X4 Pharma Release: Company Appoints Dr. Sudha Parasuraman As Chief Medical Officer

Experienced Medical Leader in Innovative Drug Development to Guide Clinical Programs in Immuno-Oncology and Rare Diseases

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--X4 Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel CXCR4 inhibitor drugs to improve immune cell trafficking to treat cancer and rare diseases, today announced the appointment of Dr. Sudha Parasuraman as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Parasuraman is a board-certified hematologist and oncologist with a strong clinical background and deep experience in all phases of oncology drug development.

“Sudha has a distinguished and diverse clinical background in the biopharmaceutical industry with a proven ability to apply her medical expertise to trial design, clinical strategy, regulatory filings and interactions with patient advocacy groups and advisory committees”

“Sudha has a distinguished and diverse clinical background in the biopharmaceutical industry with a proven ability to apply her medical expertise to trial design, clinical strategy, regulatory filings and interactions with patient advocacy groups and advisory committees,” said Paula Ragan, PhD, President and CEO of X4. “Her expertise across all aspects of clinical development is unique and highly valued as we develop our portfolio of novel CXCR4 therapies that we believe can significantly improve the treatment options for patients with cancer and rare diseases.”

Dr. Parasuraman brings more than 15 years of industry, academic and community practice experience in hematology, oncology, and pediatrics to drug development. Most recently she served as Vice President, Global Medical Affairs at uniQure Inc, where she worked on gene therapies for rare diseases. Prior to uniQure, she held senior medical positions at Novartis, where she led the early development program for the CDK4/6 inhibitor, ribociclib, and was instrumental in paving the path for accelerated registration studies. She went on to provide medical leadership for a series of innovative clinical trials in the Signature Program and the commercial strategies for early-stage compounds in the portfolio. Dr. Parasuraman also served as Medical Director at Millennium Pharmaceuticals (now Takeda Oncology) where she was the medical lead for several programs including the clinical development and lifecycle management of the first-in-class cancer therapy, Velcade®. Previously, Dr. Parasuraman was a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and was staff physician at Children’s Hospital of Boston, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Parasuraman completed her fellowship in pediatric hematology-oncology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN and pediatric residencies at Children’s Hospital of Michigan and Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center. She received her medical degree from the University of Madras, India.

“It is a privilege to join the X4 team and support its mission to bring new medicines to patients with cancers and genetic immunodeficiency diseases that have limited treatment options,” said Dr. Parasuraman. “X4 is a leader in creating innovative therapeutics based on the powerful role that CXCR4 plays in directing immune surveillance. By modulating the CXCR4 pathway in cancers and rare diseases, our pipeline of best-in-class small molecule drug candidates has the potential to treat a range of devastating diseases by restoring normal immune function.”

About X4 Pharmaceuticals
X4 Pharmaceuticals is developing novel therapeutics designed to improve immune cell trafficking to treat cancer and rare diseases. The company’s oral small molecule drug candidates inhibit the CXCR4 receptor, a pathway which plays a central role in immune surveillance. X4P-001, the company’s lead program, is in Phase 1/2 testing in refractory clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and other solid tumor indications. The company’s second program, X4P-002, is in pre-clinical development for oncology applications. X4 was founded and is led by a team with deep product development and commercialization expertise, including several former members of the Genzyme leadership team, and is located in Cambridge, MA.