Sangamo BioSciences has announced that Edward Lanphier, the company's president and CEO, has been elected as the next chairman of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM). Wash. D.C.-based ARM is an international organization that represents and supports industry, clinical institutions, patient advocates and other stakeholders in the development of safe and effective gene and cell therapies. Lanphier succeeds Geoff MacKay, president and CEO of Organogenesis, who will complete his two-year term as chairman on Dec. 31.

"ARM has an increasingly important role in the advancement of gene and cell-based therapies which have the potential to revolutionize medicine," said Edward Lanphier. "Advanced therapies such as gene therapy, modified-cell therapy and tissue engineering represent fundamentally new approaches to address the underlying causes of many forms of disease, trauma and the consequences of aging, while significantly reducing healthcare expenditures.”

One of Lanphier's first tasks as incoming chairman will be to provide an update on the latest advances in the regenerative medicine field at a congressional briefing organized by the Medical Technology Caucus and ARM.

Lanphier founded Sangamo and has been its president, CEO and member of its board of directors since the company's inception in 1995. He has over thirty years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, holding various executive management positions at several organizations in that time. From June 1992 to May 1997, he held positions at Somatix Therapy, an early gene therapy company, including executive vice president, commercial development and chief financial officer. He joined Somatix following experience at BioGrowth and Synergen. Previously, Lanphier was employed by Eli Lilly in its strategic business planning biotechnology group.

He currently is a trustee for the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and serves on the Dean's Advisory Board for the University of Michigan School of Public Health.