Elucida Oncology Announces Three Key Additions to Its Board of Directors and the Appointment of Robert Essner as Chairman of the Board
MONMOUTH JUNCTION, N.J., April 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Elucida Oncology, a biotechnology company pioneering the next frontier in targeted cancer therapy, announced today three key additions to its Board of Directors: Dr. David Zaccardelli, Ms. Natalie McDonald, and Mr. Gary Sender. The company also announced the transition of Robert Essner from Executive Chairman to Chairman of the Board.
“As our company has grown and matured, we have looked to expand the experience and capabilities of the Board, and we are thrilled to have attracted three proven industry leaders. Their vast and diverse experiences will help enormously in guiding the further development of our unique platform and help us reach our goals for improving the care of cancer patients,” stated Geno Germano, President and CEO of Elucida Oncology.
Dr. Zaccardelli has been President and CEO of Verona Pharma since February 2020. Previously, he served as President and CEO of Dova Pharmaceuticals from December 2018 until its acquisition by Sobi in November 2019. Dr. Zaccardelli was the Acting CEO of Cempra, Inc. from December 2016 until the company’s merger with Melinta Therapeutics, Inc., in November 2017. From 2004 until 2016, Dr. Zaccardelli served in several senior management roles at United Therapeutics Corporation, including COO, Chief Manufacturing Officer and Executive Vice President, Pharmaceutical Development and Operations. Prior to joining United Therapeutics, he held various positions at Burroughs Wellcome & Co. and Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Zaccardelli received a Pharm.D. from the University of Michigan.
Ms. Natalie McDonald is President, CEO and Founder of Create NYC, a global healthcare agency serving the pharmaceutical industry, which is now part of Ashfield Healthcare. Ms. McDonald conceived a new on-demand model pharmaceutical advertising agency and grew Create NYC from a start-up company to a successful and highly competitive agency that was sold within 9 years. Prior to Create NYC, Ms. McDonald held progressively responsible roles in Advertising, Marketing, and Sales at Saatchi & Saatchi and Pfizer Inc. She received her B.S.B.A. and B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh, and her M.B.A. from Drexel University.
Mr. Gary Sender was Chief Financial Officer of Nabriva Therapeutics plc, a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, from 2016 until March 2021 when he retired from the company. Prior to Nabriva, Mr. Sender served as CFO and Executive Vice President at Synergy Pharmaceuticals from 2015 to 2016, and as Senior Vice President, Finance at Shire plc from 2009 until 2015 supporting its Specialty Pharmaceuticals business and subsequently its Global Commercial businesses. He was also the founding CFO of Tengion, Inc., and spent 15 years in several leadership roles within Merck. He also serves on the board of directors of Harmony Biosciences Holdings Inc., Schrodinger Inc., and iBio Inc. Mr. Sender received his B.S. from Boston University and an M.B.A. from Carnegie‑Mellon University.
“Each of the new directors bring substantial and successful experience, insights, and rigor to the Board, and I look forward to working alongside them as Elucida Oncology continues its advancement to a clinical-stage biotech company,” added Robert Essner, Chairman of the Board of Elucida Oncology. “I am also honored and excited to become Chairman of the Board. This transition from Executive Chairman has been made possible given the tremendous progress made over the past two years under Geno’s leadership as CEO and President, and the contributions of the highly talented team that he has assembled.”
About Elucida Oncology
Elucida Oncology, Inc., is a biotechnology company pioneering the next frontier in targeted cancer therapy with its first-in-class, ultra-small C’Dot drug delivery platform. The company’s C’Dot-Drug-Conjugates, or CDCs, are novel therapeutics that can substantially increase the concentration of highly potent drugs in difficult to treat tumors with minimal systemic exposure due to their unique Target or Clear™ properties. CDCs enable precise tumor targeting and deep tumor penetration resulting in enhanced efficacy with reduced off-target toxicity, thereby addressing the limitations of antibody-drug-conjugates and more traditional drug carriers. For more information on Elucida Oncology, Inc., please visit www.elucidaoncology.com.
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