SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.– Abdera Therapeutics has appointed Rachael Brake, Ph.D., as its new chief scientific officer, bringing on board a seasoned oncology researcher with over two decades of experience in both drug discovery and development.
Brake joins the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company at a pivotal moment as Abdera advances its pipeline of precision radiopharmaceuticals for cancer treatment. She previously served as CSO at Zephyr AI and held similar leadership roles at Corbus Pharmaceuticals and Takeda Oncology.
At Takeda, Brake led U.S. medical affairs and managed a global portfolio of oncology programs spanning from preclinical research through clinical trials. Earlier in her career, she worked at Amgen and served as site lead in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for the company’s therapeutic innovation unit.
Abdera CEO Lori Lyons-Williams described Brake’s appointment as a significant addition to the company’s leadership team, citing her “proven ability to drive innovative scientific discoveries into impactful therapies for patients.”
Brake will help steer development of Abdera’s proprietary ROVEr™ platform, which enables tunable radiopharmaceuticals designed to optimize tumor targeting, drug circulation, and clearance. The company is currently progressing two lead programs: ABD-147, now in clinical validation, and ABD-320, which is expected to enter human trials soon.
Brake holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology and biochemistry from the University of Western Australia and began her career as a research scientist at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research.
