Kura Oncology, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has announced the promotion of Mollie Leoni to the position of Chief Medical Officer. Leoni’s appointment comes after Stephen Dale, the former Chief Medical Officer, stepped down to focus on recovering from personal health challenges.
Leoni had been serving as Executive Vice President of Clinical Development at Kura, a role she had held since joining the company in February 2020. She was promoted to Executive Vice President in July 2023, and her move into the C-suite reflects her growing influence within the company.
Additionally, Kura Oncology revealed that Francis Burrows, who has led the company’s translational research efforts for the past nine years, will take on the role of Chief Scientific Officer.
About Kura Oncology
Kura Oncology is a biopharmaceutical company in the early stages of development, dedicated to creating targeted medicines for cancer treatment. Their research focuses on small molecule drugs that specifically target the pathways involved in cancer growth.
Using a deep understanding of cancer biology, including identifying new molecular causes of the disease, Kura is developing treatments that aim to attack cancer cells precisely while causing minimal harm to healthy cells.
So far, these kinds of treatments have only helped a small portion of cancer patients. Even for those who initially benefit, the disease often comes back as the cancer becomes resistant to treatment. Through its innovative research, Kura is working on new drug candidates to tackle these ongoing challenges.