13 September 2022 - - US-based biotechnology company Cellics Therapeutics, Inc has appointed Paul Daruwala as the company's president and chief executive officer, the company said.

With 30 years of experience in biotech drug development, Daruwala brings a depth of vision, as well as start-up and operational experience to Cellics.

Prior to joining Cellics, Daruwala was most recently chief operating officer at Cidara Therapeutics.

During his eight-year tenure, he helped take the company public, raise capital, grow the team, advance its founding preclinical program to NDA filing, transition from a small molecule company to a biologics focused one, advance its immunotherapeutic platform from basic research into Phase 1, and establish multiple foundational partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Through this time, Daruwala contributed to a broad range of functions, including strategy, technical operations, CMC for small molecules and drug-Fc conjugates, medical affairs and operations, business development, corporate communications, and commercial launch preparations.

Daruwala also focused on building and retaining a high-quality team, contributing to Cidara being named a San Diego Top Place to Work for the last five consecutive years.

Prior to Cidara, Paul held executive roles in new product development, commercialization, and business development across Bristol Myers Squibb, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Merck and Co. Daruwala has a depth and breadth of therapeutic experience across infectious disease, liver, GI, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, hematology, pain, and arthritis. Daruwala has a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Kentucky.

Cellics Therapeutics, Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company founded by UC San Diego Professor Liangfang Zhang based on his Cellular Nanoparticle platform technology.

Cellics' goal is to broadly apply the CNP drug development and delivery platform to better treat and prevent serious diseases with high unmet medical needs.

Cellics is headquartered in San Diego, California.

Cellics' proprietary core technology, the Cellular Nanoparticle Platform Technology, was developed by Dr. Liangfang Zhang, the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Chancellor Professor at UC San Diego and the scientific founder of Cellics.