The director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), Dr. Norman Sharpless, has been tapped as acting commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to a March 12 announcement.
Sharpless is replacing Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who announced last week that he is stepping down as FDA commissioner.
Sharpless was appointed head of the NCI by President Donald Trump in 2017. Prior to joining the institute, he was director of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina. His research specialty is in the molecular origins of aging; he also co-founded G1 Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company that develops cancer therapies.
Dr. Douglas Lowy, currently deputy director of the NCI, will take over as acting director.
