Cardiff Oncology will be waving goodbye to their chief medical officer, Katherine Ruffner, M.D., after less than 10 months in the role.
Ruffner is leaving the clinical-stage biotech—which received funding from Pfizer last year to develop its PLK1 inhibitor onvansertib—on April 22 “to pursue a new opportunity,” according to a company release.
She has served as Cardiff’s CMO since July 2021, joining the biotech from ALX Oncology, where she was vice president of clinical development. Ruffner is currently president and principal at Gryphon Oncology Consulting, where she performs contract work predominantly in clinical development. Her burgeoning leadership portfolio includes past roles at CTI BioPharma, Seattle Genetics, Medivation, Pfizer, Biogen and Amgen.
Ruffner will provide transitional support as Sandra Silberman, M.D., Ph.D., steps into an interim role as Cardiff’s senior medical advisor, overseeing clinical trials and operations. Silberman previously served as the biotech’s chief medical advisor from June 2017 to July 2021 and is currently chief medical officer for both Moleculin Biotech and CNS Pharmaceuticals. Silberman has also held past leadership and clinical positions at Pfizer, Novartis and Eisai.
“On behalf of the entire Cardiff Oncology team, I would like to thank Katherine for her contributions to the company and wish her well in her next endeavor,” said Mark Erlander, Ph.D., CEO of Cardiff Oncology. “During her time as our CMO, Katherine led a talented group of scientific and medical professionals tasked with advancing onvansertib’s clinical development. These efforts continue to proceed as planned, and each of our clinical trials remain on track. We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead.”
The biotech is no stranger to leadership shakeups, with both Tod Smeal, Ph.D., and Charles Monahan joining the team in January, as chief scientific officer and SVP of regulatory affairs, respectively.
Based in San Diego, Cardiff is leveraging polo-like kinase 1 inhibition to develop new therapies. Its lead candidate, onvansertib, is being evaluated alongside standard-of-care in clinical programs targeting KRAS-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer, metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Last November, Pfizer put up a $15 million equity investment in Cardiff to help bankroll the development of the drug.