Sana Biotechnology Appoints Accomplished Drug Developer Dhaval Patel, M.D., Ph.D., as Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer

SEATTLE, Aug. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sana Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ: SANA), a company focused on changing the possible for patients through engineered cells, today announced the appointment of Dhaval Patel, M.D., Ph.D., as Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dhaval to Sana’s senior leadership team and look forward to partnering with him to build the company, maximize the value of our current pipeline, and secure our long-term future,” said Steve Harr, Sana’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Through decades of experience in research, drug discovery, drug development, and clinical care, Dhaval has successfully led programs in research and early development with substantial contributions to the advancement of 10 FDA-approved treatments. His expertise in immunology and autoimmune diseases make him ideally suited to help advance our clinical pipeline, particularly for B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases and type 1 diabetes, and accelerate our innovation.”

Dr. Patel was previously Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at UCB, where he played a key role in its recent pipeline transformation. He and his teams contributed to the registration of bimekizumab (Bimzelx^®), rozanolixizumab (Rystiggo^®), and zilucoplan (Zilbrysq^®). Prior to UCB, Dr. Patel spent 10 years at Novartis, most recently as the Head of Research of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) Europe. During his tenure, he led research in autoimmune, transplantation, and inflammation disease areas contributing to the registration of secukinumab (Cosentyx^®), fingolimod (Gilenya^®), siponimod (Mayzent^®), canakinumab (Ilaris^®), everolimus (Zortress^®/Certican^®, Afinitor^®), leniolisib (Joenja^®), and iptacopan (Fabhalta^®) in multiple indications. He was also an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Novartis Venture Fund. Prior to joining industry, Dr. Patel was an Eminent Professor of Medicine, Chief of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and Director of the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He also spent nine years at the Duke University School of Medicine, culminating in his position as the Chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology. Dr. Patel received his B.S., M.D., and Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Duke University, and is board certified in internal medicine, rheumatology, and allergy & immunology.

Dr. Patel added, “I am delighted to join Sana at this exciting time of growth. Our hypoimmune platform provides a unique opportunity to push the boundaries of science and transform the future for patients. With four ongoing clinical trials across seven indications, including in B-cell mediated autoimmune diseases, type 1 diabetes, and blood cancers, we are poised to take a significant step forward in the company’s mission to bring innovative, life-changing therapies to patients in need. I am eager to collaborate with this talented team to accelerate our journey towards groundbreaking advancements and real-world impact.”

About Sana Biotechnology

Sana Biotechnology, Inc. is focused on creating and delivering engineered cells as medicines for patients. We share a vision of repairing and controlling genes, replacing missing or damaged cells, and making our therapies broadly available to patients. We are a passionate group of people working together to create an enduring company that changes how the world treats disease. Sana has operations in Seattle, WA, Cambridge, MA, South San Francisco, CA, Bothell, WA and Rochester, NY. For more information about Sana Biotechnology, please visit .

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements about Sana Biotechnology, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including those related to the Company’s vision. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including, among others, statements regarding the Company’s strategy, expectations, cash runway and future financial condition, future operations, and prospects, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “design,” “due,” “estimate,” “expect,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “plan,” “positioned,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and other similar expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events and future trends, or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. The Company has based these forward-looking statements largely on its current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about future events and financial trends that it believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to vary materially, including, among others, the risks inherent in drug development such as those associated with the initiation, cost, timing, progress and results of the Company’s current and future research and development programs, preclinical and clinical trials, as well as economic, market and social disruptions. For a detailed discussion of the risk factors that could affect the Company’s actual results, please refer to the risk factors identified in the Company’s SEC reports, including but not limited to its Annual Report on Form 10-Q dated August 8, 2024. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

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Nicole Keith