CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MPM, a world-leading biotechnology investment firm with nearly three decades of experience creating and investing in early-stage therapeutics companies, today announced the recent appointment of leading biotech executive and drug discoverer Wendy Young, PhD, to its team of accomplished Executive Partners.
Wendy brings decades of chemistry and drug discovery experience, having most recently held the role of SVP, Small Molecule Drug Discovery at Genentech, focused on portfolio and technology management. At Genentech, Wendy led research activities and oversaw 900 internal and external multi-disciplinary scientists engaged in drug discovery. Earlier in her career, Wendy held drug discovery roles at SCIOS, a Johnson & Johnson Company, and Celera Genomics.
“We’re delighted that Wendy has joined our senior team of MPM Entrepreneurs,” said Ed Hurwitz, Managing Director, MPM Capital. “Under her guidance at Genentech, more than 25 clinical candidates were discovered and progressed into development. Given the breadth of her experience, we expect Wendy will be invaluable in supporting many of our existing portfolio companies as well as helping us identify and build new ones.”
With a successful executive track record in research and drug development, Dr. Young will take leading roles to identify and assess new technologies and help to advance MPM’s company formation efforts in drug discovery spanning various disease areas and therapeutic modalities. “I am honored to be joining the MPM team and to engage in the firm’s mission of powering therapeutic breakthroughs for patients’ lives. After 25 years in biopharma, I’m excited to begin this new adventure with MPM,” said Dr. Young.
Wendy Young, PhD, is a biotechnology, pharma, and life sciences executive and board advisor with more than 25 years of experience in the discovery and development of innovative new medicines for patients. Prior to joining MPM, Wendy was SVP, Small Molecule Discovery, at Genentech where she was an executive member of the R&D leadership team focused on portfolio and technology advancement. Earlier in her career, Wendy held drug discovery roles at SCIOS, a Johnson & Johnson Company, and Celera Genomics. She is a co-inventor of fenebrutinib, a selective Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor currently in Phase III clinical trials for multiple sclerosis, a therapy that has been dosed to >2,000+ patients worldwide. With a strong passion for innovative research and basic science, Wendy is named as an inventor or author on 70+ published patents and manuscripts.
Wendy currently serves as an associate editor of The Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. In 2018 she was inducted as an ACS Fellow for her lifelong service to chemistry, society and medicine, in 2019 highlighted as “One of the Top 20 Women in Biopharma” by Endpoint News, and in 2020 awarded the prestigious Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership for outstanding achievements in Chemical Research Management.
Wendy received a PhD from Princeton University, having studied in the laboratories of Edward C. Taylor. At Princeton, and in collaboration with Eli Lilly, Wendy contributed to the discovery of folate analogs as antitumor agents; Alimta® a therapy for lung cancer, was an outcome of this collaboration. As an American Cancer Society Fellow at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center under Samuel Danishefsky, she was part of the team that completed the total synthesis of Taxol®, a leading therapy for breast cancer.
About MPM
MPM Capital is a world-leading biotechnology investment firm with nearly three decades of experience creating and investing in companies that seek to translate scientific innovations into cures for major diseases. With its world-class team with deep experience in scientific research, clinical development, and company-building, MPM strives to power novel medical breakthroughs that transform patients’ lives.
