SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blade Therapeutics, a private biopharmaceutical company advancing novel anti-fibrotic therapies to meet important patient needs, today announced the appointment of Ryan Maynard as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Maynard joins Blade with over 16 years of financial leadership experience, most recently as Executive Vice President and CFO of Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq - RIGL), a clinical-stage drug development company. In his new role, Mr. Maynard will lead Blade’s finance and accounting functions, as well as investor and public relations. Blade’s flagship program, focused on a small molecule cysteine protease inhibitor, is expected to enter the clinic by mid-2018.
“We are delighted to welcome Ryan to Blade,” stated Blade’s Chief Executive Officer, Wendye Robbins, M.D. “He is an accomplished executive with strong financial leadership and a proven record of financing biopharmaceutical companies, and we believe he will be a great addition to our executive team.”
“I am excited to join Blade at this important time in the company’s development, as the lead program prepares to enter the clinic,” commented Mr. Maynard. “I look forward to working with team to help maximize the value of our programs and position the company overall to deliver value for our shareholders.”
During his tenure at Rigel, Mr. Maynard raised over $700 million through numerous follow-on public offerings, which supported Rigel’s research and development of small molecules inhibitors for auto-immune diseases and oncology. Mr. Maynard currently serves on the board of directors for Iovance Biotherapeutics (Nasdaq - IOVA), which is focused on autologous cellular immunotherapies for oncology indications. He started his career at Ernst & Young LLP, and holds a B.S. in Commerce—Accounting from Santa Clara University.
About Blade Therapeutics
Blade Therapeutics is a private biopharmaceutical company advancing novel anti-fibrotic therapies to meet important patient needs. Blade has assembled a critical mass of fibrosis expertise and a top-tier leadership team and world-class network of advisors with unparalleled experience in anti-fibrotic drug R&D. Blade’s lead program is a small molecule inhibitor targeting an intracellular cysteine protease that has been shown to be associated with fibrosis across diverse indications. The Company anticipates initiating clinical studies with its lead development candidate by mid-2018. For its foundational programs, Blade is leveraging insights from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Laboratory of Hal Dietz, M.D.) to discover new therapeutic approaches that can broadly modulate fibrosis, and thereby contribute to the treatment of diverse diseases. Lead investors in Blade include MPM Capital, Deerfield, Osage Partners, as well as the venture funds of Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Novartis. Please visit http://www.blademed.com/ for more information.