Silence appoints chief medical officer

UK biotech Silence Therapeutics has appointed Dr Michael Khan as its chief medical officer, four months after he joined the company as chief medical adviser.

In his new role Dr Khan, who is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Warwick, will oversee the company's 2013 programme of phase II clinical trials.

These studies involve Silence's investigational portfolio of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics, which aim to treat conditions by selectively turning off genes expressed in an individual with a certain disease.

Silence has several of these therapies in development across several indications, and is involved in several partnerships with companies including AstraZeneca.

Dr Khan said: “These are very exciting times for Silence Therapeutics, with one oncology drug advancing to phase II. Moreover, with a range of new indications in the pipeline, I am really happy to be a part of this dynamic new enterprise.”

Dr Khan's work has covered cancer and diabetes, and he has written several books on the subjects. He also teaches postgraduates and undergraduates in medicine and biological sciences in these areas.

In addition, Dr Khan is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of London and a member of the Association of Physicians, HEART-UK and Diabetes UK.