Business
Kyverna Therapeutics Appoints Mert Aktar to its Board of Directors
Enriches Board's expertise in corporate strategy and business development, with vast experience leading biopharmaceutical companies through rapid growth and
About this update from Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Enriches Board's expertise in corporate strategy and business development, with vast experience leading biopharmaceutical companies through rapid growth and creating value across innovative therapeutic platforms, including cell therapy\nEMERYVILLE, Calif., Oct. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. (Kyverna), a patient-centered, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing cell therapies for patients suffering from autoimmune diseases, today announced the appointment of biotechnology executive and cell therapy veteran Mert Aktar as an independent director to its Board of Directors. Mr. Aktar has over two decades of biopharmaceutical experience, melding more than a decade of technical leadership in cell and gene therapy with a proven track record in corporate development.\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n\"We are delighted to welcome Mert to Kyverna's Board of Directors as we continue to advance KYV-101 into later stages of development and build on Kyverna's CAR T leadership in autoimmune diseases,\" said Warner Biddle, Chief Executive Officer of Kyverna Therapeutics. \"Mert brings an impressive track record of building businesses and creating value through visionary operational leadership, strategic transactions and his understanding of drug development and manufacturing. Mert's strategic experience and deep technical expertise in cell therapy will be invaluable as we chart a course to bring the transformative power of CAR T treatments to as many patients as possible.\"\nMr. Aktar currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Receptive Bio, a privately held biotech company, and holds Board positions with UCLA Technology Development Group and ReAlta Life Sciences. Prior to joining Receptive Bio, Mr. Aktar was the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Corporate Development & Strategy at Kite Pharma. In this position, Mr. Aktar played a key role in establishing Kite's global leadership in cell therapy, architecting strategy and executing numerous deals, which strengthened Kite's R&D portfolio and drove its global expansion. Previously, Mr. Aktar held senior leadership positions at various biotech and large pharma organizations, across diverse modalities and therapeutic areas. Most notably, he helped shape Shire's transformation into a global rare disease leader, facilitating numerous multi-billion-dolla...