SANTA CRUZ, Calif., Nov. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unnatural Products (UNP), a biotech company developing orally-delivered macrocyclic peptides to address previously undruggable targets, announced today the appointment of Simon Bailey, Ph.D., as Chief Operating Officer and President of R&D. In this newly created role, Dr. Bailey will oversee R&D, operations, strategy execution, and cross-functional alignment to support UNP’s growth and innovation in macrocyclic therapeutics.

Simon brings over 25 years of experience of leadership in drug discovery and early development in oncology, metabolic disease and immuno-oncology. Prior to UNP, he was Executive Vice President at Plexium, a San Diego-based targeted protein degradation company, where he led the drug discovery and platform technologies groups, and clinical development of the company’s first internally discovered clinical agent. Simon’s previous positions include Head of Research and Global Pipeline Leader at Intercept Pharmaceuticals and he also spent over 20 years at Pfizer, where he held multiple medicinal chemistry leadership positions.

“Simon’s proven track record and extensive experience in early-stage drug discovery and development make him an ideal addition to our executive team, as we enter our next phase of growth,” said Cameron Pye, Ph.D., CEO & Founder, Unnatural Products. “As we advance our pipeline of macrocyclic therapeutics, his expertise will be invaluable as we advance our first candidates into the clinic.”

UNP leverages a proprietary platform that integrates machine learning with synthetic biology to discover novel macrocyclic therapeutics, addressing some of the most challenging targets in drug discovery. Macrocyclic peptides are the “Goldilocks” chemical modality because their intermediate size combines the favorable properties of both small molecules and biologics.

“I am thrilled to join UNP’s team of innovators in macrocyclic peptide drug discovery at such an exciting stage of the company,” said Bailey. “The company has created the industry’s premier technology to design and synthesize novel macrocyclic peptides that are active against clinically important and underserved targets, and I look forward to working with Cameron and UNP team to build on this momentum, and advance new life-changing therapies to patients in need.”

Dr. Bailey received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from The University of Manchester in the UK and completed his postdoctoral studies in synthetic organic chemistry at The Ohio State University. He also obtained an MBA from the University of California, San Diego. Simon is a recipient of the American Chemical Society’s Hero of Chemistry award for his leadership role in the discovery of Lorbrena™ and has authored over 70 publications and is a regular guest speaker at major scientific and industry conferences.

About Unnatural Products, Inc.

Unnatural Products, Inc. (UNP), a California biotech company, has developed a platform that addresses the complexities of medicinal chemistry in the macrocycle space through a combination of parallel experimentation and machine learning. Founded by macrocycle pioneers whose academic work uncovered how nature’s macrocycles work, UNP is developing a portfolio of therapeutic macrocycles against high-value and traditionally difficult-to-drug targets. For more information, visit www.unnaturalproducts.com.

For partnering opportunities, email contact@unnaturalproducts.com.