NEW ORLEANS — Obatala Sciences has announced that Cecilia Sanchez will serve as its chief scientific officer and VP for research and development. Sanchez received her PhD in the laboratory of Dr. Pierre Chambon, an international leader in transcriptional biology in Strasbourg, France, before moving to Tulane University for post-doctoral fellowships with both Dr. Melanie Ehrlich and Dr. Darwin Prockop. Upon completion of her training, Sanchez joined the Tulane Department of Medicine’s Pulmonary Division as a faculty member, where she was independently funded on projects relating to pulmonary fibrosis. In 2017, she and her family moved to Salt Lake City, where she was an innovative projects leader in Biomerieux, an international leader in the development of biomedical devices and assays.
Like all members of the New Orleans diaspora, Dr. Sanchez missed the ambience of Southeastern Louisiana, and Obatala was fortunate to recruit her in December 2021. In accordance with our transition plan, over the past few months, Dr. Sanchez has worked closely with Dr. Xiying Wu and Dr. Jeffrey Gimble to onboard into her new role. Drs. Wu and Gimble will remain as active members of Obatala Sciences. Dr. Gimble will now serve as the company’s Chief Medical Officer and Dr. Wu as a consultant.
Dr. Sanchez brings to Obatala a wealth of expertise in stromal stem cell biology, fibrosis models, GMP operations, and biotechnology product development. We are excited for her to assume her new leadership role in the company!