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Our goal is to bring new therapy to cancer’s most frequently mutated oncogenic target.
Exploiting oncogene addiction has been the foundation of extraordinarily fruitful efforts to precisely drug mutated cancer targets and eliminate the malignant cells that carry them. At Kestrel Therapeutics our aspiration is to extend the methodologies and successes of this field to targeting RAS and then to other significant targets. We have created a foundation of unique science that employs a physical understanding of the drug-target interaction, funded by thought-leading investors, to build a lead program designed to potently address all RAS mutations in all tumor types. The prospect of patient benefit through the application of these approaches is profound.
NRAS G13D mutant bound to GNP (PDB 6E6H)
Our experienced leadership team has a proven track record of combining innovation and entrepreneurship to bring transformative technologies to the world of healthcare.
Founder, President & CEO
Chief Scientific Officer
Chief Financial Officer
1Globocan 2020 citation.
2ACS citation.
3US NCI citation.
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Founder, President & CEO
Recognized leader with a long record of success in cancer investigation and drug development. Formerly an academic researcher, was Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute faculty, and Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center program leader. At Anchiano Therapeutics, as CEO he led acquisition of the RAS program subsequently acquired by Kestrel. Previously was Chief Medical Officer at Ariad Pharmaceuticals, where he led a global research team and programs resulting multiple oncology drug approvals. He holds an AB magna cum laude from Harvard University, MD and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the MIT Center for Cancer Research. An Air Force veteran who served in Iraq and in multiple military leadership positions, he is also a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine and an excellent graduate of Air War College.
Chief Scientific Officer
Mark has extensive leadership experience in drug discovery, medicinal chemistry and drug development having guided numerous compounds from the bench through IND to the clinic. Formerly Chief Scientific Officer at Tarveda Therapeutics, he led the development of novel drug conjugates through IND filings to phase 2 clinical trials in for oncology indications. Prior to that role, he led chemistry including discovery leading to the first IND and out-licensing efforts at Blend Therapeutics, before it became Tarveda. Earlier he led seven lead-optimization programs that progressed into clinical testing in oncology, neuroscience, and cardiovascular medicine at Merck Research Laboratories. While there he also directed establishment of and led exploratory chemistry group based in West Point. BS summa cum laude from Boston College, PhD from Harvard University, and post-doctoral training on an NIH fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Chief Financial Officer
Tom has over 25 years of experience in financial management in the life science industry. He is currently a Senior Director at Danforth Advisors, LLC, a financial consultancy firm that specializes in working with life science companies. He began his career at Price Waterhouse, and before joining Danforth held senior management positions at several public and private companies in various stages of development, including PAREXEL, ArQule, Altus Pharmaceuticals, Acton Pharmaceuticals, Boston Biomedical and Telcare. Tom is a CPA and has a BBA in Accounting from the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst.
Head of Biology
Lex is an established leader in drug discovery and translational research who has contributed substantially to multiple successful IND filings and global drug approvals of small molecule oncology therapeutics. She has held roles of increasing responsibility in discovery biology and translational development groups at Kinnate Biopharma, Bristol Myers Squibb, where she was the translational program lead on two new drug approvals, at Cardiff Oncology, and Ignyta. She holds a BS summa cum laude, Bachelor of Applied Science magna cum laude, and PhD from the University of Ottawa, and a completed her post-doctoral fellowship at the Moores Cancer Center at University of California San Diego.
Head of Program Management
Program leader of medicinal chemistry and clinical development programs with long-standing experience in settings ranging from discovery to late-stage clinical development in oncology and other disciplines. Formerly head of program management at Carmot Therapeutics, with leadership roles at Kura Oncology where he worked on small molecule RAS-inhibitor therapy, at Ipsen Pharmaceuticals, Sarepta Therapeutics, and Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, where he filled both scientist and program leadership roles. BS from MIT and additional graduate study at Harvard University and the MIT Sloan School of Management.
