Sangamo BioSciences has named Geoffrey M. Nichol executive vice president, R&D. In this newly created position, Dr. Nichol will oversee all of the company's research and clinical development activities and operations.

Dr. Nichol most recently was chief medical officer of Ikaria. Previously he served as vice president at Medarex and Novartis.

"His extensive experience in drug development, and particularly therapeutics based on novel technology platforms, will be invaluable to Sangamo as we advance our existing ZFP TherapeuticR programs and continue to expand and prioritize our therapeutic product pipeline. We are at a very exciting stage in Sangamo's growth and we look forward to his leadership as we move into our next phase of clinical and commercial development,” said Edward Lanphier, Sangamo's president and CEO.