Drs. John C. Chabala and Edmund J. Sybertz Join Syndexa Pharmaceuticals Corp.'s Scientific Advisory Board
“Jack Chabala and Ted Sybertz bring a wealth of experience in small molecule discovery and we are excited to have them join the SAB,” said Teo Uysal, President and CEO of Syndexa. “Jack is an outstanding medicinal chemist and Ted very successfully led discovery programs in metabolic and cardiovascular disease fields. We look forward to benefiting from their expert counsel as we continue to advance our drug discovery programs.”
Dr. John C. Chabala has over thirty years of experience as a medicinal chemist and research executive in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Since 1995 he has served as a scientific advisory board member or as an independent consultant for more than thirty biotechnology companies. Dr. Chabala was a founder of Pharmacopeia where he served as Chief Scientific Officer from 1993 to 1997. Prior to joining Pharmacopeia, Dr. Chabala was Vice President of Discovery Chemistry at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he was responsible for all medicinal chemistry research worldwide. From 1975 to 1991, Dr. Chabala was employed by Merck Sharp & Dohme, ultimately serving as Executive Director of Basic Chemistry. Dr. Chabala received a B.S. in Chemistry from Bucknell University and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“Syndexa has a superlative team that has demonstrated the key importance of the signaling interface between inflammatory and metabolic diseases. I am very much looking forward to working with Syndexa in the optimization of their small molecule leads to provide new drugs to treat such critically important diseases as obesity, Type II diabetes and atherosclerosis,” said Dr. John C. Chabala.
Dr. Edmund J. Sybertz has thirty years of scientific management experience in the pharmaceutical industry. He currently serves as the Senior Vice President, Scientific Affairs at Genzyme Corporation overseeing Genzyme’s R & D initiatives in neglected diseases. From 2002 to 2005 Dr. Sybertz was the head of Genzyme Drug Discovery and Development. Prior to Genyzme, Dr. Sybertz joined GelTex Pharmaceuticals as the head of R & D in 1998 and later became general manager of the GelTex business unit of Genzyme Corporation after the merger of the two companies until 2002. Prior to joining GelTex, he held positions of increasing responsibility at Schering Plough Research Institute from 1979 to 1998. His last position at that institute was Presidential Fellow and Senior Director where he was responsible for scientific direction and management of discovery activities in cardiovascular, central nervous system, metabolic and general pharmacology. In this capacity, Dr. Sybertz led the successful discovery of the cholesterol lowering agent Zetia/Vytorin. Dr. Sybertz received a BS in biology from Fairfield University, and a PhD in pharmacology from the University of Minnesota.
“I am very excited to join the Syndexa SAB. The company’s focus at the interface of inflammatory-metabolic signals and Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress represents a unique approach to treating a variety of metabolic disorders, for which there remains a significant unmet need for new therapies,” said Dr. Edmund J. Sybertz.
Dr. Chabala and Dr. Sybertz will join Syndexa’s world-class SAB, which includes Gökhan S. Hotamisligil, M.D., Ph.D. of Harvard School of Public Health, Barbara B. Kahn, M.D. of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Michael Karin, Ph.D. of University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Randal J. Kaufman, Ph.D. of University of Michigan Medical School, and Steven E. Shoelson, M.D., Ph.D. of Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School.
About Syndexa Pharmaceuticals Syndexa is dedicated to the discovery and development of a new generation of small-molecule drugs targeting the biological interface between inflammatory and metabolic pathways, novel mechanisms for the treatment and prevention of metabolic diseases. Syndexa’s initial targets include Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Founded by leading scientists from Harvard and University of California, San Diego, the company has raised over $19M of equity capital to date and is executing on its business strategy to rapidly build and commercialize a portfolio of breakthrough products. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, MA. For additional information, please visit http://www.syndexa.com.
Contact: Teo Uysal, teo.uysal@syndexa.com