5 February 2018 - - US-based biotechnology company Rubius Therapeutics has appointed Francis Cuss, MB, MChir, FRCP and Catherine Sohn, Pharm.D., to its board of directors, the company said.
Cuss has a strong medical background, and broad experience in both biopharma research and development. He spent 14 years in leadership roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb, most recently as executive vice president and chief scientific officer.
Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cuss spent 14 years at Schering-Plough and three years at Glaxo, holding positions of increasing responsibility in discovery, clinical research and medical affairs in both the US and Europe.
Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Cuss was a practicing physician and has held several academic appointments, including as Adjunct Associate Professor at Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
He received his medical training in the UK and holds medical degrees from Cambridge University. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine.
Sohn holds the position of Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Previously, she was a member of the global executive team and senior vice president of Worldwide Business Development and Strategic Alliances at GlaxoSmithKline plc.
Before that, she served as vice president of Worldwide Strategic Product Development for the Cardiovascular, Metabolic and Pulmonary Therapeutic Areas at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals.
Rubius Therapeutics is creating RCTs, genetically engineered, enucleated red cells that are being developed to provide allogeneic, ready-to-use, cellular therapies to patients across multiple therapeutic areas.
Leading applications include programmes in cancer, enzyme deficiency diseases, and the induction of tolerance to treat autoimmune disease.