SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.– Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing engineered regulatory T cell (Treg) therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, today announced the appointment of Lisa Taylor Ash, JD, as Chief Legal Officer and Secretary. She joins the company’s executive management team with extensive experience guiding public and private biotech companies through all stages of product development.
Ash most recently served as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel at Shape Therapeutics, where she built the legal department and later oversaw operations. She has held senior roles at Juno Therapeutics, Exelixis, and Pharmacyclics, and began her career as a healthcare associate at Sidley Austin LLP. She currently serves on the board of Fauna Bio.
“Lisa brings an impressive record of industry leadership and experience to Sonoma Biotherapeutics, and we believe her addition will greatly enhance our strategic and legal operations as we continue to advance our pipeline and execute on milestones this year,” said Jeff Bluestone, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Sonoma Biotherapeutics. “We are pleased to have Lisa join and grow our leadership team at such an exciting time for SonomaBio, and we look forward to working together to continue our mission of developing potentially novel treatments for serious autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.”
Ash has played key roles in multiple biotech startups, including raising venture financing, negotiating major pharma partnerships, scaling clinical trials, and supporting two billion-dollar product launches. At Juno Therapeutics, she led the healthcare law and compliance team advising on manufacturing and clinical development of CAR-T cell therapies.
“I’m excited to join Sonoma Biotherapeutics and work alongside the dedicated leadership team, who share in my commitment to developing novel therapies to change patient lives,” said Ash. “I look forward to helping strengthen the company’s strategic and legal operations as we continue to advance our programs and pioneer the future of Treg biology and cell therapy.”
Ash earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.
