SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – April 18, 2023 – Human Immunology Biosciences (HI-Bio™), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing targeted therapies for patients with severe immune-mediated diseases (IMDs), today announced the appointment of Uptal Patel, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer. The company also announced that Sunil Agarwal, M.D., has been appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors. 

“Uptal is an accomplished drug developer and scientist with deep experience in clinical strategy and leading novel development programs,” said Travis Murdoch, M.D., CEO of HI-Bio. “In particular, his deep experience in nephrology will help us accelerate our clinical programs in Primary Membranous Nephropathy, and across the immune-mediated disease landscape. We look forward to working with him to further our mission.”

Dr. Patel joins HI-Bio from AstraZeneca where he served as the Head of Clinical Renal and Executive Group Director in Early Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism (CVRM). In these roles, Dr. Patel led early clinical strategy and development for a wide range of therapies that address several kidney diseases, including ways to advance precision medicine approaches. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, he was Executive Director of Clinical Research at Gilead Sciences, leading global clinical development of novel therapies for kidney diseases that address inflammatory pathways. 

Previously, Dr. Patel was faculty in the adult and pediatric nephrology divisions at Duke University, a member of the Duke Clinical Research Institute and a transplant nephrologist who took care of patients of all ages. There, he led several multidisciplinary translational research efforts and a broad-based research program focused on improving the detection and management of kidney disease. 

He obtained his B.S. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of California San Diego and earned his M.D. from the University of California San Francisco. Dr. Patel completed his residency and fellowship training at the University of Michigan.

"This is a very exciting time to join HI-Bio, following the recent positive results from two studies of felzartamab,” said Uptal Patel, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at HI-Bio. “As I got to know the team, its aim and programs, HI-Bio stood out to me as a company with great potential to positively impact the lives of patients with immune-mediated diseases thanks to its focus on targeting or modulating cellular drivers of disease. Many nonspecific therapies have incomplete efficacy with disabling side effects, highlighting the urgent need for more specific and individualized therapies. I look forward to working with the team to lead clinical immunology into its next chapter.”

The company today also announced the addition of Sunil Agarwal, M.D., to its Board of Directors. 

Agarwal was most recently Executive Vice President, Head of Development and Chief Medical Officer at Sana Biotechnology. Prior to Sana, he was President of Research and Development at Juno Therapeutics and a Partner at Sofinnova, a Menlo Park, California-based biotech-focused investment firm. He is also a former Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Ultragenyx and served in various leadership roles at Genentech for more than a decade, leading the approval of multiple therapies including RITUXAN®, ACTEMRA®, LUCENTIS® and XOLAIR®. 

Agarwal completed his residency at Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC), Washington, D.C., and practiced in the CNMC Pediatric Emergency Department. He obtained his B.S. in neurobiology from Cornell University and earned his M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine.

“We are thrilled to have someone of Sunil’s caliber join HI-Bio’s Board of Directors,” said Paul Berns, HI-Bio Chairman and Managing Director at ARCH Venture Partners. “Sunil’s deep experience in clinical development and his impressive track record of shepherding new drugs through approval will be highly relevant to advancing our pipeline. We are delighted to welcome Sunil to the Board.”

About HI-Bio 

Human Immunology Biosciences, Inc. (HI-Bio™) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing precision medicines for people suffering from immune-mediated diseases (IMDs). HI-Bio is leading clinical immunology into its next chapter by targeting cellular drivers of disease. To learn more about HI-Bio, visit us at www.hibio.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.