Harbour BioMed announced the appointment of Dr. Dhavalkumar Patel as a Scientific Advisor, adding a veteran drug developer and immunology expert with more than two decades of experience in industry and academia.
Dr. Patel currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Sana Biotechnology. Prior to joining Sana in 2024, he held the same positions at UCB, where he and his teams contributed to the development and registration of several therapies, including Bimzelx, Rystiggo, and Zilbrysq.
Before UCB, Dr. Patel spent a decade at Novartis, most recently serving as Head of Research for the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Europe. During his tenure, he led research efforts in autoimmune, transplantation, and inflammatory diseases, contributing to the registration of therapies including Cosentyx, Gilenya, Mayzent, Ilaris, Afinitor, Joenja, and Fabhalta across multiple indications.
Dr. Patel also served as an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Novartis Venture Fund and was a member of the board of directors of Inflazome prior to its acquisition by Roche in 2020. He currently serves on the boards of Priothera, Quell Therapeutics, and RE-AIM Therapeutics, and is chairman of the board of Mimetas BV.
Before transitioning to the biopharmaceutical industry in 2006, Dr. Patel held several academic leadership positions. He served as Eminent Professor of Medicine, Chief of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology, and Director of the Thurston Arthritis Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Earlier, he spent nine years at Duke University School of Medicine, eventually becoming Chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology.
Harbour BioMed said Dr. Patel’s expertise in immunology, drug development, and strategic leadership will support the company’s efforts to advance its portfolio of antibody therapeutics.
The company develops antibody-based treatments for immunology, oncology, and other disease areas through proprietary platforms including Harbour Mice, HBICE, HCAb PLUS, and its Hu-mAtrIx AI platform.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Patel to our Scientific Advisory Board. His outstanding combination of deep immunological science, proven drug development success, and board-level strategic insight will be a tremendous asset to us. We look forward to his guidance as we continue to build a leading immunology pipeline.”
Dr. Jingsong Wang, Founder, Chairman, And CEO, Harbour BioMed
“I am honored to join Harbour BioMed as a Scientific Advisor. Harbour BioMed has built a compelling portfolio of novel antibody candidates targeting key immune pathways, and I believe the company is well-positioned to make meaningful progress in areas of high unmet medical need. I look forward to working closely with the team to help advance these programs from discovery through development and ultimately to patients.”
Dr. Dhavalkumar Patel, Scientific Advisor, Harbour BioMed