Douglas Fambrough co-founded Dicerna and has served as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer since 2010. His background as both a genomic scientist and venture capitalist have been instrumental in Dicerna’s evolution from the early development of its unique GalXC™ platform, to its transformation to a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company. 

Prior to Dicerna, Dr. Fambrough specialized in financing innovative life science technology companies as a General Partner with Oxford Bioscience Partners, a Boston-based venture capital firm. 

In 2003, Dr. Fambrough and two other investors founded Sirna Therapeutics, a first-generation RNA interference (RNAi) pioneer; he served on Sirna’s board of directors until Merck acquired the company in 2006. On Oxford’s behalf, Dr. Fambrough invested in several ventures, including: Solexa, developer of the dominant ultra-high-throughput DNA sequencing platform, which Illumina acquired; and Xencor, a leader in engineering antibodies to improve their therapeutic properties (Nasdaq: XNCR).

Before joining Oxford Bioscience Partners, Dr. Fambrough spent 10 years as a genomic scientist, most recently at the Whitehead/MIT Center for Genome Research, now known as the Broad Institute. He graduated from Cornell University and obtained his Ph.D. in genetics at the University of California, Berkeley.

Kevin Buchi, , joined the Dicerna board of directors in August 2018 and was appointed Chairman of the Board in January 2019. Mr. Buchi is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Cephalon, Inc. and previously served as corporate vice president of global branded products at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, after Teva acquired Cephalon in October 2011. Mr. Buchi also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Buchi joined Cephalon in 1991 and during his tenure, held various leadership positions, including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, before becoming Cephalon’s Chief Executive Officer in 2010. In addition, Mr. Buchi currently serves as a Director of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Benitec Biopharma Ltd. Mr. Buchi previously served on the boards of several pharmaceutical companies, including EPIRUS Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Forward Pharma A/S.

Stephen Doberstein, Ph.D., joined the Dicerna board of directors in February 2020.   Dr. Doberstein currently serves as the Chief Scientific Fellow at Nektar Therapeutics, Inc. Prior to this, Dr. Doberstein was Nektar’s Senior Vice President of R&D and Chief Research and Development Officer, and he served for nearly eight years as Nektar’s Senior Vice President of Research and Chief Scientific Officer. During his tenure with the company, Dr. Doberstein has been responsible for all R&D efforts, supervising more than 300 scientists, physicians and support personnel.

Before joining Nektar, Dr. Doberstein was Vice President of Research at XOMA (US), LLC, Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc. and Xencor, Inc. He began his career in the pharmaceutical industry at Exelixis, Inc. as a Program Leader, rapidly advancing to roles of increasing responsibility in target research and discovery. Early in his career, Dr. Doberstein served as a Senior Engineer at E.I. duPont de Nemours & Co., Inc.

Dr. Doberstein received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Delaware and his doctorate in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Doberstein was awarded the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Doctoral Fellowship and the Muscular Dystrophy Association Postdoctoral and Senior Postdoctoral Fellowships, and he has co-authored 30 research publications and review articles.

Martin Freed, M.D., joined the Dicerna board of directors in 2016. Dr. Freed has served as an independent consultant to several private pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and healthcare companies since 2015 and specializes in clinical and general pharmaceutical development and clinical and regulatory strategy.

Dr. Freed co-founded Civitas Therapeutics, Inc. and served as its Chief Medical Officer for four years. After Acorda Therapeutics acquired the company, he served as Senior Vice President, Clinical Development.

In addition, Dr. Freed was Chief Medical Officer for Adnexus Therapeutics, Inc. (acquired by Bristol-Myers Squibb) and Vitae Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He also was a consultant working as an acting Chief Medical Officer for Avila Therapeutics, Inc. and Taligen Therapeutics. Across these roles, he provided strategic, operational, and medical leadership for clinical pharmacology, development strategy, and preclinical development.

Dr. Freed spent nearly 14 years at GlaxoSmithKline and its predecessor, SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, where he served in numerous roles, including vice president, clinical development and medical affairs in the metabolism therapeutic area. He has authored more than 100 publications and presentations.

Dr. Freed is board-certified in internal medicine, nephrology, and clinical pharmacology. He performed his internal medicine residency at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia and his nephrology fellowship at Yale-New Haven Hospital in Connecticut. A fellow of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Freed received his B.S. with distinction in biology from the University of Delaware and his M.D. from Pennsylvania State University’s College of Medicine.

Patrick Gray joined the Dicerna board of directors in September of 2019. He currently serves as a member of the board and as Chairperson of the Audit Committee of Tmunity Therapeutics, Inc. Mr. Gray previously served as a member of the board and as the Chairperson of the Audit Committee of Civitas Solutions, Inc., from September 2014 to March 2019, Sancilio Pharmaceuticals Company, Inc., from February 2012 through August 2018, and Datto, Inc., from May 2015 through December 2017.

Mr. Gray spent 37 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) until his retirement in 2009. He is a certified public accountant who spent 25 years as an Audit Partner at PwC. At the time of his retirement, Mr. Gray served as the Lead Partner for the PwC U.S. firm’s Corporate Governance Group. Prior to that time, he held various other leadership positions within the firm, including leadership of the PwC U.S. High Technology Group.

Mr. Gray holds a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Stephen Hoffman, M.D., Ph.D., joined the Dicerna board of directors in November 2007. Most recently, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2017 to 2019. Dr. Hoffman has been a senior advisor to PDL BioPharma, Inc. since February 2014. Prior to that, he served as a Managing Director at Skyline Ventures, a venture capital firm, from May 2007 until February 2014.

From January 2003 to March 2007, Dr. Hoffman was a general partner at TVM Capital, a venture capital firm. From 1994 to 2002, he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Allos Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, where he remained as Chairman of the Board until it was acquired by Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in September 2012. From 1990 to 1994, Dr. Hoffman completed a fellowship in clinical oncology and a residency/fellowship in dermatology, both at the University of Colorado. Dr. Hoffman was the scientific founder of Somatogen Inc., a biotechnology company that, in 1998, was acquired by Baxter International, Inc., where he held the position of vice president of science and technology from 1987 until 1990.

Dr. Hoffman currently serves on the boards of directors of AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Apic Bio Inc. and Palleon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Previously, he also served on the boards of directors of Genocea Biosciences, Inc. and Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a pharmaceutical company that was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in 2008.

Dr. Hoffman holds a Ph.D. in bio-organic chemistry from Northwestern University and an M.D. from the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Adam M. Koppel, M.D., Ph.D., joined the Dicerna board of directors in 2017.  He currently serves as Managing Director of Bain Capital Life Sciences after rejoining Bain Capital in 2016. He initially joined Bain Capital Public Equity in 2003 where he worked as a leader within the healthcare sector until 2014. From 2014 to 2016, Dr. Koppel was Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and Chief Strategy Officer at Biogen. He sits on the board of directors of AavantiBio, Aptinyx, Cerevel Therapeutics, Foghorn Therapeutics, Solid Biosciences and ViaCyte.

Prior to initially joining Bain Capital in 2003, Dr. Koppel was an Associate Principal at McKinsey & Co. in New Jersey where he served a variety of healthcare companies.

Dr. Koppel sits on the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Board of Trustees, the Boston Museum of Science Board of Trustees, the Partners Healthcare Innovation Advisory Board and the Society for Neuroscience Investment Committee. In addition, he sits on the Gann Academy Board of Trustees and CJP’s Budget and Administration Committee. He previously sat on the Board of Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, Massachusetts from 2014-2017.

Dr. Koppel received an M.D. and Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He also received an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Palmer Scholar. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with an A.B. and A.M. in History and Science.

Marc Kozin joined the Dicerna board of directors in 2019. Previously, Mr. Kozin was a Career Strategy Consultant, having served as President of L.E.K. Consulting’s North American practice from 1997 to 2012.

Mr. Kozin began his career at L.E.K. in 1987 by helping to establish the firm’s Boston office. He has over 30 years of experience in corporate and business unit strategy consulting, merger and acquisition advisory services, and value management both domestically and internationally. He also led the development of L.E.K.’s industry-leading life science strategic planning practice.

Mr. Kozin is Lead Director of UFP Technologies, where he has served as a Director since 2006. In January 2013, he joined the strategy advisory board of HealthCare Royalty Partners, where he is Vice Chairman. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of VBL Therapeutics. On the non-profit side, he serves on the board of The Greenlight Fund.

Since 2012, Mr. Kozin has served on the boards of Endocyte, a small molecule-targeted therapeutic company since sold to Novartis; Dyax, an integrated biotechnology company since sold to Shire; OvaScience, a fertility company since merged with Millendo Therapeutics; and Flex Pharmaceuticals. 

Cynthia Smith joined the Dicerna board of directors in 2018.  Ms. Smith has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the healthcare industry. Most recently she served as Chief Commercial Officer and a member of the executive team of ZS Pharma (acquired by AstraZeneca). There, she led efforts to transition the company from the development stage to a commercial enterprise.

Prior to joining ZS Pharma, Ms. Smith served as Vice President, Market Access and Commercial Development at Affymax, Inc. Earlier, she held various senior leadership positions in market access, corporate strategy, government relations and external affairs at Merck & Co. Before beginning her career in the biopharmaceutical industry, Ms. Smith served as a healthcare policy analyst in the White House Office of Management and Budget. She previously served on the board of Nivalis Therapeutics.