On April 15, 2026 Kazia Therapeutics (NASDAQ: KZIA), a clinical-stage oncology company developing differentiated therapies for cancers with high unmet need, reported the appointment of Dr. Sudha Rao as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
Dr. Rao is the scientific originator of the epigenetic framework underlying paxalisib and a pioneer in next-generation therapeutic platforms, including PD-L1 protein degradation and SETDB1-targeted chromatin modulation. Her appointment brings deep expertise in translational epigenetics, AI-guided epi-drug discovery capability, liquid and spatial epigenetic clinical biomarker precision medicine platforms, and early clinical development into Kazia’s executive leadership as the Company advances its integrated oncology platform strategy.
Dr. Rao is a highly accomplished translational scientist and biotech executive with more than 20 years of experience spanning pharmaceutical R&D, biotechnology, and early clinical development. She currently holds a professorial appointment and leads the Gene Regulation and Translational Medicine Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and previously held senior scientific roles at Sanofi/Rhône-Poulenc in the UK, where she contributed to one of the earliest clinical genomics platforms.
She is the founder and former Chief Scientific Officer of EpiAxis Therapeutics and has advanced first-in-class epigenetic therapeutics from discovery through IND-enabling studies and into early clinical trials, including the first Phase 1b study of an LSD1 inhibitor in metastatic breast cancer. Dr. Rao is lead inventor on 39 international patents and has authored numerous high-impact publications in journals including Science, Nature, and Immunity.
At Kazia, Dr. Rao will lead all research and development activities, advancing the Company’s pipeline and expanding its next-generation platform capabilities, including:
Paxalisib, a brain-penetrant dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor being developed across oncology indications, including advanced breast cancer;
NDL2, a novel PD-L1 protein degrader platform designed to target intracellular and nuclear PD-L1 biology; and
MSETC, a first-in-class SETDB1-targeted epigenetic program aimed at reversing immune evasion at the chromatin level.
Her scientific work has been central to advancing the concept of PI3K/mTOR inhibition as a driver of epigenetic reprogramming, forming the foundation of Kazia’s strategy to move beyond pathway inhibition toward therapeutic control of cancer’s regulatory drivers.
Dr. John Friend, CEO of Kazia Therapeutics, commented: "Dr. Rao is a leading translational epigenetics scientist, a breast cancer researcher, and the lead inventor behind the intellectual property linking PI3K/mTOR inhibition to epigenetic regulation. As the architect of much of our platform, including paxalisib, NDL2, and MSETC, her appointment allows us to immediately strengthen execution while advancing a more integrated, platform-driven oncology strategy."
"I am excited by the opportunity to advance a next-generation oncology platform at Kazia. PI3K/mTOR is a key driver of tumour growth and a master regulator of epigenetic programs that shape tumour behaviour, the tumour microenvironment (TME), and immune evasion," stated Dr. Rao. "We are building a platform focused on precision targeting and precision medicine, integrating spatial and liquid epigenomics and AI-driven drug discovery to accelerate novel therapies. This includes paxalisib alongside emerging programs such as the PD-L1 degrader and SETDB1-targeting approaches. We aim to enable patient selection, real-time target engagement, and a scalable pipeline with clear clinical translation."
Dr. Rao will also play a key role in advancing Kazia’s biomarker strategy, external collaborations, scientific publications, and strategic partnerships, while continuing to expand the Company’s platform and pipeline.
For investor and media, please contact Mike Moyer, Managing Director LifeSci Advisors LLC, mmoyer@lifesciadvisors, +1-617-308-4306.
(Press release, Kazia Therapeutics, APR 15, 2026, View Source [SID1234664408])