Nurix Therapeutics Appoints Paula G. O’Connor, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and Pasit Phiasivongsa, Ph.D., as Chief Technical Officer
Nurix Therapeutics announced the appointments of Paula G. O’Connor, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer, and Pasit Phiasivongsa, Ph.D., as Chief Technical Officer.
Dr. O’Connor, with over 15 years of drug development experience, joined Nurix in 2022 and has held senior positions at Protagonist Therapeutics and Genentech. Dr. Phiasivongsa, also joining in 2022, has extensive expertise in CMC development and has held leadership roles at Kronos Bio and Principia Biopharma.
These appointments aim to accelerate the development of Nurix's NX-5948 program targeting B cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
- Appointment of experienced leaders to C-level positions, potentially strengthening Nurix's leadership team.
- Dr. O’Connor's 15+ years of drug development experience could enhance clinical development strategies.
- Dr. Phiasivongsa's extensive CMC development experience could improve technical operations.
- The focus on accelerating NX-5948 development may lead to advancements in treatments for B cell malignancies.
- The appointments do not guarantee immediate positive financial impacts.
- Dependence on the success of NX-5948 may pose a risk if clinical trials are not successful.
Expanded C-level team poised to accelerate development of NX-5948 in B cell malignancies
SAN FRANCISCO, May 28, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nurix Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: NRIX), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing targeted protein modulation drugs designed to treat patients with cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced the appointments of Paula G. O’Connor, M.D., as chief medical officer and Pasit Phiasivongsa, Ph.D., as chief technical officer of Nurix.
“I am delighted to announce the promotions of both Paula and Pasit, which recognize their significant and ongoing leadership in advancing our pipeline of novel medicines and particularly in accelerating our NX-5948 program in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” said Arthur T. Sands, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Nurix. “As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, having the right team in place is critical to maximize speed and success in the clinic and to foster a strong collaborative culture within Nurix.”
Dr. O’Connor joined Nurix in September 2022 and most recently served as executive vice president and head of clinical development. She trained as a hematologist-oncologist and has more than 15 years of drug development expertise. Prior to joining Nurix, Dr. O’Connor held senior level positions in clinical development and medical affairs at Protagonist Therapeutics, Oncopeptides, Inc., Coherus Biosciences, Medivation, Onyx, and Genentech. Dr. O’Connor completed her fellowships in hematology, oncology, and AIDS oncology at the combined programs of the Massachusetts General, Brigham and Women’s, and Dana Farber Cancer Institute. She holds a B.A. in psychology with a biology focus from Yale University and an M.D. from Stanford University.
Dr. Phiasivongsa joined Nurix in August 2022 and most recently served as executive vice president of technical operations. Prior to joining Nurix, he served as senior vice president, pharmaceutical development & manufacturing at Kronos Bio, where he led all CMC development, manufacturing, and supply chain-related activities. Before Kronos, Dr. Phiasivongsa served in senior CMC leadership roles at Principia Biopharma and Tobira Therapeutics. Early in his career, he held positions in drug discovery, development, and manufacturing. He is listed on 32 U.S.-issued patents and more than 40 patent applications. Dr. Phiasivongsa earned his B.S. in biochemistry and Ph.D. in pharmaceutical and chemical sciences from the University of the Pacific, Stockton.
About NX-5948
NX-5948 is an investigational, orally bioavailable, brain penetrant, small molecule degrader of BTK. NX-5948 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory B cell malignancies. Nurix has previously reported that NX-5948 is highly potent against a range of tumor cell lines that are resistant to current BTK inhibitor therapies, an important consideration in heavily pretreated CLL/SLL patient populations. Additional information on the ongoing clinical trial can be accessed at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05131022).
About Nurix
Nurix Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative small molecules and antibody therapies based on the modulation of cellular protein levels as a novel treatment approach for cancer, inflammatory conditions, and other challenging diseases. Leveraging extensive expertise in E3 ligases together with proprietary DNA-encoded libraries, Nurix has built DELigase, an integrated discovery platform, to identify and advance novel drug candidates targeting E3 ligases, a broad class of enzymes that can modulate proteins within the cell. Nurix’s drug discovery approach is to either harness or inhibit the natural function of E3 ligases within the ubiquitin-proteasome system to selectively decrease or increase cellular protein levels. Nurix’s wholly owned, clinical stage pipeline includes targeted protein degraders of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase, a B-cell signaling protein, and inhibitors of Casitas B-lineage lymphoma proto-oncogene B, an E3 ligase that regulates activation of multiple immune cell types including T cell and NK cells. Nurix is headquartered in San Francisco, California. For additional information visit http://www.nurixtx.com.
Contacts:
Investors
Jason Kantor, Ph.D.
Nurix Therapeutics
ir@nurixtx.com
Elizabeth Wolffe, Ph.D.
Wheelhouse Life Science Advisors
lwolffe@wheelhouselsa.com
Media
Aljanae Reynolds
Wheelhouse Life Science Advisors
areynolds@wheelhouselsa.com
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