CRISPR Therapeutics Announces the Appointment of Siva Sakhamuri, Ph.D., as Chief Technical Officer

CRISPR Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CRSP) appointed Sivakesava (Siva) Sakhamuri, Ph.D., as Chief Technical Officer, effective immediately on November 2, 2026.

Rhea-AI Summary

CRISPR Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CRSP) appointed Sivakesava (Siva) Sakhamuri, Ph.D., as Chief Technical Officer, effective immediately on November 2, 2026.

Sakhamuri brings about 30 years of technical operations and manufacturing leadership experience. He joins from Orna Therapeutics, where he served as Chief Technical Officer since 2024, leading its manufacturing development and quality organizations. Previously, he headed technical operations and quality at Omega Therapeutics. At Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, he led manufacturing readiness for the commercial launch of three RNA interference therapeutics and managed construction of an internal oligonucleotide manufacturing facility.

Across his career, Sakhamuri has managed or supported 10 marketing application submissions and nine investigational drug applications, and contributed to eight product launches.

Key Terms

lnp, cmc, rnai, nda

4 terms

lnp technical

"oligonucleotides, RNA therapeutics and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery"

LNP stands for lipid nanoparticle, a tiny fatty-particle carrier used to deliver medicines like RNA therapies into cells. Think of it as a microscopic delivery van that protects fragile drug cargo on the way to its destination; for investors, LNP technology matters because it affects a therapy’s effectiveness, safety, manufacturing complexity and intellectual property value, all of which influence a drug candidate’s commercial prospects and regulatory risk.

cmc regulatory

"leading the CMC and quality organizations"

Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) describes the technical documentation and processes that show how a drug or medical product is made, tested for consistent quality, and kept stable from batch to batch. Investors care because strong CMC means a product can be manufactured reliably at scale and meet regulatory standards—similar to proving a recipe can be cooked the same way in any kitchen before restaurants expand—affecting approval, production costs, and potential revenue.

rnai medical

"three RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics"

RNAi, short for RNA interference, is a natural cellular process that acts like a mute button for specific genes by using small RNA molecules to stop a target gene from producing its protein. For investors, RNAi matters because it is the underlying mechanism behind a class of precision medicines that can silence disease-causing genes, offering high potential returns but also scientific, regulatory and manufacturing risks unique to novel drug platforms.

nda regulatory

"10 Biologics License Application (BLA) and New Drug Application (NDA) submissions"

An NDA, or nondisclosure agreement, is a legal contract that keeps certain information private between parties. It’s like a promise not to share sensitive details, helping protect business ideas, strategies, or data from being leaked or used without permission. For investors, NDAs help ensure that confidential information remains secure, enabling trust and open communication during business discussions.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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ZUG, Switzerland and BOSTON, Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CRISPR Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CRSP), today announced the appointment of Sivakesava (Siva) Sakhamuri, Ph.D., as Chief Technical Officer, effective immediately. Dr. Sakhamuri brings about 30 years of technical operations and manufacturing leadership experience across biologics, vaccines, oligonucleotides, RNA therapeutics and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery.

“Siva has tremendous experience advancing novel therapies across various modalities into the clinic all the way through commercial stage, with expertise spanning biologics, RNA therapeutics and vaccines,” said Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CRISPR Therapeutics. “It is exciting to have Siva join our leadership team as we advance both our gene editing and RNA therapies into late-stage clinical development.”

“CRISPR Therapeutics has built a broad pipeline and strong in-house manufacturing capabilities, and I am excited to join at this stage of the Company’s growth,” said Dr. Sakhamuri. “I look forward to working with the talented team to scale our technical operations and manufacturing organization as we work to bring these investigational therapies to patients.”

Dr. Sakhamuri joins CRISPR Therapeutics from Orna Therapeutics, where he served as Chief Technical Officer since 2024, leading the CMC and quality organizations supporting the company’s circular RNA LNP programs through its acquisition by Eli Lilly and Company in 2026. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President and Head of Technical Operations and Quality at Omega Therapeutics, where he built the process development, analytical development, manufacturing, supply chain and quality functions and supported the company’s first Investigational New Drug (IND) application and Clinical Trial Application (CTA) clearances for an mRNA LNP program. From 2016 to 2021, he was Vice President, Manufacturing at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, where he led CMC readiness for the commercial launch of three RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics, oversaw internal and external manufacturing operations, and managed the construction of an internal oligonucleotide manufacturing facility.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Sakhamuri held leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, where he led global technology transfer, technical services, and process and analytical development functions; Sanofi Pasteur, where he managed a commercial vaccine manufacturing operations; and Bristol Myers Squibb, where he held roles in biologics process development and manufacturing. Over his career, he has managed or supported 10 Biologics License Application (BLA) and New Drug Application (NDA) submissions and nine IND applications, and contributed to eight product launches. Dr. Sakhamuri received his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai.

About CRISPR Therapeutics
CRISPR Therapeutics is a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious human diseases. Founded over a decade ago as an early pioneer in CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, the Company has evolved from a pioneering research-stage organization into an industry leader, marking a historic milestone with the approval of CASGEVY^® (exagamglogene autotemcel [exa-cel]), the world’s first CRISPR-based therapy, for eligible patients with sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia. Today, CRISPR Therapeutics is advancing a broad, diversified pipeline spanning hemoglobinopathies, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disease, oncology, regenerative medicine and rare diseases. The Company is also expanding its gene editing toolkit through SyNTase^™ editing, its novel, proprietary platform designed to enable precise, efficient, and scalable gene correction. To accelerate its impact, CRISPR Therapeutics has established strategic collaborations with leading biopharmaceutical partners, including Vertex Pharmaceuticals. CRISPR Therapeutics AG is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, CRISPR Therapeutics, Inc., and R&D operations based in Boston, Massachusetts and San Francisco, California. To learn more, visit www.crisprtx.com.

Investor Contact:
+1-617-307-7503
ir@crisprtx.com

Media Contact:
+1-617-315-4493
media@crisprtx.com