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About

Ionis: A force for life

Ionis is a transformative genetics medicine company and the leading innovator in RNA-targeted therapeutics. We are a profitable, multiple product company, with a diverse and robust pipeline of medicines advancing rapidly to and through clinical trials. We are guided by world-class scientists and business leaders whose drive and passion to innovate is matched only by their commitment to deliver first-in-class and best-in-class medicines to the patients who need them.

Brett P. Monia, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Elizabeth L. Hougen

Brett P. Monia, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Monia is the chief executive officer, a member of the board of directors and a founding scientist of Ionis Pharmaceuticals. His contributions at Ionis include research into the medicinal chemistry and mechanisms of action of RNA-targeting modalities to treat human diseases, most notably antisense-based therapeutic strategies. Dr. Monia has extensive experience across a range of therapeutic areas, including oncology, metabolic disease, inflammation, neurological disease and cardiovascular disease, which have resulted in a broad range of successful clinical achievements and in marketing approvals for new medicines.

Dr. Monia has published more than 200 primary research manuscripts, reviews and book chapters, and is an inventor on more than 100 issued patents. He serves as a senior editor for the journal Nucleic Acid Therapeutics. He is on the board of directors of Cognition Therapeutics and the board of directors of Flamingo Therapeutics. He has also served as president of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society (OTS). Dr. Monia is also an adjunct professor of biology at San Diego State University where he lectures at the graduate level on pharmacology.

Dr. Monia received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania and B.S. degrees in Molecular Biology and Analytical Chemistry at Stockton State College in Pomona, New Jersey.

Elizabeth L. Hougen, M.B.A.
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
C. Frank Bennett
Brett P. Monia

Elizabeth L. Hougen, M.B.A.

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Ms. Hougen is our executive vice president of Finance and chief financial officer. As a member of our executive leadership team, Ms. Hougen contributes to the execution of our strategy, including ensuring we are well positioned to be a global, multi-product sustainably profitable company. Ionis’ finance, accounting, tax, treasury, information technology, procurement and investor relations functions report to her. Ms. Hougen joined Ionis in May 2000 as vice president, finance, and became chief accounting officer in January 2007 and chief financial officer in January 2013.

Ms. Hougen has an extensive finance and business background having held positions of increasing responsibility in numerous public companies, primarily in the life sciences industry, over her more than 25-year career. Prior to joining Ionis, Ms. Hougen was chief financial officer for Molecular Biosystems, Inc., a public biotechnology company.

In recognition of her important contributions to the financial success of Ionis, in 2018 Ms. Hougen was named a CFO of the Year by the San Diego Business Journal. Ms. Hougen received her M.B.A. from the University of San Diego and her B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College.

C. Frank Bennett, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer
Onaiza Cadoret-Manier
Elizabeth L. Hougen

C. Frank Bennett, Ph.D.

Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Bennett is the executive vice president and chief scientific officer at Ionis Pharmaceuticals and one of the founding members of the company. He is responsible for continuing to advance Ionis’ technology and expanding the company’s drug discovery platform. Dr. Bennett is also the franchise leader for gene-editing programs at Ionis. He has been involved in the development of antisense oligonucleotides as therapeutic agents, including research on the application of oligonucleotides for inflammatory, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, oligonucleotide delivery, pharmacokinetics and medicinal chemistry.

Dr. Bennett has been recognized for his research with numerous awards. He is a co-recipient of the Rainwater Prize for Outstanding Innovation in Neurodegenerative Disease Research, the 2021 Gabbay Award and the 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for his contributions to the discovery and development of SPINRAZA® (nusinersen), and the inaugural Healy Center International Prize for Innovation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dr. Bennett also received the 2018 Hereditary Disease Foundation's (HDF) Leslie Gehry Brenner Prize for Innovation in Science for his leadership and continued commitment to developing antisense therapies for Huntington's disease (HD).

Dr. Bennett has published more than 230 papers in the field of antisense research and development, and he is an inventor on more than 175 issued patents.

Prior to joining Ionis, Dr. Bennett was associate senior investigator in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology at SmithKline and French Laboratories (currently, GlaxoSmithKline).

He received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas and his B.S. degree in Pharmacy from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico. He performed his postdoctoral research in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology at SmithKline and French Laboratories.

Dr. Bennett serves on the Advisory Board for the Hereditary Disease Foundation and SAB for the McLaughlin Institute.

Onaiza Cadoret-Manier, M.B.A.
Executive Vice President, Chief Global Product Strategy and Operations Officer
Joseph T. Baroldi
C. Frank Bennett

Onaiza Cadoret-Manier, M.B.A.

Executive Vice President, Chief Global Product Strategy and Operations Officer

Ms. Cadoret-Manier is executive vice president, chief global product strategy and operations officer at Ionis Pharmaceuticals. She is a member of Ionis’ executive leadership team, overseeing the company’s portfolio planning, global product strategy, medical affairs, market access and commercial strategy and operations functions. With 30 years of experience in life sciences, Ms. Cadoret-Manier is leading Ionis’ drive to integrate medical and commercial functions into the company.

She joined Ionis in 2020 as chief corporate development and commercial officer, where she led business development and commercial functions. Prior to Ionis, Ms. Cadoret-Manier was the chief commercial officer for Grail Biosciences, where she developed and executed a commercial strategy to prepare for the first ever early detection cancer screening test. She was previously vice president of the Respiratory Franchise at Genentech, where she built and managed a team of more than 400 employees responsible for commercializing medicines that generated $3 billion in revenue. She has held senior management positions overseeing corporate strategy, business development, alliances and marketing and sales for Genentech, Pfizer and Amylin Pharmaceuticals.

She has an MBA from the University of Chicago and a bachelor's degree in economics from Queens College.

Joseph T. Baroldi, M.B.A.
Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer
Richard S. Geary
Onaiza Cadoret-Manier

Joseph T. Baroldi, M.B.A.

Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer

Mr. Baroldi is our executive vice president and chief business officer. As a member of the executive leadership team, he is responsible for leading and providing strategic guidance for Ionis' business development and alliance management activities.

Mr. Baroldi has more than two decades of industry experience. Prior to Ionis, he was chief operating officer at Avidity Biosciences, where he played an integral role in their initial public offering and building their team. Previously, he was vice president, business development at Ionis, where he held several roles of increasing responsibility over 10 years. Before that Mr. Baroldi held positions in strategic planning and scientific research.

Mr. Baroldi holds an M.B.A. from the Rady School of Management at the University of California-San Diego. He received his B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of California-Irvine.

Richard S. Geary, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer
Patrick R. O’Neil
Joseph T. Baroldi

Richard S. Geary, Ph.D.

Executive Vice President, Chief Development Officer

Dr. Geary is the executive vice president and chief development officer at Ionis Pharmaceuticals. He is responsible for preclinical development, clinical development and clinical-stage manufacturing for Ionis’ antisense medicines. Since joining Ionis in 1995, Dr. Geary has been involved in discovery and development including the regulatory submission of more than 40 investigational new drug applications to U.S. and other regulatory agencies. In his position as head of development, Dr. Geary has led four successful antisense medicine late stage development programs through approvals in multiple jurisdictions.

During his tenure at Ionis, he has authored or co-authored 14 book chapters and more than 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts, which form a body of work that fully characterize the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of antisense medicines and the relationship of drug concentrations to activity and safety. Dr. Geary also serves on the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society (OTS) Board of Directors and co-leads the publication committee for Nucleic Acid Therapeutics.

Prior to joining Ionis, Dr. Geary was senior research scientist and group leader for the bioanalytical and preclinical pharmacokinetics group in the Applied Chemistry Department at Southwest Research Institute. Dr. Geary received his Ph.D. in Biopharmaceutics from the University of Texas, College of Pharmacy, Austin, Texas and his B.S. in Biology from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas.

 

Patrick R. O’Neil, Esq.
Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel
Eric E. Swayze
Richard S. Geary

Patrick R. O’Neil, Esq.

Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel

Mr. O’Neil is the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Ionis Pharmaceuticals. He is responsible for managing the legal, patent and GCP QA/QC departments. Mr. O’Neil also serves as Ionis’ corporate secretary. Mr. O’Neil joined Ionis in October 2001.

Prior to joining Ionis, Mr. O’Neil was an associate at Cooley LLP.

Mr. O’Neil received his BS in Business Administration, Finance Concentration from the University of San Francisco and his J.D. at UC Davis School of Law.

 

Eric E. Swayze, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President, Research
Eugene Schneider
Patrick R. O’Neil

Eric E. Swayze, Ph.D.

Executive Vice President, Research

Dr. Swayze is executive vice president of Research at Ionis Pharmaceuticals. He is responsible for leading preclinical antisense drug discovery and antisense technology research.

Previously, Dr. Swayze was vice president of Chemistry and Neuroscience Drug Discovery at Ionis, overseeing the advancement of multiple programs to clinical development. He joined Ionis in 1994 and has contributed to key technology advancements, including Ionis' Generation 2.5 chemistry and Ligand-Conjugated Antisense (LICA) technology.

He is an author on more than 150 scientific manuscripts, several reviews and book chapters, and is an inventor of more than 140 issued US patents. He received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the University of Michigan under the guidance of Professor Leroy B. Townsend.

Eugene Schneider, M.D.
Executive Vice President, Chief Clinical Development Officer
Brian Birchler
Eric E. Swayze

Eugene Schneider, M.D.

Executive Vice President, Chief Clinical Development Officer

Dr. Schneider is executive vice president and chief clinical development officer of Ionis Pharmaceuticals. As a member of our executive leadership team, Dr. Schneider oversees all stages of clinical development of Ionis’ antisense medicines across the company’s therapeutic franchises. Dr. Schneider joined Ionis in December 2013 as executive director, clinical development and became vice president, clinical development, severe and rare diseases in April 2015, senior vice president, head of clinical development in August 2018 and executive vice president, chief clinical development officer in January 2021.

Dr. Schneider has two decades of experience in clinical development primarily in the rare diseases space. Prior to joining Ionis, Dr. Schneider was senior medical director at both Synageva BioPharma and Biovail Technologies Ltd.

Dr. Schneider received his medical degree from University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed his training in Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Brian Birchler
Executive Vice President, Corporate and Development Operations
Eugene Schneider

Brian Birchler

Executive Vice President, Corporate and Development Operations

Mr. Birchler is Ionis’ executive vice president, corporate and development operations. In this role, he provides executive leadership for several functions, including clinical operations and data management, global project and portfolio management, biometrics and clinical supplies. He also provides management support for development and research budgets and product launch excellence. Mr. Birchler is a member of Ionis' executive leadership team.

Mr. Birchler has over 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries and broad knowledge of the drug development process from concept through launch. Since joining Ionis in 1995 he has held positions of increasing responsibility in development, clinical research and development chemistry. Before Ionis, he held positions at CIBA Vision Corp. and Burroughs Wellcome Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Birchler has a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Adam Mullick, Ph.D.
VP, Drug Discovery
Anthony Scozzari

Adam Mullick, Ph.D.

VP, Drug Discovery
Anthony Scozzari
SVP, DevChem & Mfg
Brian Lemay
Adam Mullick

Anthony Scozzari

SVP, DevChem & Mfg
Brian Lemay
VP, Tax
Charles Asare
Anthony Scozzari

Brian Lemay

VP, Tax
Charles Asare, M.D., MPH
VP, Head of Drug Safety
Cliff Ford
Brian Lemay

Charles Asare, M.D., MPH

VP, Head of Drug Safety
Cliff Ford, J.D.
VP, Patents
Daniel Capaldi
Charles Asare

Cliff Ford, J.D.

VP, Patents
Daniel Capaldi, Ph.D.
VP, Analytical & Process Chemistry
Darren Gonzales
Cliff Ford

Daniel Capaldi, Ph.D.

VP, Analytical & Process Chemistry
Darren Gonzales
SVP, Chief Accounting Officer
Dave Ecker
Daniel Capaldi

Darren Gonzales

SVP, Chief Accounting Officer
Dave Ecker, Ph.D.
VP, Strategic Innovation
Dawn Henson Hannough
Darren Gonzales

Dave Ecker, Ph.D.

VP, Strategic Innovation
Dawn Henson Hannough, M.A., M.B.A., M.S.
VP, Product Marketing
Ewa Karwatowska-Prokopczuk
Dave Ecker

Dawn Henson Hannough, M.A., M.B.A., M.S.

VP, Product Marketing
Ewa Karwatowska-Prokopczuk, M.D., Ph.D.
VP, Cardiovascular Medicine
Frank Rigo
Dawn Henson Hannough

Ewa Karwatowska-Prokopczuk, M.D., Ph.D.

VP, Cardiovascular Medicine
Frank Rigo, Ph.D.
SVP, Functional Genomics
Holly Kordasiewicz
Ewa Karwatowska-Prokopczuk

Frank Rigo, Ph.D.

SVP, Functional Genomics
Holly Kordasiewicz, Ph.D.
SVP, Neurology
Jeffery Engelhardt
Frank Rigo

Holly Kordasiewicz, Ph.D.

SVP, Neurology
Jeffery Engelhardt, DVM, Ph.D.
VP, Pathology
Joel Ekstrom
Holly Kordasiewicz

Jeffery Engelhardt, DVM, Ph.D.

VP, Pathology
Joel Ekstrom, MBA
VP, IT
John Su
Jeffery Engelhardt

Joel Ekstrom, MBA

VP, IT
John Su, Ph.D.
VP, Biometrics
Kenneth Newman
Joel Ekstrom

John Su, Ph.D.

VP, Biometrics
Kenneth Newman, M.D., MBA
VP, Clinical Development
Kristina Bowyer
John Su

Kenneth Newman, M.D., MBA

VP, Clinical Development
Kristina Bowyer
VP, Patient Centric Drug Development
Leo Sahelijo
Kenneth Newman

Kristina Bowyer

VP, Patient Centric Drug Development
Leo Sahelijo, M.D.
VP, Translational Medicine
Lisa Johnson-Pratt
Kristina Bowyer

Leo Sahelijo, M.D.

VP, Translational Medicine
Lisa Johnson-Pratt, M.D.
SVP, New Product Strategy
Matt Buck
Leo Sahelijo

Lisa Johnson-Pratt, M.D.

SVP, New Product Strategy
Matt Buck, J.D.
SVP, Regulatory Affairs
Max Moore
Lisa Johnson-Pratt

Matt Buck, J.D.

SVP, Regulatory Affairs
Max Moore
VP, Manufacturing/Operations
Michael McCaleb
Matt Buck

Max Moore

VP, Manufacturing/Operations
Michael McCaleb, Ph.D.
VP, Clinical Development
Michael Pollock
Max Moore

Michael McCaleb, Ph.D.

VP, Clinical Development
Michael Pollock
SVP, Head of Europe
Roger Lane
Michael McCaleb

Michael Pollock

SVP, Head of Europe
Roger Lane, M.D., MPH
VP, Clinical Development
Roslyn Patterson
Michael Pollock

Roger Lane, M.D., MPH

VP, Clinical Development
Roslyn Patterson, MBA
VP, Marketing and Communications
Sam Tsimikas
Roger Lane

Roslyn Patterson, MBA

VP, Marketing and Communications

760-603-4679
[email protected]

Sam Tsimikas, M.D.
SVP, Global Cardiovascular Development
Sanjay Bhanot
Roslyn Patterson

Sam Tsimikas, M.D.

SVP, Global Cardiovascular Development
Sanjay Bhanot, M.D., Ph.D.
SVP, Chief Medical Officer, Cardiometabolic Franchise Leader
Scott Henry
Sam Tsimikas

Sanjay Bhanot, M.D., Ph.D.

SVP, Chief Medical Officer, Cardiometabolic Franchise Leader
Scott Henry, Ph.D.
SVP, Preclinical Development
Shannon Devers
Sanjay Bhanot

Scott Henry, Ph.D.

SVP, Preclinical Development
Shannon Devers, MBA
SVP, Human Resources
Shuling Guo
Scott Henry

Shannon Devers, MBA

SVP, Human Resources
Shuling Guo, Ph.D.
VP, Drug Discovery
Tracy Berns
Shannon Devers

Shuling Guo, Ph.D.

VP, Drug Discovery
Tracy Berns, J.D.
SVP, Chief Compliance & Quality Assurance Officer
Shuling Guo

Tracy Berns, J.D.

SVP, Chief Compliance & Quality Assurance Officer
Joseph Loscalzo, M.D., Ph.D.
Chairman of the Board, Head of Department of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief, Brigham & Woman’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Brett P. Monia

Joseph Loscalzo, M.D., Ph.D.

Chairman of the Board, Head of Department of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief, Brigham & Woman’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Dr. Loscalzo is Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, chairman of the Department of Medicine, and physician-in-chief at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Loscalzo received his A.B. degree, summa cum laude, his Ph.D. in biochemistry, and his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His clinical training was completed at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where he served as Resident and Chief Resident in medicine and Fellow in cardiovascular medicine. Post-training, Dr. Loscalzo joined the Harvard faculty and staff at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 1984. He rose to the rank of associate professor of Medicine, Chief of Cardiology at the West Roxbury Veterans Administration Medical Center, and director of the Center for Research in Thrombolysis at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He joined the faculty of Boston University in 1994, first as Chief of Cardiology and, in 1997, Wade Professor and Chair of Medicine, Professor of Biochemistry, and Director of the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute. He returned to Harvard and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2005. He currently serves on the board of directors of Leap Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly held biopharmaceutical company.

Brett P. Monia, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Spencer R. Berthelsen
Joseph Loscalzo

Brett P. Monia, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Monia is the chief executive officer, a member of the board of directors and a founding scientist of Ionis Pharmaceuticals. His contributions at Ionis include research into the medicinal chemistry and mechanisms of action of RNA-targeting modalities to treat human diseases, most notably antisense-based therapeutic strategies. Dr. Monia has extensive experience across a range of therapeutic areas, including oncology, metabolic disease, inflammation, neurological disease and cardiovascular disease, which have resulted in a broad range of successful clinical achievements and in marketing approvals for new medicines.

Dr. Monia has published more than 200 primary research manuscripts, reviews and book chapters, and is an inventor on more than 100 issued patents. He serves as a senior editor for the journal Nucleic Acid Therapeutics. He is on the board of directors of Cognition Therapeutics and the board of directors of Flamingo Therapeutics. He has also served as president of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society (OTS). Dr. Monia is also an adjunct professor of biology at San Diego State University where he lectures at the graduate level on pharmacology.

Dr. Monia received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania and B.S. degrees in Molecular Biology and Analytical Chemistry at Stockton State College in Pomona, New Jersey.

Spencer R. Berthelsen, M.D.
Managing Director, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Ret.
Allene M. Diaz
Brett P. Monia

Spencer R. Berthelsen, M.D.

Managing Director, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Ret.

Dr. Berthelsen has served as a director of Ionis since May 2002. Since 1980, he has practiced Internal Medicine with the Kelsey Seybold Clinic, a 400-physician medical group based in the Texas Medical Center in Houston. Dr. Berthelsen has served in various senior leadership positions at Kelsey Seybold, including chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine, medical director and managing director. He served as chairman of their Board of Directors from October 2001 through April 2016. He has served as a clinical professor of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center of Houston. Dr. Berthelsen served on the board of the Texas Academy of Internal Medicine in the past and the Caremark National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee from 1999 through 2005.

Allene M. Diaz
President, AMD Portfolio Management Consulting
Michael Hayden
Spencer R. Berthelsen

Allene M. Diaz

President, AMD Portfolio Management Consulting

Allene Diaz leads AMD Consulting, a new product strategy and portfolio management consulting practice. She currently serves as Senior Advisor to Bain Capital Life Sciences and Xilio Therapeutics.

Ms. Diaz was Senior Vice President, R&D Portfolio Management at GlaxoSmithKline until June 2020. From 2015 to 2019, she served as Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Development and Program Strategy and as a member of the Executive Leadership Team at TESARO Inc.

Prior to joining TESARO, Ms. Diaz held a variety of roles in the EMD Serono and Merck Serono divisions of Merck KGaA, including Senior Vice President, Managed Markets, Senior Vice President, Head of U.S. Oncology Commercial, Vice President, Oncology Marketing and Head of Global Strategic Planning.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Diaz held management, operating, sales, and medical affairs roles at various biopharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, Parke-Davis, Biogen, and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, among others. She has contributed to the global development, launch and/or commercialization of multiple transformative products across several therapeutic areas.

She serves on the boards of directors of Mersana Therapeutics, Allena Pharmaceuticals and BCLS Acquisition Corporation.   Ms. Diaz served on the board of directors of Erytech Pharma SA from 2016 to 2019.

Michael Hayden, C.M. O.B.C. M.B. Ch.B. Ph.D. F.R.C.P.(C) F.R.S.C.
Killam Professor at the University of British Columbia and the Director of the Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine
Joan E. Herman
Allene M. Diaz

Michael Hayden, C.M. O.B.C. M.B. Ch.B. Ph.D. F.R.C.P.(C) F.R.S.C.

Killam Professor at the University of British Columbia and the Director of the Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine

Dr. Michael Hayden is a Killam Professor at the University of British Columbia and the director of the Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine at the National University of Singapore and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). From 2012 to 2017, he served as president of Global R&D and chief scientific officer at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Dr. Hayden built and transformed research and development at Teva to become a highly productive research engine and was instrumental in the approval of approximately 30 new products.

Dr. Hayden has founded three biotechnology companies and has been the recipient of numerous prestigious honors and awards including being inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, receiving the July 2012 Diamond Jubilee Medal, on behalf of HRH Queen Elisabeth II and the Margolese National Brain Disorder Prize, awarded to Canadians who have made outstanding contributions to the treatment, amelioration, or cure of brain diseases. He’s also received the Canada Gairdner Wightman award for his outstanding leadership in medicine and medical science as a physician-scientist. Dr. Hayden was awarded the Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia, named Canada’s Health Researcher of the Year by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and has received the Prix Galien for his contribution to Canadian pharmaceutical research. Most recently, Dr. Hayden was named one of the 50 Canadians born in the 20th century who have changed the world.

Joan E. Herman
President and CEO, Herman and Associates
Joseph Klein
Michael Hayden

Joan E. Herman

President and CEO, Herman and Associates

Ms. Herman has served as a director of Ionis since June 2019. She is currently President and CEO of Herman & Associates, a management consulting firm that specializes in advising private equity firms investing in healthcare. She has deep experience leading healthcare and payor companies, serving in several executive positions at Anthem (formerly WellPoint), including as president and CEO of the Consumer Business unit, president and CEO of the Specialty, Senior and State Sponsored Business and group president, Senior and Specialty Businesses. Ms. Herman also served as a senior vice president of Phoenix Life Insurance Company. Ms. Herman currently serves on the board of directors for Encompass Health (formerly HealthSouth) and previously served on the boards of both Convergys and AARP Services, Inc. She has earned degrees from Barnard College, Columbia University (summa cum laude, BS Mathematics), Yale University (MS) and Western New England University (MBA).

Joseph Klein, III
Managing Director, Gauss Capital Advisors, LLC
B. Lynne Parshall
Joan E. Herman

Joseph Klein, III

Managing Director, Gauss Capital Advisors, LLC

Mr. Klein has served as a director of Ionis since December 2005. Mr. Klein is currently managing director of Gauss Capital Advisors, LLC, a financial consulting and investment advisory firm focused on biopharmaceuticals, which he founded in March 1998. From September 2003 to December 2008, Mr. Klein also served as a venture partner of Red Abbey Venture Partners, L.P., a life science private equity fund. From September 2001 to September 2002, Mr. Klein was a venture partner of MPM Capital, a healthcare venture capital firm. From June 1999 to September 2000 when it merged with WebMD Corporation, Mr. Klein served as vice president, Strategy, for Medical Manager Corporation, a leading developer of physician office management information systems. For over nine years from 1989 to 1998, Mr. Klein was a health care investment analyst at T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., where he was the founding portfolio manager of the T. Rowe Price Health Sciences Fund, Inc. Mr. Klein serves on the board of directors of The Prospector Funds, Inc., an SEC Registered Investment Company that manages two no-load mutual funds. Mr. Klein also serves on the boards of private and non-profit entities.

B. Lynne Parshall, Esq.
Senior Strategic Advisor, Ionis
Joseph H. Wender
Joseph Klein

B. Lynne Parshall, Esq.

Senior Strategic Advisor, Ionis

Ms. Parshall has served on the Ionis board since September 2000 and as a senior strategic advisor to Ionis since January 2018. Previously she served as our chief operating officer from December 2007 through December 2017 and as chief financial officer from June 1994 through December 2012. She also served as Ionis’ corporate secretary through 2014, and has served with the company in various executive roles since November 1991. Prior to joining Ionis, Ms. Parshall practiced law at Cooley LLP, outside counsel to Ionis, where she was a partner from 1986 to 1991. Ms. Parshall is a member of the American and California bar associations. Ms. Parshall serves on the board of directors of Cytokinetcs Inc. and Akcea Therapeutics, Inc.

Joseph H. Wender
Senior Consultant, Goldman Sachs & Co.
B. Lynne Parshall

Joseph H. Wender

Senior Consultant, Goldman Sachs & Co.

Mr. Wender has served as a director of Ionis since January 1994. Mr. Wender began with Goldman, Sachs & Co. in 1971 and became a general partner of that firm in 1982, where he headed the Financial Institutions Group for over a decade. Since January 2008, he has been a senior consultant to Goldman Sachs & Co. He is also an Independent Trustee of the Schwab Family of Funds and Director of Grandpoint Capital, a bank holding company. Mr. Wender also is co-CEO and minority partner, with his wife, of Colgin Cellars. Since March 2014, Mr. Wender has been a director, and is currently lead director, of Outfront Media, lessors of advertising space on out-of-home advertising structures.

About Akcea Therapeutics

Akcea is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ionis. Akcea commercializes TEGSEDI™ (inotersen) and WAYLIVRA® (volanesorsen), and with Ionis, is advancing a mature pipeline of novel medicines discovered by Ionis and based on Ionis’ proprietary antisense technology.  For more information about Akcea, click here.

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For questions or to request information, please contact us.

A history of advancing science

Ionis: A history of advancing science

The Field of Antisense Oligoneucleotides is born - Antisense RNA is first used to inhibit protein production
Ionis IPO
First proven in vivo antisense activities
Chimeric (gapmer) antisense medicines with proven pharmacological advantages demonstrated
First Antisense Drug Reaches the Market – Vitravene (fomivirsen) is approved as a treatment for CMV-induced retinitis in immunocompromised patients with AIDS
Ionis initiates cardiovascular program
Selection of constrained ethyl (cET) as generation 2.5 chemistry, providing enhanced potency and broad distribution to multiple tissues.
Akcea, Ionis’ first commercial affiliate, founded
Approval of SPINRAZA
Approval for TEGSEDI
1978
1989
1991
1992
1993
1995
1998
1999
2000
2003
2010
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
First Generation Chemistry chosen – Antisense oligonucleotides with phosphorothioate (PS) substitutions are more stable and able to distribute broadly throughout the body, making selected RNase H1 based antisense as a key mechanism
Ionis founded by Stanley T. Crooke, M.D., Ph.D.
Classification of potential antisense mechanisms
2'-0-methoxyethyl (2'MOE) discovered, making antisense medicines more RNA-like, with greater affinity for targets, greater potency
RNase H1 characterized enabling design of optimized antisense therapies
Human genome project completed, revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases
Ionis initiates neurological disease program
Approval of KYNAMRO
Demonstrated increased uptake of therapies in the liver by linking a GalNAc molecule to the antisense oligonucleotide
Further identification of mechanisms of cell uptake and intracellular distribution
Akcea IPO
1978
The Field of Antisense Oligoneucleotides is born - Antisense RNA is first used to inhibit protein production
1989
First Generation Chemistry chosen – Antisense oligonucleotides with phosphorothioate (PS) substitutions are more stable and able to distribute broadly throughout the body, making selected RNase H1 based antisense as a key mechanism
Ionis founded by Stanley T. Crooke, M.D., Ph.D.
1991
Ionis IPO
1992
Classification of potential antisense mechanisms
1993
First proven in vivo antisense activities
Chimeric (gapmer) antisense medicines with proven pharmacological advantages demonstrated
1995
2'-0-methoxyethyl (2'MOE) discovered, making antisense medicines more RNA-like, with greater affinity for targets, greater potency
1998
First Antisense Drug Reaches the Market – Vitravene (fomivirsen) is approved as a treatment for CMV-induced retinitis in immunocompromised patients with AIDS
1999
RNase H1 characterized enabling design of optimized antisense therapies
2000
Ionis initiates cardiovascular program
2003
Human genome project completed, revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases
Ionis initiates neurological disease program
2010
Selection of constrained ethyl (cET) as generation 2.5 chemistry, providing enhanced potency and broad distribution to multiple tissues.
2013
Approval of KYNAMRO
Demonstrated increased uptake of therapies in the liver by linking a GalNAc molecule to the antisense oligonucleotide
2014
Akcea, Ionis’ first commercial affiliate, founded
2015
Further identification of mechanisms of cell uptake and intracellular distribution
2016
Approval of SPINRAZA
2017
Akcea IPO
2018
Approval for TEGSEDI

Pioneering a more efficient way to treat disease

Bridging genomic discovery to life-saving therapies, we believe antisense technology is the key to treating the untreatable.

Fred and Lynne’s story

Fred and Lynne have been married for 40+ years. When talking about Fred’s illness, Lynne often looks back to when she said, “I do,” and thinks about how she had no idea at the time what “in sickness and in health” would really mean.