Sana Biotechnology names Brian Piper CFO as it advances SC451 and SG293
Sana Biotechnology named Brian Piper executive vice president and CFO as it advanced SC451 and SG293. The company reported a fourth-quarter loss of $59 million and cash of $138 million.
Sana Biotechnology appointed Brian Piper as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and the stock fell 2.2% on Tuesday after the announcement. The company said it expects to generate initial clinical data over the next 12-18 months for SC451 in the treatment of type 1 diabetes and SG293 in a B-cell related disease.
Piper joins Sana with over 25 years of biopharmaceutical financial and operational experience. He most recently served as CFO of Scorpion Therapeutics until its acquisition by Eli Lilly in 2025, and subsequently as CFO of Antares Therapeutics following its spin-off from Scorpion. His prior roles include CFO positions at Prelude Therapeutics and Aevi Genomic Medicine, along with 13 years at Shire Pharmaceuticals in various senior finance positions.
The company reported a fourth-quarter loss of $59 million and cash of $138 million, which extends into late 2026. Management established a master cell bank for SC451, and an investigational new drug application can be expected as soon as 2026 pending completion of GLP toxicology studies and transfer of manufacturing from lab to GMP-grade facility.
Sana reported progress in its allogeneic hypoimmune-modified pancreatic islet cell programs UP421 and SC451, as well as its fusogen in vivo CAR-T program SG293. The company also presented updated 12-month durability results from the UP421 trial in type 1 diabetes.
Sana Biotechnology focuses on developing engineered cells as therapies for various diseases, with particular emphasis on its hypoimmune-modified pancreatic islet cells for type 1 diabetes and its in vivo CAR T platform.