LIFE - aTyr Pharma Announces Howard University President Emeritus Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick as Advisor | Benzinga
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- aTyr Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:LIFE) (aTyr or "the Company"), a clinical stage biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of first-in-class medicines from its proprietary tRNA synthetase platform, today announced the appointment of Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., as an advisor to the company. Dr. Frederick is President Emeritus of Howard University, having served as President from 2014 to 2023.
"We are honored to welcome a distinguished physician executive such as Dr. Frederick as an advisor to aTyr," said Sanjay S. Shukla, M.D., M.S., President and Chief Executive Officer of aTyr. "Dr. Frederick's clinical background combined with his extensive knowledge on disparities in healthcare lends a unique and valuable insight regarding the disease areas and high unmet medical need for which we are developing efzofitimod, which include major forms of interstitial lung disease (ILD), such as pulmonary sarcoidosis."
"I am very pleased to join aTyr as an advisor as they work to develop a potential new treatment for conditions that disproportionately affect underserved communities," said Dr. Frederick. "Notably, sarcoidosis is three times more common in African Americans—and even more so in African American women—who are also more likely to have severe disease and increased mortality. It is imperative that we utilize the knowledge and resources we have to narrow these disparities by developing safe and effective treatments that contribute to improved outcomes for these patients."
Dr. Frederick is the President Emeritus of Howard University, having previously served as the 17th President from July 2014 through September 2023. He is also the distinguished Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery at the Howard University College of Medicine and a practicing cancer surgeon at Howard University Hospital. Dr. Frederick earned a B.S., M.D., and completed his surgical residency training at Howard University Hospital. Following his postdoctoral research and surgical oncology fellowships at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Frederick was Associate Director of the Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut. Upon his return to Howard University, his academic positions included Associate Dean in the ...