BRISBANE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO), a genomic medicine company, today announced the appointment of Dr. Kenneth Hillan, an accomplished biotechnology executive, to the Company's Board of Directors.
"We are pleased to welcome Kenneth to the Sangamo Board of Directors," said Sandy Macrae, Chief Executive Officer of Sangamo. "We believe that Kenneth’s 25 years of clinical development and executive leadership experience, as well as his current focus on the therapeutic applications of DNA sequencing data, will provide great benefit to Sangamo as we continue to advance our growing pipeline of genomic medicines through clinical development.”
Since 2019, Dr. Hillan has served as Head of Therapeutics of 23andMe, the consumer genetics and research company, leading a dedicated discovery research and therapeutic development team that uses human genetic data to identify and pursue novel therapies for common and rare diseases. Previously, Dr. Hillan held leadership roles in the biotechnology industry. He served at Genentech from 1994 to 2011, where he led the medical and scientific strategies for its Immunology, Tissue Growth and Repair drug portfolio, and held a number of key leadership positions in research and development, including Senior Vice President of Clinical Development, Inflammation; Vice President of Immunology, Tissue Growth and Repair; Vice President of Development Sciences; and Vice President of Research Operations and Pathology. He also served as Genentech’s Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Development and Product Development Strategy in Asia-Pacific for Roche in Shanghai, China. From 2011 to 2017, he was Chief Executive Officer of Achaogen, Inc., where he was also a member of the Board of Directors. He has also served on the Board of Directors of Zymeworks since February 2017, and was a member of the Board of Directors of Relypsa from 2014 until 2016, when it was acquired by Galenica AG.
Dr. Hillan has an M.B. Ch.B. (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) degree from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Glasgow, U.K. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS, Glasg), and a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath). Dr. Hillan has authored dozens of scientific publications and is a named inventor on almost 50 issued patents.
Sangamo also today announced that Stephen Dilly, M.B.B.S., Ph.D. will resign from the Board of Directors effective September 30, 2020.
“It has been a great pleasure serving as a Sangamo director for the past decade,” said Dr. Dilly. “With a broad therapeutic pipeline, meaningful collaborations with global biopharmaceutical companies, and a strong balance sheet, Sangamo is well positioned as a leader in the field of genomic medicine. I'm personally very pleased to welcome Kenneth Hillan to the Board and am excited for the future success of Sangamo."
About Sangamo Therapeutics
Sangamo Therapeutics is committed to translating ground-breaking science into genomic medicines with the potential to transform patients’ lives using gene therapy, ex vivo gene-edited cell therapy, and in vivo genome editing and genome regulation. For more information about Sangamo, visit www.sangamo.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Sangamo's current expectations. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements relating to the potential to develop, obtain regulatory approvals for and commercialize therapies to treat genetic diseases and the timing thereof, the anticipated benefits of Sangamo’s collaborations, Sangamo’s financial resources and expectations and other statements that are not historical fact. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results may differ from those projected in forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties that exist in the operations and business environments of Sangamo and its collaborators. These risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Sangamo's Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including in Sangamo’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020. Forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are made as of this date, and Sangamo undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.
