Gradalis Announces Appointment of Phillip B. Maples, Ph.D., as Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer

DALLAS, Aug. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Gradalis, Inc. today announced the appointment of Phillip B. Maples, Ph.D., as executive vice president and chief technical officer. Maples joined Gradalis in 2005 as its first employee and has more than 28 years of international healthcare and biotechnology experience. Maples will continue to oversee product development, manufacturing and quality assurance for the Texas-based company as it seeks to commercialize and expand the development of safe, personalized, effective cancer therapeutics and other technologies.

"Phil has been an integral part in Gradalis' success to date, and I'm looking forward to working with him in this new role for many years to come," said Joseph M. Limber, president and CEO of Gradalis. "Gradalis has many technologies with tremendous therapeutic potential in the pipeline, and Phil's deep knowledge of those technologies and scientific acumen will be a key factor as we look to take Gradalis to the next level of success and commercialization."

Prior to this role, Maples served as vice president of technical operations at Gradalis, and has held previous executive positions at Baxter Healthcare, US Oncology, CellExSys, and Chromos Molecular Systems. Maples obtained his B.S. in microbiology from the University of Tulsa, his M.S. and Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and performed his post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Chicago.

"Gradalis has built an impressive pipeline when you consider that since 2007 we have opened six INDs, six Phase I and five Phase II clinical trials, and we are rapidly and efficiently advancing our proprietary technology, bifunctional shRNA," explained Maples. "I'm proud to have been here since the beginning, and excited by Gradalis' commercial promise going forward."

About Gradalis, Inc.

Gradalis, Inc. is a privately-held, fully-integrated biotechnology company based in Dallas, Texas that is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing drugs, immunotherapies, tools and diagnostics primarily in the area of cancer. The company has two primary platforms:  one focused on personalized autologous cancer immunotherapies and the other focused on bifunctional short hairpin RNA delivered via a proprietary lipoplex. Gradalis has its own state of the art GMP manufacturing facility along with high-skilled technical leadership and staff.  More information on the Company and its programs can be found at www.gradalisinc.com.

SOURCE Gradalis, Inc.