IKNA - Ikena Oncology Appoints Caroline Germa M.D. as Chief Medical Officer | Benzinga
Caroline Germa, M.D., an accomplished senior executive and medical oncologist, brings over 25 years of pharmaceutical and drug development expertise
Dr. Germa will drive clinical development strategy and oversee the execution of targeted oncology programs, IK-930 and IK-595
Sergio Santillana, M.D., MSc., MBA resigned from current role as Chief Medical Officer
BOSTON, Feb. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ikena Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:IKNA, "Ikena, " "Company")), a targeted oncology company forging new territory in patient-directed cancer treatment, today announced the resignation of Dr. Sergio Santillana and the appointment of Dr. Caroline Germa as Chief Medical Officer. Her addition comes at a pivotal time with the Company's focus on its clinical programs, IK-930 and IK-595, underscoring Ikena's commitment to driving innovation in the targeted oncology space.
"Our clinical team is firing on all cylinders to bring the right patients into our ongoing IK-930 and IK-595 studies, and to collaborate with our investigators to learn as much as we can from these two novel Phase I programs. Dr. Germa's leadership and experience in clinical drug development, in both the biotech space and the large pharma world, will be instrumental to our development effort and strategy, as we set both of our programs up for success," said Mark Manfredi, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Ikena. "We are confident that Dr. Germa's contributions will continue to broaden patient access to our programs and, in turn, drive value for our investors and stakeholders, as we remain on track to deliver a clinical update in the second half of this year."
Dr. Germa is an accomplished medical oncologist and clinical development leader with over 25 years of pharmaceutical experience across the spectrum of drug development, from early clinical trials to late phase and registrational studies. Prior to Ikena, Dr. Germa served as the EVP, Global Medicine Development, and Chief Medical Officer at Transcenta Therapeutics, where she played a pivotal role in shaping strategic goals for the company's oncology and non-oncology portfolio, ensuring successful execution across all clinical development functions. Previously, Dr. Germa held senior leadership positions at global pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca as Vice President and Head of Oncology Early Development Clinical Group, ...