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Ikena Oncology
645 Summer Street
Suite 101
Boston, MA 02210

Ikena Oncology
645 Summer Street
Suite 101
Boston, MA 02210

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Holly K. Koblish, Ph.D.

Vice President, Cancer Biology

Holly Koblish has over 20 years of experience in oncology and immuno-oncology with an extensive background in drug discovery. As a seasoned discovery scientist, Holly has been a key contributor to advancing nearly a dozen molecules into the clinic, including two FDA-approved medicines. Previously, she served as Senior Director of Pharmacology at Incyte, where, in addition to leading a team of scientists, she managed programs, asset development through both internal and external collaborations, and regulatory activities. Holly holds a B.S. in biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her postdoctoral training in molecular biology at Princeton University.

Jennifer Schroeder, PMP

Senior Vice President, Clinical Development Operations

Jennifer Schroeder is a seasoned executive with nearly 25 years of experience in research and developing across biotech and big pharma. Most recently, Jennifer served as SVP of Program Management and Technology at Odonate Therapeutics where she drove long-term strategy for clinical programs and oversaw project management at all stages of development, as well as owned and implemented their full clinical systems suite and technological infrastructure. She served nearly two decades with Pfizer providing in-depth and strategic project management across a suite of oncology products through international clinical trials to registration, business process development and improvement, and building and training teams to support and expedite development. Jennifer is a certified project manager and holds a BA and MA in English.

Karim S. Malek, M.D.

Vice President, Clinical Development

Karim Malek is a quadruple board-certified medical oncologist and hematologist with over 30 years of experience both in the clinic and in research and development. Previously, he served as a Senior Medical Director at the Oncology Therapeutic Area Unit at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where he was the Global Clinical Lead on multiple immune-oncology platforms. He also served a Senior Medical Director at ImmunoGen where he led the execution of clinical trials across early and late phases of development. Before joining industry, Dr. Malek was the Chief of Hematology-Oncology at the Good Samaritan Medical Center for nearly 10 years where he pioneering the participation of the community hospital in robust clinical research. Karim has authored over 30 scientific publications and book chapters and has held various academic and teaching positions. Dr. Malek trained at University of Alexandria, Faculté de Médecine Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, Faculté de Médecine Paris-Bobigny and Boston University School of Medicine.

James Nolan, M.S., MBA

VICE PRESIDENT, THERAPEUTICS DEVELOPMENT & MANUFACTURING

Jim Nolan has over 18 years of industry experience in biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical development, and leads the process development, manufacturing analytical sciences and quality functions for Ikena’s portfolio of biologics and small molecule programs. Jim was previously at Pfizer where he was Director, Nanomedicine Development and Manufacturing, and BIND Therapeutics where he was Director of Process and Analytical Development, where he led the technical development of clinical stage nanoparticle therapeutics. Prior to BIND, he was with EMD/Merck Serono for over ten years in various leadership positions within bioprocess development, while serving on global development teams for early phase clinical programs. Jim has led the technical development of a variety of clinical stage therapeutics modalities, including recombinant biologics, PEG conjugates and polymeric nanoparticle drug products. Jim received his B.S. in biology from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, an M.S. in Biological Sciences from University of Massachusetts-Lowell and holds an M.B.A. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Karen McGovern, Ph.D.

Vice President, R&D Collaborations
Karen McGovern has more than 20 years of small molecule drug discovery experience, leading multiple programs from the non-clinical stage to IND and clinical development. Prior to joining Ikena, Karen served as Senior Director of Biology and Pharmacology at Infinity Pharmaceuticals, where she led early discovery oncology projects including the PI3K Gamma and Hedgehog programs. Karen directed the biology and pharmacology group where the immuno-oncology approaches were established, in collaboration with academic leaders in the field, that led to key mechanistic understanding and strategies for clinical development for the PI3K gamma program. Prior to that, Karen was at Millennium Pharmaceutics in both the systems biology and anti-infective groups, including leading projects in the Pfizer-Millennium partnership. Karen received her B.S. from Boston College and earned her Ph.D. from Harvard Medical School.

Michelle Zhang, Ph.D.

Chief Scientific Officer

Michelle Zhang has nearly 20 years of oncology drug discovery and development experience in both biotech (Curis and Biomed Valley Discoveries) and big pharma (Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research). Her R&D expertise spans across small molecule, antibody, antibody-drug-conjugate, protein and radiopharmaceutical therapeutic and diagnostic modalities. She has led numerous programs from early discovery, translational research, non-clinical evaluations into clinical development, including a number of clinical candidate selections, IND submissions and Phase 1/2 clinical studies. Michelle received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Harvard University.

Alexander Constan, Ph.D.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, NON CLINICAL SAFETY AND DMPK
Alex Constan has over 20 years of experience in nonclinical safety assessment and drug development. Most recently, Alex was Vice President of Nonclinical Safety at Decibel Therapeutics, where he was responsible for the safety evaluation of small molecule and gene therapy programs targeting hearing loss disorders. Prior to that, Alex was head of the Toxicology and DMPK functions at Infinity Pharmaceuticals, overseeing oncology programs from early discovery through late stage development. In addition, Alex has driven nonclinical development strategy and risk management as a toxicologist at Pfizer and Rhône-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals. Alex received a B.S. from Michigan State University, earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology at Colorado State University and trained as a post-doctoral fellow at the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology (CIIT) in Research Triangle Park, NC. He also serves as a member on the Board of Health for the town of Boxford, MA.

Alfredo Castro, Ph.D.

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, DISCOVERY
Alfredo Castro is an experienced drug hunter with more than 20 years of small molecule drug discovery and development experience, having previously served as VP of Medicinal and Process Chemistry at Infinity Pharmaceuticals. Prior to Infinity, Alfredo held various positions initially at Biogen, ProScript, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, and then Syntonix Pharmaceuticals. Over the course of his career, Alfredo has played a significant role in the discovery and/or development of over 10 different clinical candidates, with the most advanced currently in Phase 3 clinical development in oncology. Alfredo received his B.S. from Clark University and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Dartmouth College.

Maude Tessier, Ph.D.

CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER
Maude Tessier brings over 15 years of business development, licensing and alliance management experience in pharma, biotech and academia. Most recently, she served as Executive Director, Business Development & Licensing at Merck & Co, leading oncology partnering in the Boston Innovation Hub. Prior to joining Merck, Maude was Assistant Director, Business Development and Strategic Initiatives in the Technology and Innovation Development Office at Boston Children’s Hospital. In this role, she forged discovery alliances with industry partners and also built and managed the Marketing & Communications team. Maude began her career at Xanthus Pharmaceuticals, a small venture-backed oncology biotech company in Cambridge, Mass., where she had key roles in Business Development and Program Management of a Phase 3 asset leading to its eventual FDA approval. Maude is a MassConnect mentor at MassBio and a Board Member for the Brown University Biomedical Innnovation Fund and for the Canadian Entrepreneurs in New England organization. She holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from McGill University and a Ph.D. from the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto.

Sergio Santillana, M.D., M.Sc., MBA

CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER

Sergio Santillana is a medical oncologist with more than 25 years of oncology drug development and clinical practice experience. Prior to providing strategic consultancy services to a variety of life science companies, including Ikena Oncology, he was Chief Medical Officer for Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, focused on developing biologics and nanotherapeutics for solid tumors. Before joining Merrimack, he was Chief Medical Officer for ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, a commercial-stage biotechnology company that was acquired by Takeda. Under Sergio’s leadership, ARIAD obtained US regulatory approval of Brigatinib for the treatment of ALK+ NSCLC, and had continued growth of its portfolio of targeted agents in solid tumors. Preceding his executive role at ARIAD, he served in various oncology clinical development leadership roles at Takeda, GlaxoSmithKline and Eli Lilly. Before entering the biopharma industry, he was a practicing board-certified medical oncologist for 15 years, including tenure at the National Cancer Institute of Peru (INEN) where his research focus was in clinical studies of novel agents. He holds an M.D. and B.S. from the Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal School of Medicine in Lima, Peru and a M.Sc. in Experimental Therapeutics from Kellogg College at the University of Oxford. He also holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Jeffrey Ecsedy, Ph.D.

Chief Development Officer
Jeff Ecsedy has over 20 years of experience in cancer research. Most recently, Jeff served as the Head of Oncology Translational Medicine at Takeda Pharmaceuticals where he and his team led translational science for a diverse portfolio of molecules spanning all stages of development, including pre-IND activities, first-in-human studies, regulatory approvals and life-cycle management. As a member of Oncology R&D leadership at Takeda, Jeff helped to shape a renewed strategic vision for Takeda Oncology. Prior to that, Jeff led numerous projects from the discovery phase into clinical development at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. Jeff received a B.S. from the University of Connecticut, earned his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Boston College and trained as a post-doctoral fellow in Genetics at Harvard Medical School.

Douglas R. Carlson

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER & EVP, FINANCE
Doug Carlson brings 20 years of experience with a multi-disciplinary background in corporate finance, venture capital, M&A, business development and commercial operations with both large and emerging growth healthcare companies. Most recently, Doug served as Vice President of Commercial Operations, Corporate Strategy & Business Development for Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc. (NASDAQ: COLL). Doug was a member of the founding management team that transformed Collegium from a privately-held, clinical development stage company into a publicly-traded, commercial business. Prior to joining Collegium, Doug was Senior Director of Business Development at BTG International, Inc. where he was responsible for global specialty pharmaceutical M&A and licensing. Prior to BTG, Doug was Senior Director and Head of U.S. Business Development for Lundbeck A/S. Prior to Lundbeck, Doug was Director of Corporate Development and M&A at Ovation Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he played an integral role in the sale of Ovation to Lundbeck in 2009. Prior to Ovation, Doug was an Associate in the healthcare group at Pequot Ventures, the venture capital arm of Pequot Capital Management, Inc. Doug started his career in the healthcare investing banking group of Cowen & Co. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

Mark Manfredi, Ph.D.

PRESIDENT AND CHEIF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Mark Manfredi is a founding member of Ikena Oncology and has over two decades of experience in cancer drug discovery and translational research. He previously served as Chief Scientific Officer of Raze Therapeutics and as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Atlas Venture, and prior to that served as Vice President of Oncology at Takeda Pharmaceuticals where he was a member of the senior R&D management team responsible for global oncology R&D strategy. During his time at Takeda, the Oncology organization advanced eight novel mechanisms into the clinic, including ixazomib, which was recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Mark is currently an advisor at Atlas Venture. He earned his B.S. from the University of Rhode Island and his Ph.D. in Biology from Boston College.