Codiak BioSciences lures Alnylam vet Sorensen to lead clinical program

Codiak BioSciences said today that it has named former Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:ALNY) executive Dr. Benny Sorensen as vice president and head of clinical development.

Sorensen was Alnylam’s senior director of clinical research, leading the preclinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial strategies for hematology products. He also worked for Baxter (NYSE:BAX), advancing hematology therapies through Phase III pivotal development.

Woburn, Mass.-based Codiak is developing exosome technology, seeking to make use of exosomes’ natural ability to carry molecules like DNA and proteins from cell to cell. Researchers hypothesize, because exosomes appear to travel to particular cells instead of a randomly distributing themselves, that they could be used as a mechanism for targeted drug delivery.

“Benny comes to Codiak at a particularly exciting time as we build broad capabilities and strengthen our management team,” Codiak president & CEO Douglas Williams said in prepared remarks. “We will benefit greatly from his experience leading translational research, clinical trials and regulatory affairs.”

“I am thrilled to be joining the Codiak team at a pivitol point in the company’s life,” Sorensen added. “I believe exosome biology constitutes an exciting platform for a new category of medicines that target hard-to-reach tissues and organs, propelling research for a wide range of diseases with high unmet medical need and lack of effective therapies.”