Nektar Therapeutics announced it has appointed Diana M. Brainard, M.D., as an independent director to its Board of Directors. Dr. Brainard brings over two decades of experience working in the healthcare sector and academia to Nektar. She currently serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AlloVir Inc., a leading late clinical stage cell therapy company with a focus on restoring natural immunity against life-threatening viral diseases in pediatric and adult patients with weakened immune systems. Dr. Brainard was appointed CEO of AlloVir in May of 2021. Since joining AlloVir as CEO, she has led a number of successful initiatives ranging from scaling of manufacturing processes and capabilities to establishing the company's business development strategy. Dr. Brainard also serves as a director on the Board of Directors of AlloVir and is a member of the TriNetX Strategic Advisory Board. Previously, Dr. Brainard was Senior Vice President and Head of the Virology therapeutic area at Gilead Sciences Inc., where she served for over ten years in an enterprise-wide leadership role building out the company's virology franchise.