Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> November 17, 2008

John Didsbury – Dara Biosciences, Inc. (dara)

JOHN DIDSBURY, President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Scientific Officer of DARA BioSciencess, Inc., is a highly qualified executive manager with over 18 years of experience within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He most recently served as President and CEO for Nuada Pharmaceuticals Inc., where he transformed the company from a chemistry database/service company to a highly successful drug development company in under 14 months. Formerly of GlaxoSmithKline, Inc., Dr. Didsbury's achievements include creating and leading a new rheumatoid arthritis disease research program area, setting disease area strategies in metabolic and musculoskeletal diseases, and eventually serving in an executive management role determining the strategic direction of drug discovery efforts in metabolic, musculoskeletal and viral diseases and overseeing operational planning for the drug discovery unit in RTP, North Carolina. His positions included head of strategy and operations, drug discovery; disease strategy director; disease program leader and senior research investigator. Dr. Didsbury has worked as Associate Director, Biology for Macronex, Inc.; Assistant Professor at Duke University Medical Center; and as a scientist with Genentech, Inc. A co-author of several patents and a published writer and researcher, Dr. Didsbury earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology/Chemistry at the University of Connecticut in 1977 and his PhD in Medical Microbiology at the University of Vermont Medical College in 1982. Profile
TWST: May we start with a short history and overview of your company?

Dr. Didsbury: Our company is developing therapeutics and each has large market

opportunities. The company was founded in