Eupraxia Pharmaceuticals (TSX:EPRX; NASDAQ:EPRX) has announced the appointments of Amanda Malone as chief operating and scientific officer and Rahul Sarugaser as executive vice president of corporate development.
In her expanded role as chief operating and scientific officer, Amanda Malone, Ph.D., co-founder and former CSO of Eupraxia, will advance development management strategies to support operational excellence, resource management, and cross-functional collaboration. Dr. Malone is credited with building Eupraxia’s research, manufacturing, quality, non-clinical, regulatory, IP, and clinical functions. She is listed on six patent families, resulting in more than 70 patents and patent applications.
Rahul Sarugaser, Ph.D., MBA, brings 20 years of experience in capital markets and the healthcare sector to his new role as executive vice president of corporate development at Eupraxia. Previously, Dr. Sarugaser served as managing director of equity research in biotech and medtech at Raymond James, where he covered Eupraxia. Prior to that, he was director of business development at the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine.
“These appointments strengthen and round out our senior leadership team as we continue to advance the DiffuSphere™ technology, co-developed by Dr. Malone, into increasingly later-stage clinical settings,” James Helliwell, MD, director and CEO of Eupraxia, said in a statement.
“Dr. Sarugaser’s scientific background combined with his healthcare and capital markets experience and relationships, make him an ideal addition to the team to support our ongoing corporate leadership and growth. In his analyst coverage of Eupraxia, he developed a deep understanding of our science, business and growth opportunity enabling a strong strategic approach to our development. Dr. Malone is a dedicated, innovative and passionate leader who has been at the forefront of our highly successful R&D initiatives since Eupraxia’s inception. We are excited to have her apply her considerable skillset to our business operations as a whole,” Dr. Helliwell added.
