recently served as CEO of Day One Biopharmaceuticals. - Day One was acquired by Servier Pharmaceuticals in April 2026.

The details: - Bender worked directly with PNOC’s scientific leadership on the clinical trials behind the FDA’s accelerated approval of tovorafenib, also called OJEMDA™. - Tovorafenib is a targeted therapy for BRAF-altered pediatric low-grade glioma. - The approval was the first FDA approval for a pediatric brain cancer treatment in more than 50 years. - Before Day One, Bender was vice president of corporate development at Gilead Sciences. - At Gilead, Bender led transactions totaling more than $10 billion. - Bender earned a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Colorado School of Medicine, an MBA from MIT Sloan, and a B.S. in biological sciences from Stanford University. - Bender and his wife, Melissa, have been philanthropic supporters of PNOC Foundation for years. - PNOC Foundation co-founder Bruce Campbell said Bender’s experience bringing a treatment from trial to FDA approval is rare and invaluable.

Between the lines: - PNOC Foundation is adding a board member who already understands the group’s clinical and fundraising mission from the inside. - The move links board governance with drug-development execution, which may help PNOC Foundation strengthen partnerships around future trials. - PNOC Foundation is building around a global network model, and a board member with pharma deal-making and approval experience could help widen that reach.

What's next: - Bender will help guide PNOC Foundation’s board as the organization advances its pediatric brain cancer research agenda. - PNOC Foundation will continue pushing its Lose No Child campaign and its broader effort to speed clinical trial completion. - The organization will keep expanding its cooperative open-source network of pediatric brain tumor specialists and participating sites.

The bottom line: - PNOC Foundation is betting that a board member who helped deliver the first pediatric brain cancer approval in decades can help accelerate the next one. - PNOC Foundation says it has grown from a seven-member West Coast group in 2012 to a global consortium with 43 participating sites funded largely by philanthropy. - More information: PNOC Foundation - LinkedIn: PNOC Foundation on LinkedIn - Instagram: PNOC Foundation on Instagram - Facebook: PNOC Foundation on Facebook - YouTube: PNOC Foundation on YouTube - X: PNOC Foundation on X