CBT Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative oncology therapeutics harnessing the immune system and targeting specific molecular pathways to tame cancer,  announced the appointments of Robert A. Figlin, M.D., FACP and Frank McCormick, Ph.D., FRS, DSc. to its newly established Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).

With Dr. Figlin’s extensive background in developing novel anticancer drugs and Dr. McCormick’s experience and success in drug approvals, CBT gains tremendous guidance and insights in developing successful oncology therapeutics.

“We are honored to have Dr. Figlin and Dr. McCormick serve on CBT’s Scientific Advisory Board, both of which are highly-respected clinical scientists with international reputations for translating their research into therapeutic solutions for patients," said Sanjeev Redkar, Ph.D., President and CEO of CBT. "Their guidance on our scientific vision will be invaluable as we advance our novel, oncology small molecule and immune-oncology programs toward clinical validation. We look forward to many exciting developments and contributions resulting from their guidance."

Robert A. Figlin, M.D., FACP, is the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology Oncology, Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Figlin received his medical degree from the Medical College of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).

Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Figlin was the Arthur and Rosalie Kaplan Endowed Chair of the Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center. Prior to that, Dr. Figlin served as the Henry Alvin and Carrie L. Meinhardt Endowed Chair in Urologic Oncology and Professor of Medicine and Urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Dr. Figlin serves as Editor for Kidney Cancer Journal, and his studies have appeared in top-tier journals. He has authored over 350 peer reviewed articles, more than 70 book chapters, and has published as editor multiple books in kidney cancer. He is the Editor of the recently released book by Springer Science entitled, Renal Cell Carcinoma: Translational Biology, Personalized Medicine, and Novel Therapeutic Targets.

Frank McCormick, Ph.D., FRS, DSc, is a professor of the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California in San Francisco (UCSF) and currently holds the David A. Wood Chair of Tumor Biology and Cancer Research at UCSF. Dr. McCormick received his B.Sc. at the University of Birmingham, England and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, England. He completed postdoctoral fellowships at both SUNY at Stony Brook and The Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London.

Previously, Dr. McCormick has led research at Cetus and Chiron Corporation as the Vice President of Research. In 1992, he founded Onyx Pharmaceuticals, a company developing new cancer therapies, and served as Chief Scientific Officer. At Onyx Pharmaceuticals, he initiated and led drug discovery efforts that led to the approval of Sorafenib for renal cell cancer and liver cancer as well as the approval of ONYX-015 in China for treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer. He has authored over 285 scientific publications and holds 20 issued patents.

Dr. McCormick has also served as President for the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR). More recently, he has taken a leadership role at the Frederick National Lab from Cancer Research. There he oversees an NCI supported national effort to develop therapies against RAS-driven cancers.