CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRSN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing a pipeline of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting cancers in areas of high unmet medical need, today announced that Carla Poulson has joined the company as Chief Human Resources Officer.
“Carla has substantial experience in organizational and talent development that will be instrumental to Mersana as we scale the Company to accommodate a maturing and expanding pipeline. More importantly, Carla shares Mersana’s core values and commitment to an organization focused on scientific rigor and patient needs. I am confident that Carla will have a great impact,” said Anna Protopapas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mersana Therapeutics. “On behalf of our entire leadership team, we welcome Carla and are all thrilled to have her joining us.”
Ms. Poulson was most recently Chief Human Resources Officer at Akcea Therapeutics where she played an integral role in building the organization including recruiting several members of the senior management team. Before joining Akcea, she served in multiple roles at Vertex Pharmaceuticals for over 10 years including as Head of International Human Resources where she was instrumental in helping build the organization to over two hundred fifty employees in just two years. Prior to Vertex, she held senior human resources positions at Ahold Corporation, Pepsi Bottling Group and ExxonMobil Corporation. Ms. Poulson holds a Masters in Human Resources & Industrial Relations and a B.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, both from the University of Illinois.
“Mersana has a promising pipeline, a talented team and a strong culture. I am excited to be joining the organization at this time with the initiation of the UPLIFT registration strategy as well as the advancement of the rest of the pipeline,” said Ms. Poulson. “I look forward to joining the team as we seek to advance our programs and bring them to patients with cancers in areas of high unmet need.”
About Mersana Therapeutics
Mersana Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company using its differentiated and proprietary ADC platforms to rapidly develop novel ADCs with optimal efficacy, safety and tolerability to meaningfully improve the lives of people fighting cancer. Mersana’s lead product candidate, XMT-1536, is in the expansion portion of a Phase 1 proof-of-concept clinical study in patients with ovarian cancer and NSCLC adenocarcinoma. XMT-1592, Mersana’s second ADC product candidate targeting NaPi2b-expressing tumors, was created using Mersana’s customizable and homogeneous Dolasynthen platform and is in the dose escalation portion of a Phase 1 proof-of-concept clinical study. The Company’s early stage programs include XMT-1660, a B7-H4 targeting ADC, as well as XMT-2056, a STING-agonist ADC developed using the Company’s Immunosynthen platform. In addition, multiple partners are using Mersana’s Dolaflexin platform to advance their ADC pipelines.
