Ikena Appoints Richard Wooster, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors
January 26 2022 - 7:00AM
Ikena Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: IKNA, “Ikena”), a targeted oncology
company navigating new territory in patient-directed cancer
treatment, today announced the appointment of Richard Wooster,
Ph.D., to its Board of Directors. Dr. Wooster brings more than 30
years of experience in oncology drug discovery and development and
dissecting the genetics of cancer and will provide invaluable
insight to Ikena as the Company progresses several programs to
benefit patients with difficult-to-treat cancers.
“Richard’s deep research experience and passion for
understanding the genetics of cancer and developing new
first-in-class targeted oncology therapies makes him an ideal
member of the Ikena team. He brings novel insights and experience
that will be indispensable as we continue to build our pipeline,”
said Mark Manfredi, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Ikena. “We
are honored to welcome him to our Board of Directors as we continue
to advance our targeted oncology programs.”
Dr. Wooster is a veteran in the drug discovery industry with
more than 15 years of experience leading oncology programs for
pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. He most recently served
as the Chief Scientific Officer at Translate Bio, which was
acquired by Sanofi in September 2021. Dr. Wooster joined Translate
Bio from Tarveda Therapeutics where he was Chief Scientific Officer
and President of R&D. In addition to advancing multiple
programs from early-stage discovery into the clinic, Dr. Wooster
helped the company raise multiple rounds of private funding to
advance the business. Prior to Tarveda, he was Vice President and
Discovery Performance Unit Head in Oncology at GlaxoSmithKline. Dr.
Wooster began his career in academia at the Institute of Cancer
Research where he discovered the BRCA2 gene and as a founder of the
Cancer Genome Project at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute where
mutations in BRAF were first discovered. He received his Ph.D. from
the University of Dundee in the UK and has co-authored over 100
publications, book chapters, and patents.
“I am thrilled to join Ikena’s Board of Directors, just as they
are entering the clinic with IK-930, a program in an emerging space
that has the potential to not only benefit primary tumors, but to
pinpoint and target pathways of cancer resistance,” said Dr.
Wooster. “The dedication of this team to defining patient needs by
the make-up and behavior of their tumor is a key component in the
evolution of the oncology landscape. I look forward to working
alongside the esteemed team of experts at Ikena to bring
potentially life-changing precision treatments to people with
cancer.”
About Ikena OncologyIkena Oncology is focused
on developing novel therapies targeting key signaling pathways that
drive the formation and spread of cancer. The Company’s lead
targeted oncology program, IK-930, is a TEAD inhibitor addressing
the Hippo signaling pathway, a known tumor suppressor pathway that
also drives resistance to multiple targeted therapies. Additional
programs include an ERK5 inhibitor program targeting the RAS
signaling pathway and programs targeting the tumor microenvironment
and immune signals, two of which are being developed in
collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb, including IK-175, an aryl
hydrocarbon receptor antagonist designed to modulate the tumor
microenvironment. Ikena’s pipeline is built on addressing
genetically defined or biomarker-driven cancers and developing
therapies that can serve specific patient populations in need of
new therapeutic options. To learn more, visit www.ikenaoncology.com
or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about future expectations,
plans and prospects for Ikena Oncology, Inc., including statements
about the therapeutic potential of its product candidates and other
statements containing the words “will,” “would,” “continue,” and
similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within
the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by
such forward-looking statements as a result of various important
factors, including, without limitation: uncertainties inherent in
preclinical studies and clinical trials, the regulatory approval of
its product candidates, the Company’s ability to fund its research
and development efforts, and other factors discussed in the
“Risk Factors” section of Ikena’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for
the quarter ended September 30, 2021, which is on file with the
SEC, as updated by any subsequent SEC filings. Any forward-looking
statements contained in this press release speak only as of the
date hereof, and Ikena expressly disclaims any obligation to update
any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
Media Contact:Gwen SchankerLifeSci
Communicationsgschanker@lifescicomms.com
Investor Contact:Rebecca CohenIkena
Oncologyrcohen@ikenaoncology.com
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