UNIONDALE, NY / ACCESS Newswire / February 16, 2026 / Marquis Who's Who honors Paul-Peter Tak, MD, PhD, for his expertise in medicine. Dr. Tak has been recognized as a Top Professional for his contributions to medicine, biotechnology and pharmaceutical leadership. As president, chief executive officer and board director of Candel Therapeutics, he continues to guide research focused on improving outcomes for patients with complex cancers and other serious diseases.

Hope Emerging in Treating Resistant Cancers

Dr. Tak noted that his motivation is rooted in patient outcomes. "Personally, I was recently touched by the fact that we are starting to see improvements in the lives of patients with a disease, probably the most difficult to treat form of cancer, recurrent glioblastoma," he says. Candel Therapeutics has published these findings in partnership with academic scientists from Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Clinical research under Dr. Tak's leadership has shown promising results in therapy-resistant cancers. "The fact that we see some, although it's still a minority of patients, who live much, much longer than you would expect," Dr. Tak says. "These are the things that really drive me."

Corporate and Scientific Leadership

Since joining Candel Therapeutics in 2020, Dr. Tak has overseen major corporate and scientific milestones. He helped guide the company through its Nasdaq listing during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a fully remote process. He has also strengthened research strategy and leadership structure while expanding the company's scientific advisory network.

Candel Therapeutics has achieved notable clinical progress. The results include a Phase 3 clinical trial of CAN-2409 for localized prostate cancer that met both primary and secondary endpoints. Research programs have also shown potential in lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma.

Influence Within Global Research Organizations

Dr. Tak has held leadership roles across several technology and pharmaceutical organizations. He served as a venture partner at Flagship Pioneering, the organization that created Moderna. In addition, he served as president and chief executive officer of Kintai Therapeutics. Earlier in his industry career, he held senior leadership positions with GlaxoSmithKline, directing global operations and immunology, oncology, and infectious diseases research.

Dr. Tak's academic and scientific work has also played a central role in advancing immunology research. He has published more than 600 peer-reviewed articles with over 100,000 citations. Additionally, he has held academic appointments, including an honorary senior visiting fellowship at the University of Cambridge.

Chronic Remission Goals in Cancer Care

Dr. Tak believes immunology will continue to influence treatment across several medical fields. "I think it will become increasingly important in the field of neurosciences and neurodegenerative diseases, where we're now starting to understand the brain much better due to imaging techniques, but also due to new molecular techniques," he says.

Another industry trend pertains to combined therapies. "I think we will see an increased use of combination therapies, including highly innovative therapies. For example, cell therapies," Dr. Tak says. "Think of CAR-T cells combined with viral immunotherapies that we work on with the goal of really optimizing the effects of treatment and potentially curing the disease."

Guidance for Future Medical Leaders

Dr. Tak maintains active involvement in professional organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American College of Rheumatology and the European League Against Rheumatism. He is also a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the U.K.

The values of ethics, compassion and excellence serve as the foundation of Dr. Tak's professional growth. In turn, he shares these principles with others pursuing careers in medicine. "It's important to follow your heart and do everything you do, whatever the role or remit, to the highest ethical and quality standards and always try to do the best thing," he says.

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