# David Hilbert, Ph.D.

> David M. Hilbert, Ph.D., founded Arcellx and served as its president and CEO before becoming chief technical officer in 2021 and transitioning to consulting in January 2022. His earlier career included research leadership at Human Genome Sciences, Cellective Therapeutics and Zyngenia. He holds a B.S. from Haverford College and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

- **Role:** Independent consultant (reported December 2024); founder and former CEO and chief technical officer, Arcellx
- **Organizations:** Arcellx, Human Genome Sciences, Cellective Therapeutics, Zyngenia
- **Education:** B.S., Haverford College, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Founded Arcellx in 2014., Led Arcellx as president and CEO during its 2019 $85 million Series B financing., Held research leadership positions at Human Genome Sciences, Cellective Therapeutics and Zyngenia.

## Career timeline

- **1996** — Joined Human Genome Sciences; spent eight years there, ultimately as vice president of research.
- **2004–2005** — Vice president of research at Cellective Therapeutics, acquired by MedImmune in October 2005.
- **2006–2009** — Consulted with scientists, executives and venture firms on early-stage company strategy and operations.
- **2009-10** — Joined Zyngenia as vice president of research and development.
- **2011-12** — Promoted to chief scientific officer of Zyngenia.
- **2014** — Founded Arcellx; the company was incorporated as Encarta Therapeutics in December.
- **2016-01** — Encarta Therapeutics changed its name to Arcellx.
- **2019-10** — Arcellx announced an $85 million Series B financing while Hilbert was president and CEO.
- **2021-01** — Transitioned from CEO to chief technical officer as Rami Elghandour became chairman and CEO.
- **2022-01** — Transitioned to a consultant role effective January 2.
- **2024-12** — Identified as an independent consultant in a Human Genome Sciences alumni profile.
- **2026-06** — Spoke at The Next Helix event in Germantown, according to October 2026 retrospective coverage.

## Achievements

- Founded Arcellx in 2014.
- Led Arcellx as president and CEO during its 2019 $85 million Series B financing.
- Held research leadership positions at Human Genome Sciences, Cellective Therapeutics and Zyngenia.
- Named with David William LaFleur as an inventor on US patent 10,662,248, issued May 26, 2020.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — An October 6 BioBuzz retrospective discussed Hilbert’s career and his June appearance at The Next Helix event in Germantown.
- **2026-04** — Gilead completed its acquisition of Arcellx, the company Hilbert founded, on April 28; the announced total implied equity value at closing was approximately $7.8 billion.

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/david-hilbert
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-20