Skye Biosciences Expands its Team to Begin Human Trial for Glaucoma and Expand R&D Undertakings

With the team expansion, the business aims at working toward initiating its first-in-human trial for glaucoma and expand its research and development activities.

FREMONT, CA: Expanding the team to pursue meaningful solutions for patients to provide unmet medical needs is vital for most businesses today. In its quest to expand its key capabilities, Skye Bioscience, a biopharmaceutical company developing proprietary cannabinoid-derived molecules to treat diseases with significant unmet need, has appointed Rhea Williams, MPH, as Head of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance and Varun Khurana, Ph.D., as Senior Director of Research & Development to its management team.

Rhea has a background in medication development, regulatory relations, and quality assurance spanning over 25 years. In the fields of neurology, hematology, oncology, women’s health, cardiology, and ophthalmology, she has supported the creation of small and large molecules and worked with teams focusing on serious and life-threatening disorders and prospective treatments. “I look forward to working with the team to implement a comprehensive regulatory strategy to develop its promising drug candidates to their full medical potential,” said Rhea.

“We have been conservative in our organizational growth, but intentional with adding vital roles and the right people at the right time. 

We also value pertinent experience in developing cannabinoid pharmaceuticals. Our team expansion with these skilled individuals is a strategic step as we work to initiate our first-in-human trial for glaucoma and expand our research and development activities,” said Punit Dhillon, CEO of Skye Bioscience. “We welcome Rhea and Dr. Khurana to Skye. We expect their proven track records and deep expertise to make an immediate impact on our development efforts.”

Dr. Khurana has extensive experience in pre-formulation and formulation development, technical transfer, CMC, CMO/CRO management, and regulatory submissions for unique and complicated drug development programs, with over seven years of experience. Product ideation, portfolio planning, due diligence, lifecycle management, and intellectual property strategy are among his specialties. Dr. Khurana has experience in ophthalmic, injectable, oral, and sublingual dosage forms.

Khurana commented, “I am excited to join Skye at such a pivotal time of growth and innovation for the company. I believe Skye is at the forefront of unlocking the pharmaceutical value of cannabinoid-based therapies and I look forward to driving Skyes R&D strategy to further grow its pipeline and build a well-differentiated and sustainable portfolio.”