Dr. Davarpanah will lead Cidara’s oncology efforts, focusing on strategy to advance development candidates
Previously served as Clinical and Translational Lead in Oncology at Genentech/Roche
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 16, 2023 — Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDTX), a biotechnology company using its proprietary Cloudbreak® platform to develop drug-Fc conjugate (DFC) immunotherapies designed to save lives and improve the standard of care for patients facing serious diseases, today announced the appointment of Nicole Davarpanah, M.D., J.D., as Senior Vice President of Translational Research & Development. In this position, Dr. Davarpanah will lead the company’s oncology efforts, focusing on the strategy for preclinical, translational, and early clinical development activities to identify and advance drug candidates through human proof-of-concept studies.
“We welcome Dr. Davarpanah as a key addition to our executive leadership team, where she will lead our oncology clinical development strategy,” said Jeffrey Stein, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Cidara Therapeutics. “Dr. Davarpanah’s expertise in immuno-oncology drug development and corporate development will be invaluable as we advance our oncology programs through clinical development.”
Dr. Davarpanah added, “I look forward to using my decade of experience in oncology drug development to further support the Cloudbreak platform and advance Cidara’s pipeline of candidates. I’m excited by the potential of Cidara’s DFCs as a single molecule solution for a variety of cancers, and the meaningful impact that could have for patients in need of new treatment options.”
Dr. Davarpanah joins Cidara from Genentech/Roche where she most recently served as Clinical and Translational Lead in Oncology. During that time, part of her work focused on leading the development strategy of immunotherapy combinations in bladder cancer. Prior to that role, she was the Senior Medical Director of Genitourinary (GU) Immuno-Oncology and Medical Affairs at Genentech/Roche, where she was responsible for the launch of GU oncology products, as well as cultivating strategic partnerships with disease area experts, academic institutions, regulatory agencies and professional societies. Earlier in her career as a medical oncologist, Dr. Davarpanah served as a research fellow focusing on immuno-oncology and GU Cancers at the National Cancer Institute and as a faculty member at Georgetown University, lecturing on the intersection of medicine, law, and technology, and acting as a national speaker and advisor to medical centers and corporations to expand health care access to life saving treatments. Dr. Davarpanah received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Boston University, as well as her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
About Cidara Therapeutics
Cidara Therapeutics is using its proprietary Cloudbreak® platform to develop novel drug-Fc conjugates (DFCs). These targeted immunotherapies offer the unique opportunity to create “single molecule cocktails” comprised of targeted small molecules and peptides coupled to a human antibody fragment (Fc). DFCs are designed to save lives and improve the standard of care for patients facing cancers and other serious diseases by inhibiting specific disease targets while simultaneously engaging the immune system. In addition, Cidara received FDA approval for REZZAYO™ (rezafungin for injection), which it has licensed to multiple partners to commercialize in the U.S. and ex-U.S. Cidara is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, please visit www.cidara.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “anticipates,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “may,” “plan” or “will”. Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, statements related to whether oncology DFCs we have developed will be safe for testing in humans, whether we will be able to identify new DFCs directed to additional cancer targets, and whether any DFC will ever be demonstrated to be safe and effective for treatment of any oncology indication. Such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, such as unanticipated delays in or negative results from Cidara’s preclinical or clinical trials, delays in action by regulatory authorities due to limitations on inspections and other COVID-19-related effects, and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic or other obstacles on the enrollment of patients or other aspects of CD388 development. These and other risks are identified under the caption “Risk Factors” in Cidara’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 and other filings subsequently made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made and are based on management’s assumptions and estimates as of such date. Cidara does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of the receipt of new information, the occurrence of future events or otherwise.
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