NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Volastra Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing novel therapies to treat and prevent the formation of metastatic disease, has named Charles Hugh-Jones, MD, FRCP, as its Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Hugh-Jones brings a strong leadership background from across both multinational pharmaceutical organizations and smaller biotechnology companies. Over the course of his career, he has built extensive expertise in the development and commercialization of medicines.

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Volastra CEO Charles Hugh-Jones (Photo: Business Wire)

“We are incredibly fortunate that Charles is joining the team. His breadth of experience and scientific acumen will be vital in fulfilling our mission,” said Volastra Executive Chair Sandra Peterson, former Group Worldwide Chairman of Johnson & Johnson, current Partner at Clayton, Dubilier, and Rice, and current board member of Microsoft.

Dr. Hugh-Jones, a board-certified physician, began his career at Schering AG, Enzon Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi, where he held various positions of increasing responsibility. He then joined Pfizer Oncology division as their Chief Medical Officer where he had medical oversight of all late-stage drug development and commercialization activities. Most recently, Dr. Hugh-Jones was global Chief Medical Officer of Allergan PLC, where he led complex interdisciplinary teams and supported the launch of novel medicines in multiple therapeutic areas.

“We are excited to have Charles at the helm as we tackle chromosomal instability, a pervasive feature of metastatic cancers,” said Volastra Co-founder and Advisor Lewis Cantley, PhD, Professor of Cancer Biology in Medicine and Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College. “Our goal is to further uncover novel insights into chromosomal instability and its clear association with the formation, progression, and maintenance of metastasis to ultimately develop new therapies.”

“I’m inspired by Volastra’s mission to bring new therapies to patients with metastatic solid tumors, which are notoriously among the toughest to treat with existing therapies,” said Dr. Hugh-Jones. “There is a tremendous unmet need in this patient population, and Volastra’s novel research holds great promise. I look forward to working with the entire team to build upon the scientific discoveries of its founders and grow a pipeline of potential therapies that can make a difference in patients’ lives.”

Volastra Therapeutics launched earlier this year with $20 million in financing. Polaris Partners led the financing with additional investment from Vida Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, DROIA Oncology Ventures, and the Global Health Sciences (GHS) Fund (Quark Venture LP and GF Securities). As a cornerstone tenant in a new biotech development, the company recently secured 11,000 square feet of laboratory and office space in West Harlem, New York. Dr. Hugh-Jones will lead the growing team at this new location.

About Volastra Therapeutics, Inc.

Volastra Therapeutics, is a biotechnology company developing novel therapies to treat and prevent the formation of metastatic disease. With a strong syndicate of investors and $20 million in seed financing, Volastra is focused on exploiting Chromosomal Instability (CIN) and its role in driving metastasis. Launched from the laboratory of Dr. Lewis Cantley, along with Drs. Olivier Elemento and Samuel Bakhoum, Volastra has identified the mechanisms by which CIN drives the formation and proliferation of metastases and is following those insights to formulate novel therapies for patients with metastatic disease. Volastra Therapeutics is located in West Harlem, New York. For more information please visit www.volastratx.com/.

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