Kim Drapkin has over 25 years of experience working with private and publicly traded biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including building and leading finance functions, raising capital, and leading strategic financial planning. Most recently, Ms. Drapkin was the CFO at Jounce Therapeutics, Inc., a position she held since the company’s inception, playing a key role in building Jounce’s financial infrastructure. Prior to joining Jounce, Ms. Drapkin owned a financial consulting firm where she served as the interim CFO for numerous early-stage biotechnology companies. Previously, she was the CFO at EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and also spent ten years in roles of increasing responsibility within the finance organization at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Her career began in the technology and life sciences practice at PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP. Ms. Drapkin served as a member of Yumanity Therapeutics, Inc.’s board of directors since the completion of the merger of Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc. and Yumanity, Inc. and previously served on the board of directors of Proteostasis. She currently serves on the board of directors of Acumen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABOS), Imugene Limited (ASX: IMU) and Kineta, Inc. (Nasdaq: KA), where she is a member of audit committee at all three companies. Ms. Drapkin holds a B.S. in accounting from Babson College.
Kim Drapkin has over 25 years of experience working with private and publicly traded biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including building and leading finance functions, raising capital, and leading strategic financial planning. Most recently, Ms. Drapkin was the CFO at Jounce Therapeutics, Inc., a position she held since the company’s inception, playing a key role in building Jounce’s financial infrastructure. Prior to joining Jounce, Ms. Drapkin owned a financial consulting firm where she served as the interim CFO for numerous early-stage biotechnology companies. Previously, she was the CFO at EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and also spent ten years in roles of increasing responsibility within the finance organization at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Her career began in the technology and life sciences practice at PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP. Ms. Drapkin served as a member of Yumanity Therapeutics, Inc.’s board of directors since the completion of the merger of Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc. and Yumanity, Inc. and previously served on the board of directors of Proteostasis. She currently serves on the board of directors of Acumen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABOS), Imugene Limited (ASX: IMU) and Kineta, Inc. (Nasdaq: KA), where she is a member of audit committee at all three companies. Ms. Drapkin holds a B.S. in accounting from Babson College.
Dr. Christine (Chris) Garrett is Chief Strategy Officer at Graphite Bio. In this role, Dr. Garrett is responsible for providing strategic guidance and for successfully executing key business initiatives to optimize and support the growth of the company.
Dr. Garrett brings more than 25 years of industry experience leading high-performing, cross-functional teams at global biopharmaceutical companies to advance the development and life-cycle management of pipeline and approved therapies. She has been with Graphite since Jan-2022. Her previous roles have included working at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), overseeing late development project management for the global R&D organization, and significantly contributing to the integration of development programs from Celgene and Myokardia into the BMS portfolio.
Dr. Garrett has also held senior leadership roles in global R&D project and portfolio management at Leo Pharma and Celgene. Earlier in her career, she worked at Novartis in various program leadership roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to joining the biopharmaceutical industry, she led and executed projects to develop antimicrobial preservatives for a specialty chemicals company.
Dr. Garrett received her Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the Rochester Institute of Technology and her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also holds certificates in project management and pharmaceutical business development.
Perry Karsen brings decades of proven executive leadership and board experience to the board of directors at Graphite Bio. Mr. Karsen served as the chief executive officer of the Celgene Cellular Therapeutics division of Celgene Corporation and as executive vice president and chief operations officer of Celgene Corporation. Previously, he was president and CEO of Pearl Therapeutics, Inc, a privately held biotechnology company subsequently acquired by AstraZeneca. He also has held executive positions at Human Genome Sciences, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company subsequently acquired by GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Genentech, Inc, and Abbott Laboratories. Currently, Mr. Karsen is board chair of Jounce Therapeutics, executive chair of Nitrome Biosciences, and on the board of ESCAPE Bio. Mr. Karsen has also served on the Board of Intellia Therapeutics through 2020. He also serves on the Gladstone Foundation Board. In 2019, Mr. Karsen was appointed as a fellow in the Stanford University Distinguished Careers Institute.
Perry Karsen brings decades of proven executive leadership and board experience to the board of directors at Graphite Bio. Mr. Karsen served as the chief executive officer of the Celgene Cellular Therapeutics division of Celgene Corporation and as executive vice president and chief operations officer of Celgene Corporation. Previously, he was president and CEO of Pearl Therapeutics, Inc, a privately held biotechnology company subsequently acquired by AstraZeneca. He also has held executive positions at Human Genome Sciences, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company subsequently acquired by GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Genentech, Inc, and Abbott Laboratories. Currently, Mr. Karsen is board chair of Jounce Therapeutics, executive chair of Nitrome Biosciences, and on the board of ESCAPE Bio. Mr. Karsen has also served on the Board of Intellia Therapeutics through 2020. He also serves on the Gladstone Foundation Board. In 2019, Mr. Karsen was appointed as a fellow in the Stanford University Distinguished Careers Institute.
Abe Bassan has extensive experience in the gene therapy arena as an operator and investor. He currently is a vice president at Samsara BioCapital. Mr. Bassan previously served as director of program biology at Revolution Medicines, where he co-led the initial stages of the company’s 4EBP1/mTORC1 cancer program. Prior to that, he was associate director of program development at bluebird bio, where he was the project manager for the company’s beta-thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, and ALD gene therapy programs. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bassan was an associate at Third Rock Ventures, where he played a leading role in the firm’s investment in bluebird bio, as well as the ideation of Blueprint Medicines, a precision medicine oncology company. Mr. Bassan was also the founder of Aurora Medical, a molecular diagnostics testing services company.
Dr. Jerel Davis brings a distinguished track record as an investor and advisor to his role as a board member of Graphite Bio, with proven expertise in company creation, R&D alliances, and corporate partnerships. He currently serves as managing director of Versant Ventures. During his 9-year tenure at Versant, Dr. Davis has helped propel the growth strategies of a multitude of the firm’s portfolio companies, including BlueRock Therapeutics, CRISPR Therapeutics, Repare Therapeutics, Chinook Therapeutics, Tentarix Biotherapeutics, Turnstone Biologics, Ventus Therapeutics, and several others. Prior to joining Versant, Dr. Davis was an associate principal at McKinsey & Company, where he advised a broad range of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and molecular diagnostics companies. He has worked in a number of healthcare markets globally, including the US, Canada, Europe, China, Russia, and India.
Kim Drapkin is the Chief Executive Officer of Graphite Bio. Kim Drapkin has over 25 years of experience working with private and publicly traded biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including building and leading finance functions, raising capital, and leading strategic financial planning. Most recently, Ms. Drapkin was the CFO at Jounce Therapeutics, Inc., a position she held since the company’s inception, playing a key role in building Jounce’s financial infrastructure. Prior to joining Jounce, Ms. Drapkin owned a financial consulting firm where she served as the interim CFO for numerous early-stage biotechnology companies. Previously, she was the CFO at EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and also spent ten years in roles of increasing responsibility within the finance organization at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Her career began in the technology and life sciences practice at PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP. Ms. Drapkin served as a member of Yumanity Therapeutics, Inc.’s board of directors since the completion of the merger of Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc. and Yumanity, Inc. and previously served on the board of directors of Proteostasis. She currently serves on the board of directors of Acumen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABOS), Imugene Limited (ASX: IMU) and Kineta, Inc. (Nasdaq: KA), where she is a member of audit committee at all three companies. Ms. Drapkin holds a B.S. in accounting from Babson College.
Dr. Kristen Hege is a renowned physician-scientist and a pioneer in advancing cell therapies through clinical development to regulatory approval. She currently serves as senior vice president, early clinical development, hematology/oncology and cell therapy at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), where her team is responsible for advancing the pipeline from first-in-human studies to clinical proof-of-concept. Notably, Dr. Hege led the development of Abecma (idecabtagene vicleucel; ide-cel), the first BCMA-directed CAR T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, from product concept to approval in partnership with bluebird bio. Prior to BMS, Dr. Hege held multiple executive roles at several biotech companies, including Celgene, Cell Genesys, Cellerant Therapeutics, and Theraclone Sciences. Dr. Hege, a hematologist-oncologist, is also a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California (UCSF), San Francisco, where she continues to manage patients with benign and malignant blood disorders. Dr. Hege also serves on the board of directors of Mersana Therapeutics and was elected to the board of directors for the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) for a 3-year term from 2016-2019.
Joe Jimenez is the former chief executive officer of Novartis, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. Mr. Jimenez joined Novartis in 2007 to lead the pharmaceuticals division and was named CEO in 2010. He navigated the company through a period of change following patent expirations of its 2 largest products. Under his stewardship, Novartis developed one of the largest pipelines of self-originated drugs in the industry, driven by a strong commitment to research and development. Currently, Mr. Jimenez is co-founder and managing director of Aditum Bio, an investment firm focused on developing biotechnology assets that will benefit patients. He also serves as a board member of General Motors Company and The Proctor & Gamble Company.
Dr. Matthew Porteus is an academic founder of Graphite Bio and a pioneer in the field of gene editing. Currently, he is a professor of pediatrics and stem cell transplantation and the co-director of the Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine at Stanford University. His work in gene editing spans more than 2 decades, during which he was an academic founder of CRISPR Therapeutics and an advisor to several other gene editing companies, as well as the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on Sickle Cell Disease. As a trained pediatric hematologist, Dr. Porteus now cares for children who are on the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplant service.
Dr. Carlo Rizzuto is a seasoned biopharmaceutical business executive and investor with over 2 decades of diverse leadership experience. He currently is a partner at Versant Ventures based in New York and has played an instrumental role in launching and growing multiple companies, including Pandion Therapeutics, Repare Therapeutics, Century Therapeutics, and Jnana Therapeutics, among others. Earlier in his career, he led global product development teams at Novartis AG and was an associate principal with McKinsey & Company, advising US and European clients in the pharmaceutical, payor, and provider sectors.
Smital Shah brings proven executive leadership expertise to her role as a board member of Graphite Bio, including over 2 decades of senior management experience in the biopharma and investment banking industries. She currently serves as chief business and financial officer of ProQR Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on rare genetic diseases. Previously, Ms. Shah managed the multi billion-dollar debt, cash, and investment portfolios of Gilead Sciences. Her proven management and leadership experience in the biopharma industry is augmented by her earlier career in investment banking, where she has particular expertise in financial strategy, capital markets, and business development. Prior to Gilead, Ms. Shah spent several years in investment banking at Leerink Partners and JP Morgan focused on the biotech sector. Earlier in her career, she held various research and development positions at Johnson & Johnson. Ms. Shah is a board member and chair of the audit committee at Pliant Therapeutics.
Dr. Jo Viney brings a distinguished track record in drug discovery and development to the board of directors at Graphite Bio. She currently serves as president, chief scientific officer, and co-founder of Pandion Therapeutics, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. Prior to founding Pandion, Dr. Viney served most recently as senior vice president, drug discovery, at Biogen. Throughout her career, Dr. Viney has been an advocate for workplace inclusiveness. From 2015–2020, she served on the board of WEST, a nonprofit organization supporting early to mid-career women, and was WEST’s president for the 2017–2018 term. Dr. Viney has maintained longstanding memberships with the Society for Mucosal Immunology (SMI) and the American Association of Immunologists (AAI). She has served numerous terms on the SMI Board and was president from 2011–2013. In 2020, Dr. Viney was chosen as one of FiercePharma’s Fiercest Women in Life Sciences. Dr. Viney is also a member of the board of directors for Finch Therapeutics and Harpoon Therapeutics, and she serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for HotSpot Therapeutics.