Cardiff Oncology Names Mani Mohindru Interim CEO, Executive Leadership Shift Supports Growth And Clinical Development

Cardiff Oncology announced a leadership transition to position the company for its next stage of growth and late-stage clinical development. Board member Mani Mohindru, PhD, has been appointed interim Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately, while former CEO Mark Erlander, PhD, and CFO James Levine have stepped down. Brigitte Lindsay, a longtime finance executive at the company, has been promoted to Chief Accounting Officer, and Cardiff has launched a search for permanent replacements for the CEO and CFO.

The company’s lead program, onvansertib, is an oral, highly selective PLK1 inhibitor in mid-stage development for RAS-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer. The drug is also being studied in additional cancers through investigator-initiated trials, including pancreatic, lung, breast, and hematologic malignancies. Cardiff said the leadership changes reflect its emphasis on disciplined execution and advancing its clinical pipeline as programs mature.

“As Cardiff Oncology prepares for the next stage of clinical and corporate development, the Board concluded that this was the right moment to align executive and financial leadership with the Company’s evolving needs,” said Rodney S. Markin, MD, PhD, Chairman of the Board. “We want to express our sincere gratitude to Mark and Jamie for their significant contributions in guiding Cardiff to where it stands today—especially in the progress of our lead product candidate in first-line RAS-mutated mCRC, an area of high unmet need where there have not been any significant advancements in many years. Looking forward, we are confident in Dr. Mohindru’s ability to lead the Company at this key moment in onvansertib’s clinical development, as she brings a rare combination of deep scientific training, operational leadership, and capital markets expertise.”

Dr. Mohindru brings extensive experience in biotechnology leadership, spanning drug development, corporate strategy, and capital markets. She is the founder of Roshon Therapeutics and currently serves on the board of CytomX Therapeutics, with prior CEO roles at Novasenta and CereXis and senior positions at Cara Therapeutics and Curis.

“Cardiff Oncology has built a strong scientific and clinical foundation around PLK1 inhibition, with onvansertib demonstrating encouraging activity in a challenging to treat patient population,” said Mani Mohindru, PhD, interim Chief Executive Officer. “Given onvansertib’s activity in RAS-mutated mCRC as well as encouraging single agent data, there is potential to extend its benefit to other solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. I look forward to working closely with the Board and the team to sharpen our strategic priorities, advance our clinical programs, and thoughtfully position the Company for late-stage development while maintaining a disciplined approach to capital and execution.”

Earlier in her career, Dr. Mohindru worked as a biotechnology equity research analyst at UBS, Credit Suisse, and ThinkEquity. She also serves in advisory roles at Northwestern University’s CLP Institute and the Gates Institute at the University of Colorado. She holds a PhD from Northwestern University and advanced degrees from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi.