Dr. Peter Hirth is a luminary in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical discovery and development field, with over 30 years of experience. His most notable achievement is as the co-founder and CEO of Plexxikon, where he pioneered a novel, structure-guided drug discovery platform. This innovation led to the development of several new chemical entities, including Zelboraf®, a groundbreaking therapy for metastatic melanoma. Prior to Plexxikon, Dr. Hirth co-founded Sugen, a company significant for advancing several kinase inhibitors in oncology, including Sutent®, a drug for gastrointestinal cancer, which went public and was later acquired by Pharmacia/Pfizer.
Dr. Hirth’s earlier roles include serving as Vice President of Research at Boehringer Mannheim, leading to the successful approval of the erythropoietin program, and work at the Max Planck Institute and the University of California, San Diego. He obtained his PhD in Molecular Genetics from Heidelberg University, Germany. Currently, he holds positions as the chairman of IO Biotech and director on the boards of several biotech companies, including Iconic Therapeutics, Escient Pharmaceuticals, Vaxcyte, Trex Bio, and Aligos Therapeutics.
As an advisor, Dr. Hirth’s extensive experience in drug discovery and development, combined with his proven leadership in successful biotech startups, would be invaluable. His expertise in steering companies from inception through to clinical trials and commercial success would provide strategic insights, helping to identify and nurture promising biotechnological advancements and investments.