# Arthur T. Sands

> Arthur T. Sands, M.D., Ph.D., is the President and CEO of Nurix Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering targeted protein degradation medicines. A co-founder of Lexicon Pharmaceuticals in 1995, he spent 19 years transforming that company from a research startup into a drug-development enterprise generating over $450 million in revenue. At Nurix, he leads efforts to deploy a proprietary DEL-AI platform - combining DNA-encoded libraries with machine learning - to discover and develop small-molecule degraders and degrader-antibody conjugates for cancer and inflammatory diseases. The company's lead asset, bexobrutideg (a BTK degrader), entered pivotal Phase 2 development in 2025 with an 83% objective response rate in relapsed CLL patients.

- **Role:** President and CEO at Nurix Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** Nurix Therapeutics, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Baylor College of Medicine
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Economics and Political Science, Yale University, M.D. and Ph.D. in Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship, Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
- **Known for:** Co-founded Lexicon Pharmaceuticals in 1995, leading it for 19 years and generating $450M+ in partnered revenue, Pioneered large-scale gene knockout technology for drug discovery at Lexicon, Created the XPC knockout mouse model for skin cancer research as a postdoctoral fellow

## Career timeline

- **1992-1995** — American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellow, Baylor College of Medicine; studied p53 gene function and created XPC knockout mouse model for skin cancer research
- **1995** — Co-founded Lexicon Genetics (later Lexicon Pharmaceuticals) in The Woodlands, Texas with Professor Allan Bradley
- **1995-2014** — President, CEO, and Board Director at Lexicon Pharmaceuticals; pioneered large-scale gene knockout technology for drug discovery; generated $450M+ in revenue through alliances with Bristol Myers Squibb, Takeda, and Genentech
- **2014** — Joined Nurix Therapeutics as Chief Executive Officer and Board Director (September)
- **2020** — Nurix completes IPO raising $238.5M on NASDAQ (NRIX); also named President of Nurix (June)
- **2025** — Nurix initiates DAYBreak pivotal Phase 2 trial of bexobrutideg in relapsed/refractory CLL; closes $250M registered offering; receives cumulative $460M from pharma partners
- **2026** — Advancing confirmatory Phase 3 trial for bexobrutideg; expanding into autoimmune indications with tablet formulation

## Achievements

- Co-founded Lexicon Pharmaceuticals in 1995, leading it for 19 years and generating $450M+ in partnered revenue
- Pioneered large-scale gene knockout technology for drug discovery at Lexicon
- Created the XPC knockout mouse model for skin cancer research as a postdoctoral fellow
- Led Nurix Therapeutics to a $238.5M IPO in 2020 on NASDAQ
- Secured $460M in total partnership revenues from Sanofi, Gilead Sciences, and Pfizer
- Bexobrutideg achieved 83% objective response rate with median PFS of 22.1 months in Phase 1 CLL trials
- Initiated DAYBreak pivotal Phase 2 trial of bexobrutideg in October 2025
- Built Nurix's proprietary DEL-AI platform combining DNA-encoded libraries with machine learning
- Adjunct professor, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine
- Named inventor on numerous patents related to human gene discovery and therapeutic development

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Nurix Therapeutics to participate in upcoming investor conferences; advancing bexobrutideg Phase 2 enrollment and preparing Phase 3 launch
- **2026-04** — Nurix presented new preclinical data highlighting breadth of targeted protein degradation pipeline at AACR 2026
- **2026-01** — Nurix outlined 2026 goals including initiating confirmatory Phase 3 trial for bexobrutideg and IND filing for tablet formulation targeting autoimmune indications
- **2025-12** — Nurix presented durable, deepening response data from bexobrutideg Phase 1 trial in CLL at ASH 2025
- **2025-10** — DAYBreak CLL-201 pivotal Phase 2 study initiated; $250M registered offering closed
- **2025-10** — Arthur Sands delivered fireside chat at 8th TPD & Induced Proximity Summit on TPD in hematological oncology
- **2025-04** — Nurix licensed a drug discovery program to Sanofi targeting a novel transcription factor for autoimmune diseases

## Links

- Website: https://nurixtx.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-t-sands-m-d-ph-d-5392308b

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/arthur-sands
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-17