Veteran pharma CEO takes over at PhytoPharmacon

Research Triangle Park, N.C. — Gabriel Cipau, former chief executive officer at Biolex and PhaseBio, is the new CEO at startup PhytoPharmacon and is leading a search for $1.5 million in financing.

PhytoParmacon is focusing on drugs developed from plants as potential treatments for a variety of diseases ranging from cancer to cardiovascular illnesses.

The company recently landed a patent for derivatives from myriceric acid, one of which it hopes will be an effective treatment for prostate cancer.

According to the company, the patent also covers compound compositions and methods of treatment for arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and COPD, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's, stroke, atherosclerosis, diabetes and cancer.

To help fund the research, the company is hoping to raise $1.5 million in a Series A round.

PhytoPharmacon has access to more than 40,000 phytochemicals through PhytoMyco Research, which is also based in North Carolina.

Earlier in his career, Cipau served as CEO at Catalytica Pharmaceuticals and Copley Pharmaceuticals. He also worked as an executive at Nippon Wellcome Japan.