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Founder/President/CEO
Dr. James Mackay is Founder, Chief Executive Officer and President of Aristea, a San Diego based clinical-stage drug development firm. James holds a BS in Genetics and a Ph.D. in Medical Genetics from Aberdeen University, Scotland, and has over 25 years of development and commercialization expertise in the pharmaceutical industry, having held senior executive positions at AstraZeneca where he led drug development and commercialization across a range of therapy areas, while managing significant global functional departments within the firm.
James acted as President and Chief Executive Officer of Ardea Biosciences, Inc., following the company’s acquisition by AstraZeneca, and was instrumental in setting up an innovative model that retained the biotech’s independence and accountability for the development of the gout franchise while also developing a synergistic and collaborative relationship with the parent company, AstraZeneca.
James plays a pivotal role in the San Diego technology and life sciences entrepreneurial ecosystem and currently is Chairman of the Board of CONNECT, and sits on the Board of BIOCOM, the Life Science Association of California. He is also a former Board member of the San Diego Economic Development Corporation (EDC).