 Akcea Therapeutics, Inc. NASDAQ: AKCA, a majority-owned affiliate of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that Kia Motesharei, Ph.D., has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Business Development Corporate Strategy. In this role Dr. Motesharei will drive business development activities at Akcea as well as continue to enhance the corporate strategy in conjunction with the Akcea leadership team. 