Sonoma Biotherapeutics Appoints New CEO Following Positive Treg Therapy Trial Results
核心洞察
Sonoma Biotherapeutics (搜索) has appointed Stephen Dilly, MBBS, PhD, as its new President and CEO, replacing co-founder Jeff Bluestone who transitions to an advisory role.
The leadership change follows positive interim safety and efficacy results from the company's first-in-human study of SBT-77-7101 in patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis (搜索).
Dr. Dilly brings nearly 40 years of biopharmaceutical experience and has been associated with the development, approval and launch of more than 25 marketed drugs.
Sonoma Biotherapeutics (搜索) has announced a leadership transition, appointing Stephen Dilly, MBBS, PhD, as its new President and Chief Executive Officer following positive clinical trial results for its lead regulatory T cell (搜索) therapy. The appointment comes as the clinical-stage biotechnology company advances its engineered Treg therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases (搜索).
Leadership Transition Follows Clinical Success
The Board of Directors' decision to appoint Dr. Dilly as President, CEO and Board member, effective immediately, follows the company's recent announcement of positive interim safety and efficacy results from its first-in-human study of SBT-77-7101 in patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis (搜索). Co-founder Jeff Bluestone, PhD, will transition to serve as Advisor to the company while remaining on the Board of Directors.
"At SonomaBio, we've taken engineered regulatory T-cells from a concept to clinical data that demonstrate the potential of our innovation to become a life-changing treatment for patients," said Dr. Bluestone. "I am immensely proud of all that we have achieved and excited for the Company to build on our momentum for SBT-77-7101 in patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis (搜索)."
Extensive Industry Experience
Dr. Dilly brings nearly forty years of experience in biopharmaceutical leadership, business development and drug development to his new role. Most recently, he served as Chairman, CEO and President of Codexis, Inc., and continues as Chairman of the Codexis Board. His previous executive positions include President and CEO of Sierra Oncology through its sale to GlaxoSmithKline, and CEO of Aimmune Therapeutics, which was acquired by Nestle Health Science (搜索).
Throughout his career, Dr. Dilly has served in executive roles at major pharmaceutical companies including Genentech, Chiron and SmithKline Beecham. He has been associated with the development, approval and launch of more than twenty-five marketed drugs across multiple therapeutic areas. Dr. Dilly holds both an MBBS and a PhD in Cardiac Physiology from the University of London.
"SonomaBio's pipeline has the potential to be a true scientific breakthrough and major advancement for treating and potentially curing patients with chronic immunological conditions," said Dr. Dilly. "I am honored to join SonomaBio at this critical juncture as we continue to advance our clinical programs."
Regulatory T Cell Innovation
Sonoma Biotherapeutics (搜索) is developing engineered regulatory T cell (搜索) therapies to treat serious autoimmune and inflammatory diseases (搜索) by restoring immune system balance. The company was founded by pioneers in Treg biology and cell therapy, including Dr. Fred Ramsdell, whose foundational research in Treg biology was recognized with a 2025 Nobel Prize.
The company combines deep scientific expertise with proprietary platform technologies to advance targeted and durable Treg cell therapies. In addition to its lead proprietary Treg program, SBT-77-7101, Sonoma Biotherapeutics (搜索) is collaborating with Regeneron to advance a pipeline of Treg cell therapies for autoimmune diseases (搜索).
Rick Klausner, MD, Chair of SonomaBio's Board of Directors, praised the transition: "On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Jeff for his years of scientific dedication, boundless energy and impassioned leadership that built SonomaBio into the company that we are today. We are pleased to welcome Stephen as SonomaBio's next President and Chief Executive Officer and recognize him as a proven leader and biotech veteran with deep experience in building innovative companies."