“These appointments represent a significant development in our company in support of our expanding research and clinical pipeline,” said Charles McWherter, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research and Preclinical Development. “Spring brings a winning combination of creativity in medicinal chemistry along with strong credentials in all aspects of drug discovery and development.” Dr. McWherter continued, “Rob is an exceptional asset to Metabolex. He comes with the focus on execution of a biotech but with the savvy of his formative years in pharmaceutical research. Rob is a real master of integrating portfolio strategy with practical operational alternatives.”

Dr. Zhao joined Metabolex in 2000 as the head of chemistry, and was instrumental in building the chemistry department. Over the past eight years, he has served in a variety of operational and leadership roles, most recently leading drug discovery projects from lead identification to clinical trials. Earlier in his career, Dr. Zhao worked at Berlex where he contributed to the advancement of several compounds. Dr. Zhao holds a Ph.D. from the University of California Los Angeles, is an inventor on several patents and has published numerous scientific papers in the field of drug discovery.

Dr. Martin joined Metabolex in 2004 and has served the company in a variety of preclinical development and project management positions, most recently as Senior Director of Portfolio Management. He has played a key role in a number of projects in the Metabolex pipeline. Prior to joining the company, he spent ten years with Roche where in his last position—in the research strategy group—he focused on improving the productivity of the global research organization. Dr. Martin holds a Ph.D. from the University of California Davis.

Metabolex is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of proprietary new medicines for the treatment of metabolic diseases, with an emphasis on type 2 diabetes. Metabolex has drawn on its deep understanding of diabetes to create a large database of genes involved in diabetes and to build a rich pipeline of product candidates and drug discovery targets. The company has four clinical-stage compounds: MBX-102/JNJ 39659100, which has completed three Phase 2 trials; MBX-2044, which has completed a Phase 2a trial; MBX-8025, currently being studied in a Phase 2 trial in patients with dyslipidemia; and MBX-2982, currently being studied in a Phase 1 trial. Ortho-McNeil, Inc. has the exclusive right to develop and commercialize MBX-102/JNJ 39659100.