BioAegis Therapeutics Inc., a privately held biotechnology company based in North Brunswick, has announced a new chief medical officer.
Dr. Mark J. DiNubile combines clinical and research expertise with broad pharmaceutical industry experience, coupled with his longstanding dedication to elucidating the clinical utility of plasma gelsolin, the company said in a release.
Plasma gelsolin, a key component of the innate immune system, becomes depleted in a wide range of acute and chronic conditions involving injury and inflammation. Critically low levels associate with significant morbidity and mortality in animals and humans.
DiNubile is a board-certified physician in internal medicine and the subspecialty of infectious diseases, and a fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America.
He spent 16 years at Merck & Co. Inc., primarily focused on the therapeutic areas of infectious diseases and vaccines. He has extensively published on a diverse spectrum of medical and scientific topics.
Before Merck, DiNubile spent more than a decade caring for patients in the ambulatory and hospital setting. He also taught medical students, house officers and fellows; chaired a hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee; initiated an antibiotic-stewardship program; and pursued clinical investigation and basic research, largely related to host defense and immunosuppression.
“We are delighted to have Mark join our team as we move forward with further clinical studies,” said BioAegis CEO Susan Levinson. “He has a keen understanding of plasma gelsolin and, given his extensive experience as an infectious disease physician, he intimately understands the pressing need for new therapies to combat the looming crisis of antibiotic resistance and its potential global impact.”
DiNubile said that, “given the recent scientific breakthroughs leading to an expanded understanding of plasma gelsolin’s physiological role, restoring low levels of this endogenous protein could create a new treatment paradigm for infectious and non-infectious inflammatory diseases that would greatly benefit patients while reducing healthcare costs.”
