C. Frank Bennett, Ph.D.

C. Frank Bennett's Title

C. Frank Bennett, Ph.D., serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Ionis Pharmaceuticals. In this capacity, Dr. Bennett plays a pivotal role in steering the scientific direction of the company, overseeing the advancement of Ionis' cutting-edge technology, and expanding its innovative drug discovery platform. His leadership is instrumental in driving the company’s mission to develop groundbreaking therapies for a variety of serious diseases.

C. Frank Bennett's Company

C. Frank Bennett is one of the founding members of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology firm renowned for its pioneering work in RNA-targeted drug discovery and development. Under his scientific guidance, Ionis has become a leader in the biotech industry, particularly in the field of antisense oligonucleotide research. The company has successfully developed several high-impact therapies, including SPINRAZA (nusinersen) for spinal muscular atrophy.

C. Frank Bennett's Achievements

Dr. Bennett’s contributions to the field of neurodegenerative disease research are highly acclaimed. He is a co-recipient of the prestigious Rainwater Prize for Outstanding Innovation in Neurodegenerative Disease Research, the 2021 Gabbay Award, and the 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. His work on SPINRAZA (nusinersen) has been transformative in treating spinal muscular atrophy. Additionally, he received the inaugural Healy Center International Prize for Innovation in ALS and the 2018 Hereditary Disease Foundation's Leslie Gehry Brenner Prize for Innovation in Science for his role in developing antisense therapies for Huntington's disease.

C. Frank Bennett's Education and Expertise

Dr. Bennett holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Baylor College of Medicine and a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from the University of New Mexico. He has an extensive background in molecular pharmacology, having conducted postdoctoral research and served as an associate senior investigator in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology at SmithKline and French Laboratories, now GlaxoSmithKline. With over 230 published papers and more than 175 issued patents, Dr. Bennett is a leading authority in antisense research and development.

C. Frank Bennett's Background

Before co-founding Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Bennett worked at SmithKline and French Laboratories, where he gained invaluable experience in molecular pharmacology. His early career focused on the development of antisense oligonucleotides as therapeutic agents, specifically targeting diseases such as cancer, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative conditions. Dr. Bennett's pioneering research in oligonucleotide delivery, pharmacokinetics, and medicinal chemistry has made significant impacts on the field of biotechnology.