Rani Therapeutics Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: RANI) announced the appointment of Dr. Sara Kenkare-Mitra as strategic advisor. The clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focuses on oral delivery of biologics and drugs through its RaniPill capsule technology.

Dr. Kenkare-Mitra brings nearly 30 years of experience in biologics and small molecule drug discovery and development. She most recently served as president and head of research and development at Alector and previously spent more than 20 years at Genentech, where she contributed to the development and approval of therapies including Xolair, Tarceva, Avastin, Lucentis, Kadcyla, Venclexta, Perjeta, Tecentriq, Ocrevus, and Polivy.

In her advisory role, Dr. Kenkare-Mitra will provide strategic counsel on platform and clinical strategy, including therapeutic area focus, product selection, and development prioritization. She will also advise on aligning development plans with regulatory and market considerations.

"Her experience across discovery, development, and commercialization of biologics will be invaluable as we refine our platform and asset strategy," said Talat Imran, chief executive officer of Rani Therapeutics, according to the company's statement.

Dr. Kenkare-Mitra is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She holds a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of California, San Francisco.

The appointment comes as Rani Therapeutics continues development of its RaniPill platform, which aims to enable oral administration of biologics that traditionally require injection or infusion.