SAN DIEGO, Oct. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Arcturus Therapeutics, Inc., an industry leader in RNAi technologies for the treatment of rare orphan diseases, today announced the expansion of its management team with the appointment of Zachary A. Zimmerman, Ph.D., as chief business officer. Dr. Zimmerman will be responsible for defining Arcturus’ corporate strategy, business development activities, and maintaining strategic relationships to ensure continued success and company growth.
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Dr. Zimmerman brings more than a decade of experience to his new post. He gained significant leadership experience at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Regulus Therapeutics where he drove corporate and business development activities contributing to the success of each company in the field of RNA-based medicines. During his tenure, he led several strategic activities including business development efforts for multiple therapeutic alliances with large biopharmaceutical companies such as Astra Zeneca, Biogen, Cubist, GSK, Kyowa Hakko, Sanofi and Takeda totaling $3.2 billion with more than $200 million in upfront cash payments; and recent activities that included the Regulus Therapeutics initial public offering, raising $80.9 million in gross proceeds.
In addition, Dr. Zimmerman’s strategic planning and execution led to more than $70 million in non-dilutive grant funding from the Federal government (BARDA, DOD, DARPA, DTRA and NIH) and medical research foundations including Accelerate Brain Cancer Cures, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Dr. Zimmerman is a trained cellular biologist with expertise in drug discovery and development. He was a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine and earned his Ph.D. in molecular, cellular and developmental biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
“Dr. Zimmerman’s deep understanding of the science, significant financial transaction experience, and key relationships in the pharmaceutical industry make him the ideal individual to drive Arcturus’ business strategy as the company furthers its position as a leading RNAi company,” said Joseph E. Payne, president and CEO, Arcturus. “His breadth of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry is a tremendous asset to Arcturus Therapeutics as we continue to establish firm footing in the RNAi field.”
“I’m excited to join a leadership team that is doing such promising work in the biotech industry, and which has superior technology assets for driving internal programs and providing substantial out-license and partnering opportunities” said Dr. Zimmerman. “There are so many breakthroughs and significant strides being made in this particular area of science; it’s incredibly rewarding to contribute and participate in such an important movement.”
About Arcturus Therapeutics, Inc.
Founded in 2013 and based in San Diego, Calif., Arcturus Therapeutics is poised to become an industry leader in the application of RNAi technologies for the treatment of disease and improved quality of life. The company’s aim is to develop breakthrough technology and novel therapeutics for rare diseases for which there is no adequate treatment. Backed by a management team with extensive experience in the discovery and development of therapeutic modalities, Arcturus is on the forefront of research and development of nanoparticle siRNA drug delivery systems. The company is located in San Diego-based Janssen Labs where disruptive research is underway by some of today’s leading scientists and up-and-coming technologists who are working side-by-side to develop pioneering medical treatments. For more information, visit us at www.ArcturusRx.com.
SOURCE Arcturus Therapeutics, Inc.
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