Phase Bioscience, a startup utilizing technology developed at Duke University that could improve the purity of drug manufacturing, is putting a new management team in place.

PhaseBio named a new chief executive officer and chairman of the board as well as a new president and chief operating officer Monday morning.

Gabriel Cipau, a former CEO at three other life science firms, takes over as CEO and chairman. He comes to Phase Bio from Key Partner Consulting, where he was a partner. He also was one of Phase Bio’s directors.

Clark comes to Phase Bio from Erimos Pharmaceuticals where she was chief business officer.

“We are growing and maturing rapidly as a company,” said Clay Thorp, a partner in Catalysta Ventures which is an investor in Phase Bio. He also was the chairman until replaced by Cipau.

“Gabe and Cindy have extensive experience in taking companies like PhaseBio to the next level,” Thorp said in a statement. “They know how to capitalize on the recent accomplishments of PhaseBio such as the issuance of our patent, the opening of our new research scale laboratory facilities, scientific validation of our technology through our SBIRs and our strong collaborations with peptide therapeutic companies.”

Phase Bio received a $100,000 National Science Foundation grant in 2003 to expand its proprietary technology called deltaPhase. It is usable in large-scale protein purification.

Cipau, a chemical engineer, served as CEO at Copley Pharmaceuticals, Catalytic Pharmaceuticals and at Biolex. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees at Polytechnic Institute, a Masters in science at East Carolina University and an MBA from Duke.

Clark has also worked for MedCases, Bell Atlantic Internet Solutions, CV Therapeutics, and Univax Biologics. She received a law degree from the Washington College of Law, American
University and her undergraduate degree at Wesleyan University.

Don Rose, a general partner at Catalysta, had acted as president of PhaseBio.

For an in-depth look at PhaseBio’s technology from LTW, see: www.localtechwire.com/article.cfm?u=5159

PhaseBio: www.phasebio.com