Dr. Monia is a founding member and chief executive officer of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. As previous head of Drug Discovery and Translational Medicine, Dr. Monia was responsible for establishing strategic directions for preclinical drug discovery research focused on RNA-directed therapeutic platforms, establishment and supervision of early clinical development strategies for achieving clinical proof-of-concept, and coordinating research activities with clinical investigators, consultants, and with corporate partners. His contributions include research into the medicinal chemistry and mechanisms of action of oligonucleotide-based drugs, and in the establishment and oversight of numerous preclinical and clinical programs. Programs under Dr. Monia’s direct supervision have resulted in the clinical development of more than forty antisense-based drugs to date, many currently in Phase 3 studies, covering areas as diverse as cancer, type 2 diabetes, neurological disease, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and rare genetic diseases. Several drugs under Dr. Monia’s supervision have achieved marketing approval. Dr. Monia’s publication record exceeds 200 primary research manuscripts, reviews and book chapters, and he is an inventor on more than 100 issued patents. In addition, he serves as a Senior Editor for the journal Nucleic Acid Therapeutics and also serves on the editorial boards for a number of additional scientific journals, is a member of the American Association of Cancer Research, the American Diabetes Association, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the American Society of Hematology. Dr. Monia also serves on the Board of Directors for Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Dynacure and Cognition Therapeutics. Dr. Monia is a founding member of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society (OTS), where he has served as society President and as a member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Monia is also an adjunct professor of biology at San Diego State University where he lectures at the graduate level on pharmacology. Dr. Monia received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania and B.S. degrees in Molecular Biology and Analytical Chemistry at Stockton State College, in Pomona, New Jersey.