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RAPT Therapeutics Announces Promotion of Key Research and Development Senior Leaders

July 8, 2019 Off By BusinessWire

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–RAPT Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage immunology-based biopharmaceutical company developing oral small molecules for oncology and inflammatory diseases, today announced the promotion of Dirk Brockstedt, Ph.D., to chief scientific officer and David Wustrow, Ph.D., to senior vice president, drug discovery and preclinical development.

“The leadership and vision that Dirk and Dave have brought to advance the research at RAPT and translate these discoveries into data-driven clinical development programs has been instrumental in achieving our R&D goals,” said Brian Wong, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of RAPT Therapeutics. “Today, four years since inception, we have two drug candidates with multiple clinical data readouts expected over the course of the next year.”

Dirk Brockstedt, Ph.D., has been promoted to chief scientific officer. Dirk joined RAPT Therapeutics in January 2018 from Aduro Biotech, where he served as executive vice president of research and development. Prior to Aduro, Dirk served as the director of research at Anza Therapeutics. Prior to Anza, Dirk held several positions of increasing responsibility within the immunology department of Cerus Corporation, most recently serving as director of immunology. Prior to Cerus, he served as a scientist at Aventis in the immunotherapy and anti-angiogenesis group. Dirk holds an M.S. in Microbiology from the University of Kiel and he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Kiel (graduate work performed at Stanford University). He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Stanford School of Medicine in the Department of Pathology. He has co-authored over 40 scientific papers and is a named inventor on seven issued patents.

David Wustrow, Ph.D., has been promoted to senior vice president, drug discovery and preclinical development. David joined RAPT Therapeutics in 2016, bringing more than 20 years of experience in drug discovery. Most recently, David served as vice president, chemical and pharmaceutical sciences at Cleave Biosciences. Previously, he held several escalating positions at biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies including vice president, medicinal chemistry and executive director of scientific assessment and licensing at XenoPort, executive director of chemistry at Neurogen, and senior director of neuroscience chemistry at Pfizer. David received his B.S. from Pennsylvania State University and holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from The University of Rochester. He is the author of over 40 peer-previewed publications and an inventor on over 30 U.S. patents.

About RAPT Therapeutics, Inc.

RAPT Therapeutics (formerly FLX Bio) is a clinical stage immunology-based biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing oral small molecule therapies for patients with significant unmet needs in oncology and inflammatory diseases. Utilizing its proprietary discovery and development engine, the company is developing highly selective small molecules that are designed to modulate the critical immune responses underlying these diseases. In its first four years since inception, RAPT has discovered and advanced two unique drug candidates, each targeting C-C motif chemokine receptor 4. The company’s lead oncology drug candidate, FLX475, reached the clinic in just two and a half years and the company expects its lead inflammation drug candidate, RPT193, to enter the clinic in the second half of 2019. The company is also pursuing a range of targets, including general control nonderepressible 2 and hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1, that are in the discovery stage of development.