NiKang Therapeutics Appoints Joanne Lager, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer

January 4, 2024 |

2 min read

NiKang Therapeutics Inc. today announced the appointment of Joanne (Jo) Lager, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer (CMO), reporting to Zhenhai Gao, Ph.D., Co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NiKang.

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NiKang Therapeutics Inc. (“NiKang”), a clinical stage biotech company focused on developing innovative small molecule oncology medicines to help patients with unmet medical needs, today announced the appointment of Joanne (Jo) Lager, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer (CMO), reporting to Zhenhai Gao, Ph.D., Co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NiKang. As a member of the executive leadership team, Dr. Lager will oversee global clinical development of NiKang’s pipeline and will work closely with the discovery team to prioritize drug targets and formulate development strategies.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jo to NiKang at this pivotal time as we are accelerating the development of our product pipeline. Her extensive medical experience and proven track record in the global pharmaceutical and biotech industry will help us effectively execute our clinical programs including NKT2152, a potential best-in-class HIF2α inhibitor; NKT3447, a potential first-in-class cyclin E-reducing CDK2 selective inhibitor; and future CDK2 specific degraders for the treatment of solid tumors”, said Zhenhai Gao, Ph.D., Co-founder, President and CEO of NiKang. “I look forward to working with Jo to accomplish our mission of developing innovative medicines to help patients fight cancer and live better lives.”

Dr. Lager brings a wealth of experience to NiKang, having most recently served on the leadership team at iTeos Therapeutics as the company’s CMO and having previously served as the Head of Global Oncology Development at Sanofi where she led the integrated development of oncology products from candidate selection through post-marketing.

“NiKang has built an attractive portfolio of innovative oncology medicines and a highly productive research engine,” said Dr. Lager. “I am excited to be part of this dynamic team and look forward to leading the efforts to advance multiple promising drug candidates into clinical development, with the ultimate goal of making a meaningful impact on patients in need.”

About NiKang Therapeutics

NiKang Therapeutics is a clinical stage biotech company focused on discovering and developing innovative small molecule oncology medicines to help patients with unmet medical needs. Our target selection is driven by deep insights into disease biology and molecular pathways. Our discovery approach is informed by target structure biology and capitalizes on structure-based drug design. The successful implementation of our strategy enables us to rapidly and efficiently discover and advance proprietary drug candidates with the most desirable pharmacological features into clinical studies. We strive to bring transformative medicines to patients in need.

For more information, visit www.nikangtx.com.