Maria Fardis BS, PhD, MBA

Dr. Fardis has extensive experience in drug development and novel cancer treatments. Prior to joining Iovance Biotherapeutics, Dr. Fardis was chief operating officer at Acerta Pharma working on the development of acalabrutinib until the company’s acquisition by AstraZeneca. Before joining Acerta, Dr. Fardis held the position of chief of oncology operations and alliances at Pharmacyclics where she oversaw development of ibrutinib (IMBRUVICA), abexinostat (HDAC inhibitor), and FVIIa inhibitor programs.
She was a key contributor in the creation of a broad clinical program for ibrutinib, as well as NDA and MAA submissions. Previously, Dr. Fardis held a number of key scientific and management roles at Gilead Sciences. At Gilead, she was involved with multiple therapeutic areas including antivirals, oncology, and cardiovascular therapeutics and worked on the development and life cycle management of ambrisentan (Letairis). She received her PhD in organic chemistry from UC Berkeley and holds an MBA from Golden Gate University.