Codiak BioSciences Names Robert M. Brenner, M.D. Executive Vice President, Research and Development

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Codiak BioSciences, Inc., the leading exosome therapeutics company, today announced the appointment of Robert M. Brenner, M.D. as Executive Vice President and Head of Research and Development. Dr. Brenner will serve on the executive leadership team and report to Codiak's president and CEO, Douglas E. Williams, Ph.D.

"Dr. Brenner's experiences and accomplishments span the spectrum from research to commercial operations, in companies at a variety of stages of growth," said Dr. Williams. "He brings broad drug development skills in recombinant proteins, cell therapies and small molecules, which will help to grow the Codiak pipeline and platform while strengthening our foremost position in pioneering exosome therapeutics."

Dr. Brenner joins Codiak from Orionis Biosciences, where he was Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer.  Previously, Dr. Brenner served as President and Chief Executive Officer of AlloCure, a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company.   Dr. Brenner also served as Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs at AMAG Pharmaceuticals.  Dr. Brenner began his career at Amgen, where he held positions of expanding responsibility in the nephrology franchise.

"Through groundbreaking scientific discovery and industrial development, Codiak is driving advancement of exosome biology for therapeutic applications," said Dr. Brenner. "I am thrilled to join the team at this exciting time, and I am eager to contribute to the future achievement of the company as we work to create a new pharmaceutical modality for the benefit of patients." 

Dr. Brenner earned his undergraduate degree in Biology from Johns Hopkins University and his medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine.  He completed his medical residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital and fellowship in nephrology at Stanford University Medical Center.

About Exosomes

Exosomes are nanometer-sized membrane sacs, or vesicles, that are released and received by nearly all cells. Exosomes are an ancient system of intercellular communication, through which they deliver various molecules (DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids) from cell to cell. Upon delivery, exosomal cargo can change biological functions in recipient cells according to the instructions encoded by the payload. Exosomes traffic to specific cellular targets, thereby offering the potential to deliver diverse therapies to specific cells and modulate cellular function to achieve therapeutic benefit.

Codiak BioSciences is taking advantage of the natural propensity of exosomes to deliver macromolecule payloads either on or in the exosome to cells to treat a variety of human diseases.

About Codiak BioSciences

Codiak BioSciences is the leader in the emerging field of exosome therapeutics. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Codiak has built a proprietary technology platform for exosome engineering and manufacturing that allows for precise therapeutic targeting -- opening the door to the development of therapies to treat a diverse array of diseases that are currently difficult or impossible to treat using existing methodologies.  

Contact:
Lindy Devereux
646-515-5730
[email protected]

SOURCE Codiak BioSciences, Inc.