ADARx Pharmaceuticals Expands Leadership Team with Board and Executive Appointments

– Ying Huang, Ph.D. appointed to Board of Directors, bringing deep experience spanning executive public biotech leadership, Wall Street and big pharma R&D –

– Robert Ackles joins as Chief People Officer, bringing nearly three decades of biopharma leadership experience and a proven record of building people strategies that support growth, culture and execution –

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ADARx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ADARx), a late-stage clinical biotechnology company developing next-generation siRNA therapeutics, announced today that it is expanding its leadership team with the appointment of Ying Huang, Ph.D. to its Board of Directors and Robert Ackles as its Chief People Officer. These key additions to the leadership team will help guide strategic growth as ADARx advances multiple siRNA clinical programs across therapeutic areas.

“Dr. Huang has deep experience spanning drug development, capital markets and company building. Having led a pioneering genetic medicines company through its evolution into a fully integrated commercial biopharmaceutical organization, he brings a uniquely broad strategic perspective that will be invaluable as we aim to unlock the potential of our RNA platform and advance multiple programs through mid- and late-stage clinical development,” said Dr. Zhen Li, President and Chief Executive Officer of ADARx. “We are also excited to welcome Rob to our executive team as our inaugural Chief People Officer. Developing and supporting our exceptional team as we scale the organization for our next stage of growth is essential to achieving our mission. Rob’s experience building high-performing teams and guiding organizations through various stages of growth will help to strengthen our culture and position us for continued success.”

Dr. Huang is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of K2 Therapeutics. Previously, he served as CEO of Legend Biotech Corporation from 2020 to 2026 and as its Chief Financial Officer from 2019 until 2022. Prior to Legend, Dr. Huang spent more than a decade as a biotechnology analyst, most recently as Managing Director and Head of Biotech Equity Research at BofA Securities, Inc. and previously at Wachovia, Credit Suisse, Gleacher and Barclays. Prior to his Wall Street career, Dr. Huang was a Principal Scientist at Schering-Plough in the Department of Chemical Research. Dr. Huang is also the co-author of multiple patents and peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Huang currently serves as a director of Quanta Therapeutics, Inc. and Third Arc Bio. Dr. Huang received his M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from Columbia University. Dr. Huang also studied at Columbia Business School and in the Special Class for the Gifted Young at the University of Science and Technology of China.

“RNA medicines have transformed our ability to address disease by reaching targets that were previously inaccessible. ADARx’s next-generation siRNA technologies and its talented team are well positioned to advance the field, and the company has made exciting progress across its siRNA platform and pipeline,” said Dr. Huang. “I am honored to be joining the Board and look forward to working with the leadership team and fellow Board members to help shape the company’s strategy and support its continued growth as it works to make a life-changing impact for patients.”

Mr. Ackles brings nearly three decades of biopharmaceutical leadership experience and a proven record of building people strategies that support growth, culture, and execution. He has helped guide organizations across start-up, emerging, and rapid-growth stages, contributing to the advancement of both clinical and commercial priorities. Mr. Ackles joins ADARx after previously serving for 10 years as Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer at Acadia Pharmaceuticals, where he led human resources and talent initiatives as a member of the executive leadership team. During his tenure, he supported Acadia’s growth and organizational evolution while helping strengthen a high-performance culture. Earlier in his career, Mr. Ackles held leadership roles at Santarus Pharmaceuticals and TAP Pharmaceuticals, with experience spanning human resources, organizational design, talent development, commercial management, and specialty market sales. Mr. Ackles received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“The opportunity to join a company with such a compelling mission and exceptional team is incredibly exciting,” said Mr. Ackles. “As we continue to execute across the business, I look forward to partnering across the organization to build on the strong foundation in place, strengthen our organizational capabilities and foster a culture that empowers our people to achieve the important milestones ahead.”

About ADARx Pharmaceuticals
ADARx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a late-stage biotechnology company dedicated to transforming cutting-edge science into next-generation siRNA therapeutics. We have developed technology designed to control the expression of specific disease drivers with highly selective RNA targeted therapies with the goal of delivering life-changing treatments for patients with urgent unmet medical needs. ADARx is focused on advancing and expanding a deep pipeline of highly potent, durable and selective RNA-targeted therapeutic candidates, developing product candidates for the treatment of complement-mediated, genetic, cardiovascular, thrombosis, central nervous system and metabolic (obesity) diseases. In addition to our wholly-owned programs, we have entered into a collaboration and license option agreement with AbbVie to develop small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics across multiple disease areas, including neuroscience, immunology and oncology. Follow ADARx on LinkedIn.

Contacts
Investors: ir@adarx.com
Media: teri@redhousecomms.com