Ikena Oncology and Inmagene Biopharmaceuticals announced the appointment of Kristin Yarema, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer of the combined company ImageneBio, following their anticipated merger closing by the end of July 2025. The transaction, approved by Ikena shareholders on July 15, 2025, includes a concurrent committed $75 million private placement and will trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "IMA."
Dr. Yarema brings over two decades of leadership experience in human therapeutics, most recently serving as President and CEO of Poseida Therapeutics from January 2024 until its acquisition by Roche in January 2025. Her appointment positions the merged entity to advance its lead asset IMG-007, a non-depleting anti-OX40 monoclonal antibody targeting immunological and inflammatory diseases.
Leadership Transition and Strategic Vision
"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Yarema to the team. Kristin is bringing expertise to the team that will push the company, and our lead program, IMG-007, towards significant milestones," commented David Bonita, an Ikena director and continuing board member of the combined company. "Her experience as a public company CEO and commercial leadership are valuable additions to this team."
Dr. Yarema expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity, stating, "Joining Imagene at this key juncture point for the company is incredibly exciting. We have a tremendous opportunity ahead of us in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases as we continue to develop our anti-OX40 IMG-007 therapeutic candidate. We believe OX40 inhibition is an important emerging mechanism with the potential to treat a range of disorders."
IMG-007 Clinical Development Program
IMG-007 represents a humanized, subcutaneously administered, non-depleting IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting OX40. The therapeutic candidate features a silenced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity function and an extended half-life, addressing the OX40–OX40L signaling pathway that plays a key role in T cell activation, expansion, and survival.
The drug recently completed Phase 2a clinical trials in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis and severe alopecia areata. In these studies, IMG-007 exhibited sustained clinical and pharmacodynamic activity and was overall well tolerated, with no reported cases of pyrexia or chills. The subcutaneous formulation demonstrated a half-life of 34.7 days at the anticipated therapeutic dose level, supporting the potential for infrequent and convenient dosing.
In nonclinical studies, IMG-007 demonstrated potent inhibition of OX40–OX40L signaling, validating its mechanism of action for treating immunological and inflammatory diseases. The therapeutic candidate was originally discovered by HUTCHMED.
Executive Background and Industry Experience
Dr. Yarema's extensive background spans commercial leadership roles across biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Prior to Poseida, she served as Chief Commercial Officer at Atara Biotherapeutics, a publicly held oncology and autoimmune T-cell immunotherapy company, from 2020 to 2022.
Her tenure at Amgen from 2013 to 2020 included multiple Vice President and Therapeutic Area Head roles across Inflammation (autoimmune), Bone, Nephrology, Hematology, Cardiovascular, Metabolism, and Neuroscience, with U.S. commercial responsibilities for dermatology and rheumatology. She also spent five years at Novartis in global strategic marketing and development roles for Cardiovascular and Metabolism & Critical Care.
Dr. Yarema began her industry career at McKinsey & Company as Associate Principal, providing strategic advice to healthcare companies. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and B.A. in English from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
Company Positioning and Market Focus
Inmagene operates as a global clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics for immunological and inflammatory diseases. The company's strategic focus on the OX40 pathway positions it within the emerging field of immune checkpoint modulation for autoimmune conditions.
Ikena Oncology has historically developed differentiated therapies targeting nodes of cancer growth, spread, and therapeutic resistance. The merger represents a strategic pivot toward immunological and inflammatory diseases through Inmagene's lead program.
The combined entity will benefit from the concurrent $75 million private placement, providing capital to advance IMG-007 through its next development phases. Dr. Yarema also serves on the boards of directors of the Celiac Disease Foundation and the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, bringing additional industry connections and expertise to the merged company.
