David Sahner
David Sahner, M.D., senior director of clinical translation, provides clinical leadership and drug development input for numerous discovery, research and development efforts. Sahner leads SRI’s Phase 1 Clinical Trials Unit in Plymouth, Michigan, which will render enriched clinical services featuring both clinical trial capabilities as well as strategic support, including refinement of target product profiles, an assessment of evolving competition, and identification of a feasible and efficient path to commercialization that is not unduly laden with technical and regulatory risk. The clinical trials unit, anticipated to be operational before the end of 2013, leverages SRI’s biomarker initiatives and extensive capabilities in drug discovery, preclinical R&D, formulation development, clinical trials material manufacturing, and regulatory affairs.
Sahner’s R&D experience includes programs in infectious diseases, immunology, vaccinology, oncology, and other therapeutic areas. He has been engaged at every stage in the continuum from idea to post-regulatory approval studies. His background includes extensive experience in the development of drugs and biologics. At SRI, he has also teamed with others on medical device development.
Prior to joining SRI, Sahner was principal at Aeneas Medical Consulting, where he provided biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients with services such as clinical strategy, protocol development, and product evaluation focused on virology, infectious diseases, and immunology. Earlier, he was vice president of clinical development at Nektar Therapeutics. In that role, he was responsible for clinical development, and clinical support for discovery and research programs.
Sahner’s broad experience also includes positions at Pfizer, where he was a clinical site head for virology, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he was director of infectious diseases clinical design and evaluation. He has also served as director of clinical development at Chiron Corporation. Prior to that, Sahner was an attending physician in the section of infectious diseases at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, NY. Sahner received his M.D. from McGill University and fellowship training in infectious diseases at Brown University. He is board certified in infectious diseases and internal medicine.
