Feb 12, 2026 (MarketLine via COMTEX) --
Aardvark Therapeutics has formed a wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, Ardia Therapeutics, to advance a dermatology pipeline led by topical candidate DIA-615 and has named Bryan Jones as Ardia's Chief Executive Officer.
Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc. (Aardvark) (Nasdaq: AARD), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel, small-molecule therapeutics to activate innate homeostatic pathways for the treatment of metabolic diseases, today announced that it has established Ardia Therapeutics, Inc. (Ardia), a new wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary. Ardia will support development of a new dermatology pipeline focused on lead asset, DIA-615, a potential topical treatment for a variety of inflammatory skin diseases, including psoriasis. Bryan Jones, Ph.D., has been named Chief Executive Officer of Ardia and has transitioned out of his current role at Aardvark as Chief Operating Officer to lead Ardia.
"We are proud to take this important step toward establishing Ardia as a new entity and having Bryan take the helm to advance our lead dermatologic asset, DIA-615, into the clinic," said Tien Lee, M.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aardvark. "Bryan has made significant contributions to our success at Aardvark over the past five years, and we are excited to announce his appointment to Chief Executive Officer of Ardia. We believe he is the right leader to develop Ardia's pipeline, which is focused on addressing serious unmet needs in severe skin diseases."
Dr. Jones brings over 30 years of experience with leading biotech and specialty pharmaceutical companies, including roles in product and business development. He has implemented multiple development programs during his successful career.
"I am honored to take on this new role at Ardia, and I am excited by the potential of DIA-615 and the opportunity to grow Ardia's dermatology portfolio which could have a lasting impact on patients," said Dr. Jones. "I am very proud of what the Aardvark team has accomplished over the past several years and look forward to unlocking the value of DIA-615."
Dr. Jones joined Aardvark in 2021 as Chief Business Officer and transitioned to Chief Operating Officer in August 2022. Prior to Aardvark, he was Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Sollis Therapeutics, where he led the technology transfer from Medtronic, the manufacturing of a drug/device combination and the execution of the Phase 3 sciatica program. Before that, he was Vice President of Operations at Sorrento Therapeutics, where he led the resiniferatoxin program, including manufacturing, toxicology and clinical planning as well as being involved in both monoclonal antibody production, antibody drug conjugate research and cell therapy development. He has held roles of increasing responsibility, including Chief Operating Officer of two startup companies: Sherrington and Mt. Cook. Dr. Jones received his Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Washington and a bachelor's degree in biology and biochemistry from Iowa State University.
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