Stephen joined Samsara BioCapital as a Venture Partner in 2019. He is a pharmaceutical scientist with 30 years’ experience in the UK, US and Canada biotech industry, leading small molecule therapeutics research programs across multiple molecular targets, primarily in cancer, and also in immune-inflammation, metabolic disorders and infectious diseases. Prior to Samsara, Stephen was CSO and Executive Director (2008-19) and joint COO/CSO (2017-19) of Karus Therapeutics, UK, where he was also the founding scientist of the company’s PI3K-beta/delta and HDAC6 programs. At Karus, he designed and directed the research and preclinical development of the two small molecule cancer therapeutics, KA2237 (CVL-237) and KA2507, from concept to Phase I clinical trials. Prior to Karus, he was Head of New Projects Development at Cancer Research UK in London. Previously, Stephen was Director of Chemistry at Piramed Pharma, UK, where he directed the company’s pan-PI3K and PI3K-delta research programs, and where he designed and led the research and preclinical development of the pan-PI3K anti-cancer agent Pictilisib (PI-728/GDC-0941), which was partnered with Genentech; Piramed was subsequently acquired by Roche for $160M. Prior to Piramed, Stephen was Associate Director, Chemistry at Tularik, South San Francisco, and, beforehand, Research Leader, Chemistry at BioChem Pharma, Quebec. He began his industrial career at Chiroscience, UK. He has published extensively in the literature, primarily in small molecule therapeutics R&D and in medicinal and synthetic organic chemistry, and has been an invited speaker at a number of international R&D conferences. He is an inventor on 48 US patents, and on multiple patent applications. Stephen received his BSc (Hons) and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Liverpool, and in 2007 was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
