Unicycive Therapeutics, Inc. announced the appointment of Sara Kenkare-Mitra, PhD to the Company?s Board of Directors, effective September 6, 2023. As a veteran of the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, believe Sara?s leadership and experience in drug development spanning more than 25 years will significantly help bolster Unicycive?s future growth.
Sara Kenkare-Mitra, PhD is currently President and Head of Research and Development at Alector where she leads all aspects of the company?s R&D efforts in neurodegeneration, including oversight of the research, development, clinical, manufacturing, regulatory, and related functions. Prior to joining Alector, Dr. Kenkare-Mitra held roles of increasing responsibility at Genentech over the course of 23 years serving most recently as Senior Vice President, Development Sciences in Genentech?s research and early development unit. During her tenure at Genentech, she led a large, integrated global organization of approximately 650 employees, and played a key role in the filing of more than 100 Investigational New Drug (IND)/clinical trial applications around the world, and the approval of 11 medicines for diverse diseases, including cancers and neurological diseases. Her team also enabled the successful development and approval of over 15 companion diagnostics. Dr. Kenkare-Mitra received her PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where she also stayed on as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the school of medicine and also completed a Fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology before joining Genentech. Dr. Kenkare-Mitra also holds adjunct faculty positions in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at UCSF and at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and elected fellow of Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She has been widely recognized for her work and leadership in the industry with awards such as the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists? Alice E. Till Advancement of Women in Pharmaceutical Sciences Recognition, Endpoints? 20 Most Extraordinary Women in Biopharma, Fierce Pharma?s Fiercest Women in the Life Sciences, and the University of California, San Francisco?s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. She has served as a board member of the Genentech foundation and the Association of Women in Science (AWIS).