# Dee Datta

> Dee Datta, Ph.D., is co-founder and CEO of Switch Therapeutics, a San Francisco-based biotechnology company pioneering conditionally activated siRNA (CASi) molecules to treat neurodegenerative diseases and other conditions with significant unmet need. With a PhD from Caltech, an MBA from Stanford, and a career spanning venture capital at The Column Group and Longitude Capital, corporate development at Forty Seven Inc., and the C-suite at XOMA, Datta brings rare scientific depth and dealmaking fluency to one of the most ambitious RNA medicine platforms in the field. Switch raised a $52 million Series A in March 2023 and in late 2024 named its first development candidate - CASi-APOE, a brain-targeted, liver-sparing RNAi therapy aimed at the 60% of Alzheimer's patients who carry the APOE4 gene variant.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Switch Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** Switch Therapeutics, XOMA, Forty Seven Inc., The Column Group, Longitude Capital
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Ph.D., California Institute of Technology (Caltech), M.B.A., Stanford University Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Switch Therapeutics in 2020, pioneering the CASi (Conditionally Activated siRNA) platform, Led $52 million Series A financing round in March 2023, co-led by Insight Partners and UCB Ventures with Eli Lilly and others, Named Switch's first development candidate - CASi-APOE - for Alzheimer's disease in APOE4 carriers in December 2024

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Venture capitalist at Longitude Capital, focused on alternative financing strategies including royalty monetization and portfolio company formation
- **Early career** — Venture capitalist at The Column Group, early-stage life sciences investment
- **Pre-2018** — Senior Director of Business Development at XOMA, closing multiple licensing deals with Novartis and Novo Nordisk
- **Pre-2018** — Vice President of Corporate Development at Forty Seven Inc., overseeing business development, strategy, company financings, and investor relations
- **2018** — Appointed Chief Business Officer at XOMA Corporation
- **2020** — Co-founded Switch Therapeutics to develop therapeutic applications from RNAi research conducted at Caltech, Harvard Medical School, and City of Hope
- **2023-03** — Switch Therapeutics publicly launched with $52 million Series A financing co-led by Insight Partners and UCB Ventures
- **2023-09** — Dee Datta presented at Morgan Stanley 21st Annual Global Healthcare Conference
- **2024-02** — Presented at Evercore ISI 2024 Emerging Biotech Conference via virtual fireside chat
- **2024-06** — Presented at H.C. Wainwright 5th Annual Neuro Perspectives Virtual Conference
- **2024-12** — Switch Therapeutics announced first development candidate CASi-APOE, a liver-sparing APOE RNAi therapy for Alzheimer's disease, with Phase 1 planned for 2026

## Achievements

- Co-founded Switch Therapeutics in 2020, pioneering the CASi (Conditionally Activated siRNA) platform
- Led $52 million Series A financing round in March 2023, co-led by Insight Partners and UCB Ventures with Eli Lilly and others
- Named Switch's first development candidate - CASi-APOE - for Alzheimer's disease in APOE4 carriers in December 2024
- Built a scientific platform drawing on foundational research from Caltech, Harvard Medical School, and City of Hope
- Assembled scientific advisory board including renowned Alzheimer's researcher David M. Holtzman, M.D. of Washington University
- Appointed Chief Technology Officer from DTx Pharma (Charles Allerson, Ph.D.) to strengthen RNA chemistry capabilities
- Previously as VP Corporate Development at Forty Seven Inc., managed company financings and business development strategy
- Previously as CBO at XOMA, closed multiple licensing deals with Novartis and Novo Nordisk

## Latest updates

- **2024-12** — Switch Therapeutics named CASi-APOE as its first development candidate - a liver-sparing, brain-targeted APOE RNAi therapy for Alzheimer's disease in APOE4 carriers, with IND-enabling studies initiated and Phase 1 planned for 2026
- **2024-06** — Dee Datta presented at H.C. Wainwright 5th Annual Neuro Perspectives Virtual Conference
- **2024-02** — Dee Datta participated in virtual fireside chat at Evercore ISI 2024 Emerging Biotech Conference
- **2023-03** — Switch Therapeutics publicly launched with $52 million Series A financing from Insight Partners, UCB Ventures, Eli Lilly, Upfront Ventures, BOLD Capital Partners and others

## Links

- Website: https://switchthera.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/deedatta

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dee-datta
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-14