Crinetics Pharmaceuticals Appoints Matt Fust, M.B.A., David Clemons, M.D., and John Wallen, Ph.D., J.D. as Corporate, Clinical, and Legal Advisers
SAN DIEGO – April 27, 2015 – Crinetics Pharmaceuticals (“Crinetics”), an innovative therapeutics company focused on endocrine diseases and cancers, announced today the addition of corporate, clinical, and legal advisers as the company prepares for the clinical development of its pipeline of first- and best-in-class medicines.
Matt Fust will serve as a corporate adviser. Mr. Fust was most recently Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Onyx Pharmaceuticals. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Perlegen Sciences and ALZA Corporation. Prior to joining ALZA, Mr. Fust was a member of the healthcare strategy consulting practice at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). He serves as an outside director of Atara Biotherapeutics, Dermira, MacroGenics, Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, and Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals, and is an advisor to several other life sciences executive teams and investors. He has a B.A. in Accounting from the University of Minnesota and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
“I was first drawn to Crinetics by the team, which had previously worked together and helped discover, develop, and partner a promising neuroendocrine therapeutic,” said Mr. Fust. “Scott and his team have tremendous capabilities in drug discovery and development, and I am thrilled to advise Crinetics as it seeks to become a leading clinical-stage therapeutics company.”
David Clemmons, M.D. will serve as a clinical adviser for therapeutics targeting growth hormone related diseases. Dr. Clemmons is the Sarah Graham Kenan Professor of Medicine at the University North Carolina School of Medicine. He has been a faculty member in the Division of Endocrinology in the Department of Medicine since 1979 serving Chief of the Endocrinology Division for 17 years and as Director of the Diabetes Center of Excellence for five years. Dr. Clemmons has also served on the Council of the Endocrine Society, in addition to being editor of Endocrinology, Molecular Endocrinology and Endocrine Reviews. One of his main areas of research has been the clinical investigation of patients with pituitary diseases. These studies have focused principally on diagnosis and treatment of acromegaly and the therapeutic options for management of patients with growth hormone deficiency and hypopituitarism. He has published over 260 original scientific papers, including 82 that deal directly with diagnosis and management of these diseases. He has conducted several clinical trials and been the lead investigator in three registration trials for products that are available to treat growth hormone deficiency and acromegaly. He has served on multiple scientific advisory boards for biotechnology and major pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Clemmons has been a member the data safety and monitoring committee for 10 major clinical trials. He is the principle inventor on 17 issued patents and is the scientific founder of three biotechnology companies, including Vascular Pharmaceuticals which is currently conducting a phase 2 human trial for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. He has a B.S. in Biology from Davidson College and an M.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
“Crinetics’ deep expertise in somatostatin biology and medicinal chemistry positions the team to discover and develop ground-breaking treatments for a range of neuroendocrine diseases, including acromegaly,” said Dr. Clemmons. “I am excited to be a part of this opportunity to have a significant impact on the lives of patients suffering from a range of serious conditions.”
John Wallen, Ph.D, J.D. will serve as a legal advisor. Previously, he was Vice President, Intellectual Property & Corporate Legal at Ambrx. In addition, Dr. Wallen was a partner in the Technology/Intellectual Property, Life Sciences, and Patent Litigation groups at Preston Gates & Ellis LLP. Earlier, he was a patent attorney for Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co., Inc. He is a patent attorney registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He has a B.S. in Biology from SUNY Oswego, an M.S. in Clinical Microbiology from Long Island University (Brooklyn), a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, and a J.D. from Seton Hall Law School.
“We are assembling a world-class team of scientists, physicians and business experts with deep expertise in developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics,” said Scott Struthers, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Crinetics. “We are thrilled to welcome Matt, David, and John to Crinetics. Their collective strategic, financial, scientific, clinical, and legal experience, together with our existing advisors, will help transform Crinetics into a high growth clinical-stage therapeutics company.”
About Crinetics Pharmaceuticals
Crinetics Pharmaceuticals discovers and develops novel therapeutics targeting peptide hormone receptors for the treatment of endocrine diseases and cancers. Its lead, small molecule program for acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumors has an attractive product profile compared to the standard-of-care (a $1.5B drug), and its deep therapeutic pipeline shows promise across cancer, pain, and women’s health. Crinetics is an employee-owned company, founded and operated by a team of scientists with a proven track record of drug discovery and development.