UNITY Biotechnology Adds Accomplished R&D Leader David L. Lacey, M.D., to Board of Directors
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- UNITY Biotechnology, Inc. ("UNITY"), a privately held biotechnology company developing therapeutics that prevent, halt, or reverse numerous diseases of aging, today announced the appointment of David L. Lacey, M.D., to its board of directors. Dr. Lacey brings to UNITY more than 30 years of experience in medical research, including a 17-year tenure at Amgen leading research across multiple disease areas.
"UNITY seeks to fundamentally change how we age, increasing the number of years we live healthfully through therapeutic interventions targeting biology that is the root cause of diseases of aging," said Keith Leonard, chairman and CEO of UNITY Biotechnology. "We have generated compelling evidence of the role key biological processes, such as cellular senescence, play in numerous diseases of aging. David's extensive experience leading global research and building drug pipelines will be invaluable to both the board and the management team."
Dr. Lacey concluded his tenure at Amgen as senior vice president and head of discovery research, leading more than 1,200 scientists in a multi-site research organization covering four broad therapeutic areas, including oncology, inflammation, metabolic disorders, and neuroscience. He played a fundamental role in the discovery of the OPG/RANKL/RANK pathway that resulted in the blockbuster therapeutics Prolia® for osteoporosis and XGEVA® for cancer-related bone diseases. Following his retirement from Amgen in 2011, Dr. Lacey has advised multiple companies and venture capitalists in the biopharmaceutical industry. He currently serves on the board of directors for Inbiomotion SL, Atreca, and Nurix, Inc. Dr. Lacey received a bachelor's degree in biology and medical doctorate from the University of Colorado and is board certified in anatomical pathology.
About UNITY Biotechnology
UNITY Biotechnology is developing therapeutics that reshape healthspan by preventing, halting, or reversing diseases of aging. UNITY's initial focus is on creating senolytic medicines to selectively eliminate senescent cells and thereby treat age-related afflictions such as osteoarthritis, eye diseases and pulmonary diseases. Backed by a group of visionary investors, UNITY's world-class management team has experience building companies and developing medicines together: the team has collectively moved more than 90 therapeutic candidates into human clinical trials and developed 13 FDA-approved medicines. More information is available at www.unitybiotechnology.com.
SOURCE UNITY Biotechnology