Aerovate Therapeutics, Inc. announced the appointment of Donald Santel as a member of Aerovate's Board of Directors. With over 40 years of working in the industry, Mr. Santel brings to Aerovate extensive experience in building successful pharmaceutical companies. Mr. Santel currently serves as Chairman of the Board of several biopharmaceutical companies, including Tentarix Biotherapeutics and Ocelot Bio, and also served as Chairperson of the Board for Oyster Point Pharma prior to their acquisition by Viatris in January 2023.

Prior to these roles, he served as Executive Chairman and interim Chief Executive Officer of Adicet Bio, Inc., a private allogeneic cell therapy oncology company, through its reverse merger with resTORbio, Inc. Mr. Santel was also Chief Executive Officer and board member for Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc., a public biotechnology company; a co-founder, board member and Chief Executive Officer for CoTherix, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for cardiopulmonary disease, including PAH, and was employed by several medical device companies, including Cardiac Pathways Corporation (acquired by Boston Scientific) and Medtronic, Inc.Mr. Santel previously served on the board of directors and the audit and compensation committees of Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and as a director of ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.