Oruka Therapeutics promotes Laura Sandler to chief operating officer

MENLO PARK, Calif. - Oruka Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORKA), currently valued at $444 million, has promoted Laura Sandler to Chief Operating Officer, the clinical-stage biotechnology company announced Tuesday. According to InvestingPro data, the company maintains a ’FAIR’ overall financial health score.

Sandler, who joined Oruka in 2024 as SVP of Operations, brings over 20 years of biopharmaceutical leadership experience to the role. She has been instrumental in advancing the company’s programs from preclinical stages into clinical trials.

"She is a world-class operator who knows how to move programs forward efficiently," said Lawrence Klein, CEO of Oruka Therapeutics, in a press release statement.

Prior to joining Oruka, Sandler served as SVP of Development Operations at CRISPR Therapeutics, where she helped accelerate exa-cel—the first CRISPR-based medicine to receive regulatory approval—through clinical development. Her career began in clinical operations, with progressively senior positions at MedImmune, Quintiles, Novartis, and bluebird bio.

Oruka Therapeutics is developing biologics for chronic skin diseases, including plaque psoriasis. The company aims to create treatments that could potentially allow for dosing as infrequently as once or twice yearly.

The company’s portfolio includes antibodies engineered by Paragon Therapeutics that target mechanisms underlying plaque psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

In other recent news, Oruka Therapeutics has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial for its drug candidate ORKA-002, a monoclonal antibody targeting IL-17A and IL-17F, aimed at treating inflammatory diseases. The trial, which involves healthy volunteers, began earlier than anticipated and is designed to assess safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics across three dose levels. Interim results, including pharmacokinetic data, are expected by the end of 2025. H.C. Wainwright has maintained a Buy rating on Oruka with a price target of $45, reflecting confidence in the company’s clinical progress. BTIG has also initiated coverage with a Buy rating and a $44 price target, noting the potential of Oruka’s product pipeline. The firm highlighted the use of YTE modifications and the focus on diseases driven by interleukin-23 and interleukin-17. Oruka’s efforts to develop treatments for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are particularly emphasized. The company aims to advance ORKA-002 into a Phase 2 trial for moderate-to-severe psoriasis in the first half of 2026, with the goal of achieving complete skin clearance at week 16.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.