Warp Drive Bio Appoints Alan C. Rigby, Ph.D., As Chief Scientific Officer
Addition of Key Hire Supports Vision of Building World-Class Research Team
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warp Drive Bio a life sciences company developing therapeutics that exploit the molecules and mechanisms of nature, today announced that Alan C. Rigby, Ph.D., has been named the company’s chief scientific officer. Rigby succeeds Gregory Verdine, Ph.D., the founder of Warp Drive, who has served in the CSO role since the company’s inception, and who will remain deeply involved with the company as a member of the board of directors and as chair of the company’s scientific advisory board. Laurence Reid, Ph.D., is now president and chief executive officer.
“Alan is a highly experienced scientist and leader in oncology drug discovery with the unique blend of expertise we need to lead our research organization in advancing our proprietary pipeline,” said Laurence Reid, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer. “We have been strengthening our drug discovery organization in recent months, and the addition of Alan as chief scientific officer supports the industry-leading team we are building to deliver on our vision of creating transformative medicines from nature. I am thrilled to have Alan join us at Warp Drive Bio.”
Prior to joining Warp Drive Bio, Rigby was senior vice president and chief scientific officer at Synta Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for reorganizing and focusing the research and development pipeline through the use of cancer patient genetics. Before that, he held positions of increasing responsibility with Eli Lilly and Company (formerly ImClone Systems) where he most recently ran the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) preclinical target identification and translational strategy for the Lilly ADC pipeline. Prior to this, Rigby built a small molecule chemistry team within the Eli Lilly NYC campus that focused on novel oncology targets. Rigby had an extensive academic career at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical School in Boston, including a significant record of scientific publications and participation in new company ventures. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Western Ontario in Canada and did his postdoctoral training at Tufts Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical School and Harvard Medical School.
“I am excited to join the superb scientific team at Warp Drive Bio,” said Alan Rigby, Ph.D. “I have been very impressed by the strategic opportunities that the group has been developing to advance a significantly differentiated set of transformative medicines, and I believe that my scientific background is well-suited to help advance their commitment to build a legendary company.”
Greg Verdine, Ph.D., added, “We believe that in Alan, we have identified an outstanding scientific leader for our team with a strong background in both academic and industrial drug discovery. I look forward to working with him closely and to my continued participation in the growth of Warp Drive Bio.”
About Warp Drive Bio
Warp Drive Bio is exploiting the molecules and mechanisms of nature to create transformative medicines. The company operates on the core principle that nature is the world’s most powerful inventor of new drugs, unconstrained by the mechanistic and synthetic limitations of traditional medicinal chemistry. Warp Drive Bio is deploying its proprietary Genomic Mining and SMARTTM (Small Molecule Assisted Receptor Targeting) platforms to discover novel medicines that have the potential to make a significant difference in patients’ lives. The company was launched in 2012 through a strategic partnership with Sanofi and with financing from Third Rock Ventures and Greylock Partners. For more information, please visit www.warpdrivebio.com.
Contacts
Pure Communications, Inc.
Dan Budwick, 973-271-6085
dan@purecommunicationsinc.com
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warp Drive Bio a life sciences company developing therapeutics that exploit the molecules and mechanisms of nature, today announced that Alan C. Rigby, Ph.D., has been named the company’s chief scientific officer. Rigby succeeds Gregory Verdine, Ph.D., the founder of Warp Drive, who has served in the CSO role since the company’s inception, and who will remain deeply involved with the company as a member of the board of directors and as chair of the company’s scientific advisory board. Laurence Reid, Ph.D., is now president and chief executive officer.
“Alan is a highly experienced scientist and leader in oncology drug discovery with the unique blend of expertise we need to lead our research organization in advancing our proprietary pipeline,” said Laurence Reid, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer. “We have been strengthening our drug discovery organization in recent months, and the addition of Alan as chief scientific officer supports the industry-leading team we are building to deliver on our vision of creating transformative medicines from nature. I am thrilled to have Alan join us at Warp Drive Bio.”
Prior to joining Warp Drive Bio, Rigby was senior vice president and chief scientific officer at Synta Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for reorganizing and focusing the research and development pipeline through the use of cancer patient genetics. Before that, he held positions of increasing responsibility with Eli Lilly and Company (formerly ImClone Systems) where he most recently ran the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) preclinical target identification and translational strategy for the Lilly ADC pipeline. Prior to this, Rigby built a small molecule chemistry team within the Eli Lilly NYC campus that focused on novel oncology targets. Rigby had an extensive academic career at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical School in Boston, including a significant record of scientific publications and participation in new company ventures. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Western Ontario in Canada and did his postdoctoral training at Tufts Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical School and Harvard Medical School.
“I am excited to join the superb scientific team at Warp Drive Bio,” said Alan Rigby, Ph.D. “I have been very impressed by the strategic opportunities that the group has been developing to advance a significantly differentiated set of transformative medicines, and I believe that my scientific background is well-suited to help advance their commitment to build a legendary company.”
Greg Verdine, Ph.D., added, “We believe that in Alan, we have identified an outstanding scientific leader for our team with a strong background in both academic and industrial drug discovery. I look forward to working with him closely and to my continued participation in the growth of Warp Drive Bio.”
About Warp Drive Bio
Warp Drive Bio is exploiting the molecules and mechanisms of nature to create transformative medicines. The company operates on the core principle that nature is the world’s most powerful inventor of new drugs, unconstrained by the mechanistic and synthetic limitations of traditional medicinal chemistry. Warp Drive Bio is deploying its proprietary Genomic Mining and SMARTTM (Small Molecule Assisted Receptor Targeting) platforms to discover novel medicines that have the potential to make a significant difference in patients’ lives. The company was launched in 2012 through a strategic partnership with Sanofi and with financing from Third Rock Ventures and Greylock Partners. For more information, please visit www.warpdrivebio.com.
Contacts
Pure Communications, Inc.
Dan Budwick, 973-271-6085
dan@purecommunicationsinc.com