Dallas-based biotech company OncoNano Medicine recently hired Dr. Brett Giroir, the federal government’s former COVID-19 “testing czar,” as CEO.

Giroir had been interim CEO since May, temporarily replacing Dr. Kartik Krishnan, and chair of the board of directors. Giroir joined the board in 2021. Krishnan had been CEO since 2024; he’s now chief medical officer at Florida biotech company Pasithea Therapeutics.

“Having worked closely with the OncoNano team, I’ve seen firsthand the potential of our technology and the strength of our team,” Giroir said in a statement.

“We have made significant progress, advancing a clinical-stage immunotherapy program and building a pipeline of targeted cancer therapies, while demonstrating the versatility of our technology across a broad range of therapeutic payloads.”

Giroir now oversees development and commercialization of OncoNano’s cancer-fighting technology. The proprietary technology features custom-designed molecules that form nanoparticles. These microscopic particles release drugs when they reach acidic tumor tissue.

Wealth of experience

Giroir assumes the top job at OncoNano with an extensive background in the federal government and higher education.

Most notably, he was a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force and the national COVID “testing czar.” He handled those duties as assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Giroir also was acting commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the U.S. representative to the World Health Organization’s executive board.

Previously, Giroir was the first physician to be an office director at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA; vice chancellor of the Texas A&M University System; and CEO of the Texas A&M Health Science Center.

‘The right leader’

John Dyett, a member of the OncoNano board of directors and co-founder and managing director of OncoNano investor Salem Partners, said Giroir was an “exceptional steward” of the company as chair and interim CEO.

Giroir’s “scientific credibility, regulatory experience and deep relationships across government and industry position the company to advance [our platform], grow our partnerships and bring new options to patients with hard-to-treat cancers,” Dyett said in a statement.

The board is confident Giroir “is the right leader for this next phase,” Dyett said.

OncoNano’s cancer-fighting technology

OncoNano’s name is a fusion of oncology and nanotechnology. The name signifies OncoNano’s development of cancer treatments using nanotechnology.

The company’s ON-BOARD platform creates custom-designed molecules that form nanoparticles, which release drugs when they reach acidic tumor tissue. The company’s lead drug candidate, ONM-501, is in a Phase 1 clinical trial, the first stage of testing in people. It’s designed to activate a key part of the immune system, prompting the body to attack tumors.

Through the ON-BOARD platform, OncoNano is also developing other targeted therapies. It has a research partnership with biopharmaceutical giant Gilead Sciences.

OncoNano, founded in 2014 in Southlake, spun out of research at UT Southwestern Medical Center. In 2022, OncoNano relocated to Dallas’ Pegasus Park. The company employs 11 people in North Texas.