Imara Inc. announced the expansion of its management team across key functional areas. These appointments come as the company continues to advance IMR-687, a highly selective, potent small molecule PDE9 inhibitor that is being developed as an oral, once-a-day, potentially disease-modifying treatment for sickle cell disease (SCD) and beta thalassemia. The five new members of Imara’s management team include: Eleanor Lisbon, M.D., M.P.H., Vice President of Clinical Development; Farah Natoli, M.S., Vice President of Program Management; Dora Rau, Vice President of Quality Assurance; Anita Treohan, M.P.H., Vice President of Development Operations; and Frank Waligora, Vice President of Technical Operations. They join Rahul Ballal, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer; Willem Scheele, M.D., Chief Medical Officer; Michael Gray, Chief Financial and Chief Operating Officer; and Kevin Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Regulatory and Quality. Dr. Lisbon served as the Senior Medical Director within the Hematology and Oncology Division of the Data Sciences, Safety and Regulatory Team at IQVIA for four years. In that position, Dr. Lisbon served as a Global Medical Advisor on Phase 1-3 clinical trials, including pediatric, adolescent and adult patients in sickle cell anemia and other benign hematologic disorders. For eight years, she was a Principal Investigator in Phase 1 trials, and her area of expertise is high-risk biologics, dose escalation and first-in-human trials. Ms. Natoli brings to Imara more than 20 years of experience in drug development, with a focus on cross-functional program management. Previously, Ms. Natoli served as the Executive Director of Program and Alliance Leadership and the Humanitarian Aid Program at Bioverativ Inc., a multinational biotechnology company specializing in therapies for the treatment of hemophilia. Ms. Rau is an accomplished quality executive with 20 years of leadership experience guiding drug development from early-stage R&D through commercialization. Previously serving as Vice President of Global Quality at Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Ms. Rau led the quality management system across the company’s domestic and international sites to support product development activities and commercial products. Ms. Treohan brings extensive and diverse drug development experience to Imara. Most recently, she served as Senior Director of Portfolio and Program Management at Axcella Health, Inc., leading strategic, portfolio and product development for all company assets. In prior program management and clinical operations roles at ImmusanT, Inc., and FORUM Pharmaceuticals, she advanced programs through development to robust decision points. Mr. Waligora comes to Imara from Curis, Inc., where he served as Vice President of Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) since 2015. In this role he led the development, manufacturing and distribution of several small molecule oncology products for the company’s clinical trials.