Cardiff Oncology, Inc. announced that it has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Fairooz Kabbinavar, MD, FACP, as chief medical officer (CMO). Dr. Kabbinavar will oversee the clinical development program for the Company's investigational drug onvansertib and will report directly to Chief Executive Officer, Mark Erlander, PhD. Dr. Kabbinavar joins Cardiff Oncology with more than 30 years of experience that bridges both the academic and biotech/pharmaceutical sectors.

He spent 25 years as an academic oncologist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), holding appointments including professor of medicine and urologic oncology. He joined the biotech industry as the principal medical director in Genentech's immuno-oncology program, where he led the clinical development of atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ®) in extensive stage small cell lung cancer and oversaw the filing of the supplemental biologics license application that led to the drug's FDA approval. Most recently, Dr. Kabbinavar was the global head of research and development at Huyabio International.

Prior to joining Huyabio, he served as senior vice president (SVP) of clinical research and development at Puma Biotechnology, and CMO and SVP of clinical development at Tocagen, Inc. While at UCLA, Dr. Kabbinavar served as the lead investigator on two practice-changing clinical trials of bevacizumab (Avastin®) combinations leading to approval of bevacizumab in mCRC. He has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine (senior author) and Journal of Clinical Oncology (lead author). Dr. Kabbinavar holds BSc, MBBS and MD degrees from Nagpur University, India, and completed multiple fellowships in UCLA's Division of Hematology/Oncology, as well as an internship and residency at Harvard University's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.