Santa Ana Bio Appoints Newman Yeilding as Chief Medical Officer

Yeilding brings 30 years of experience in autoimmune and inflammatory disease drug development.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Santa Ana Bio, a precision immunology company developing targeted therapies for patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, announced the appointment of Newman Yeilding, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer. Yeilding has over 30 years of experience in academic research, biotech, and pharmaceutical companies, including senior leadership roles at Janssen and Protagonist Therapeutics.

Why it matters

The appointment of an experienced medical leader like Yeilding signals Santa Ana Bio's commitment to advancing its pipeline of innovative autoimmune and inflammatory disease therapies. Yeilding's expertise in clinical development and translating novel therapeutics from research to the clinic will be crucial as the company works to file its first investigational new drug (IND) application and enter the clinic this year.

The details

As Chief Medical Officer, Yeilding will oversee the clinical development of Santa Ana Bio's lead programs, including SAB01, a bispecific antibody targeting mast cell diseases, and SAB05, a CD40 glucocorticoid antibody-drug conjugate. Prior to joining Santa Ana Bio, Yeilding held senior roles at Janssen, where he provided scientific and management leadership of immunology development initiatives, and at Protagonist Therapeutics, where he served as Chief Scientific Advisor.

  • Santa Ana Bio announced Yeilding's appointment on February 10, 2026.
  • The company plans to file its first IND and enter the clinic with SAB01 this year.
  • Santa Ana Bio aims to advance SAB05 through IND-enabling studies and into the clinic in 2027.

The players

Newman Yeilding, M.D.

The newly appointed Chief Medical Officer of Santa Ana Bio, with over 30 years of experience in academic research, biotech, and pharmaceutical companies, including senior leadership roles at Janssen and Protagonist Therapeutics.

Peter Emtage, Ph.D.

The Founder and CEO of Santa Ana Bio, a precision immunology company developing targeted therapies for patients with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Santa Ana Bio

A biotechnology company developing a pipeline of innovative therapeutics leveraging a multi-omics platform to unlock the full potential of precision medicines in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Newman brings an exceptional set of skills in the design and execution of novel clinical programs in a broad range of autoimmune indications. His expertise is immediately beneficial as we work to file our first IND for SAB01, our bispecific antibody targeting a range of mast cell diseases, and enter the clinic this year, and to advance our second program, SAB05, a novel CD40 glucocorticoid antibody-drug conjugate, through IND-enabling studies and into the clinic in 2027.”

— Peter Emtage, Founder and CEO of Santa Ana Bio (biospace.com)

What’s next

Santa Ana Bio plans to file its first IND for SAB01 and enter the clinic this year, as well as advance its second program, SAB05, through IND-enabling studies and into the clinic in 2027.

The takeaway

The appointment of an experienced medical leader like Newman Yeilding as Chief Medical Officer underscores Santa Ana Bio's commitment to advancing its pipeline of innovative autoimmune and inflammatory disease therapies and translating novel therapeutics from research to the clinic.