Cornellian CEO leads innovative anti-metastasis cancer therapy to market

The vast majority of cancer deaths aren’t caused by the original tumor, but its migration to other parts of the body. For decades, cancer treatments largely targeted tumors rather than their metastasis, but Stewart Campbell has a drug that could change that approach.

“It was the first medicine I’d seen that specifically targeted the prevention of metastasis,” said Campbell, MBA ’14 and CEO of Novita Pharmaceuticals. “90% of oncology deaths are driven by metastatic disease, not the primary tumor. Yet, the field has historically measured drug efficacy almost exclusively against the primary. That’s a gap fascin directly addresses, and it’s a big part of why this mechanism resonated with me so strongly.”

Novita’s flagship drug, Prilukae, is a fascin inhibitor, a novel treatment that has shown ability to inhibit tumor metastasis by boosting anti-tumor immune response and binding to fascin proteins overexpressed in cancerous cells. This reduces cellular production of filopodia — spiky protrusions that aid metastasis — limiting cancer’s ability to migrate.

If Campbell can guide Prilukae through regulatory approvals, it could significantly improve outcomes for thousands of patients.

“This is one of the things that drives me in biotech. I feel a huge sense of responsibility to make sure these trials get done in a timely fashion with all the Is dotted and Ts crossed so that we can create value for patients,” Campbell said. “I’m happy that we’ve got the opportunity to cure patients; this could transform so many lives.”

Campbell first heard about fascin inhibitors in 2021 when the founders of Novita, Weill Cornell Medicine professors J. Jillian Zhang and Xin-Yun Huang, published a research paper on the mechanism. Their coauthors were Zhankui Zhao and Yufeng Wang, also from Cornell. Campbell immediately saw potential in the drug.

Later in 2024, when Campbell was the president of North America and global executive vice president at Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, the team at Novita approached him about leading their company through regulatory trials. After spending most of his career in larger companies, Campbell was intrigued by the possibility of working with a small, risk-tolerant company pursuing a novel treatment.

He also saw a promising drug on the verge of a make-or-break moment. Campbell remembered what he’d learned about fascin inhibitors in 2021 and knew his background in business would give the treatment a better chance to make it through regulatory approvals. Throughout his career, he’d seen many drugs like Prilukae stall at Phase 3 clinical trials due to poor planning.

“Brilliant scientists don’t always have the Phase 3 blueprint,” he said. “That comes from having lived through those programs. My value-add was getting in early enough to make sure the trial architecture matched the science. Get that wrong and you don’t get a second shot.”

The complex administrative side of regulatory approvals requires someone with Campbell’s business acumen to see it through, something his MBA positioned him well for. Since joining Novita, Campbell has advanced the drug through Phase 2 trials with compelling results: Advanced solid tumors have shown encouraging activity.

While Novita’s eventual goal is to utilize Prilukae as a pan-tumor therapy, treating all cancerous tissue regardless of location, they’re currently focused on treating pancreatic cancer as a proof of concept. To that end, on Jan. 12, 2026, the Food and Drug Administration granted Prilukae orphan drug designation for pancreatic cancer. This gives Novita tax credits on clinical testing expenses, fee waivers, faster reviews and seven years of statutory market exclusivity for that indication.

“For a small biotech company, that’s quite meaningful for us,” Campbell said. “The designation was validation for us and our investors as well. This is a great opportunity for us to have a collegial opportunity with the FDA, and say: How do we build this faster and move this forward for patients?”

After launching Prilukae, Campbell’s goals for the drug extend far beyond pancreatic cancer. He aims to partner Novita with a larger pharmaceutical company, one with the resources and personnel to expand it into a pan-tumor treatment spanning multiple indications.

“I’m hoping what you’ll see is the opportunity for fascin to expand even beyond its current utility, to the point where fascin becomes something that is thought about more generally in the oncology setting,” he said.