AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Maxwell Biosciences develops antiviral drugs, designed to be Zero-Day Therapeutics (ZDT), which have been shown in preclinical studies to destroy a broad spectrum of viruses including rapidly evolving CoronaVirus strains, today announced the appointment of Sheetal Vali, Ph.D., as the company’s Director of Drug Development. She has a diverse scientific background with more than 15 years of research and development experience. Dr. Vali joins from AROG Pharmaceutical, Dallas, Texas, where she served as Head of Drug Development. In this new role, she will be responsible for drug development planning targeting Recurrent Herpes Labialis (Herpes cold sores) and pre-clinical studies required to qualify for Investigational New Drug (IND) submissions to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the equivalent for regulators in other territories.
Zero-Day Therapeutics are broad-spectrum antivirals that target unchanging aspects of viruses allowing them to destroy rapidly evolving vaccine-resistant viruses as well as novel viruses.
Previously, Dr. Vali was Postdoctoral Researcher II at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, where she studied pharmaceutical therapeutics for neurodegenerative disease.
“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Vali to our growing team,” said Maxwell Biosciences CEO and Co-founder Joshua McClure. “Her extensive experience in the clinical development of biosynthetic drugs and regulatory processes, will be invaluable as we progress our vision of transforming the way drugs are taken to market.”
Dr. Vali holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Pharmaceutics from Poona College of Pharmacy and conducted her research at the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India, before joining University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
“I am inspired by the impressive progress that Maxwell Biosciences has made in this critical segment of the biosciences field and excited to be joining at this important moment in the company’s growth,” Dr. Vali said. “I look forward to working alongside the distinguished team and contributing my expertise in progressing drug candidates successfully through development.”
About Maxwell Biosciences
Founded in 2016, Maxwell Biosciences develops Zero-Day Therapeutics (ZDT) designed to be effective against rapidly evolving and novel viruses. Maxwell’s current lead drug candidates are antivirals which have been shown in preclinical studies to destroy a broad spectrum of viruses including rapidly evolving Coronavirus strains, Herpes Simplex Virus, Hepatitis B and C, Chikungunya and Influenza virus. The drugs have been shown to be well tolerated in human tissues and in vivo mouse studies. In 2021, studies are planned in hamsters and nonhuman primates. Maxwell’s technology is protected by seven granted patents and is led by a world-class team of experienced life sciences executives.
