Bio
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Dr. Drutz was first elected to our board of directors in January 2010 and served as Chairman of the Board between October 2011 and December 2017. He is the President of Pacific Biopharma Associates, a biopharmaceutical consulting company that he founded in January 1999. Between 2008 and 2015, he served as Director (March 2008-December 2015), Chief Executive Officer (December 2011-June 2014), Executive Chairman (June 2014-December 2015) and Chief Medical Officer (January 2012-December 2015) of DARA BioSciences, an oncology supportive care company located in Raleigh, NC, which was acquired by Midatech Pharma in December 2015. Dr. Drutz served previously as Chairman of Tranzyme, Inc. (NASDAQ:TZYM, 2000-2010) acquired by Ocera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:OCRX); Director of MethylGene, Inc. (TSX:MYG, 2000-2010) acquired by Mirati Therapeutics (NASDAQ:MRTX); and Director of Gentris Corporation (2007-2014), acquired by Cancer Genetics (NASDAQ:CGIX). From 1999 to 2008 he was a general partner with Pacific Rim Ventures, a Tokyo-based international venture capital firm. He is a former member of the Science and Industry Advisory Committee (SIAC) of Genome Canada, which advises Genome Canada’s board of directors regarding genomics investments throughout Canada. Dr. Drutz’s management experience includes tenures as VP Biological Sciences and VP Clinical Research at Smith Kline & French Laboratories, VP Clinical Development at Daiichi Pharmaceutical Corporation, and CEO of Inspire Pharmaceuticals (1995-1998) and Sennes Drug Innovations (1994-1995). Earlier in his career, Dr. Drutz was Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, and prior to that appointment was Assistant Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco/San Francisco General Hospital. Dr. Drutz received his M.D. from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and postgraduate training in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, serving subsequently as a research medical officer (infectious diseases) in the U.S. Navy with the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters and abstracts for presentation. We believe Dr. Drutz’s experience in biotechnology investment and service as a board member and qualifications as a physician qualify him to serve as a member of our board of directors.