# Jean Cui

> J. Jean Cui is a medicinal chemist who has invented three FDA-approved cancer medicines and now runs the biotech she founded to do it again. As scientific founder, President and CEO of BlossomHill Therapeutics in San Diego, she designs small molecules built to outmaneuver the resistance mutations that defeat earlier drugs. Her crizotinib, lorlatinib and repotrectinib all began as chemistry problems she solved at the molecular level. In 2024 she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Her track record includes co-founding Turning Point Therapeutics, which Bristol Myers Squibb bought for $4.1 billion.

- **Role:** Scientific Founder, President and CEO at BlossomHill Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** BlossomHill Therapeutics, Inc., Turning Point Therapeutics, Inc., Pfizer, SUGEN, Inc. (Pharmacia Corporation), National Academy of Engineering
- **From:** China
- **Nationality:** American (born in China)
- **Education:** B.S. and M.S., University of Science and Technology of China, Ph.D., Ohio State University, Postdoctoral training, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory & UC Berkeley
- **Known for:** Led the design and development of three FDA-approved cancer medicines: crizotinib (XALKORI), lorlatinib (LORBRENA) and repotrectinib (AUGTYRO), Lead inventor of crizotinib, fast-tracked by the FDA in 2011 for ALK-positive NSCLC, Invented a macrocyclic platform to systematically address drug resistance in targeted cancer therapies

## Career timeline

- **1990s** — Project leader and group leader at SUGEN, Inc. (Pharmacia Corporation)
- **2000s** — Senior Principal Scientist and Associate Research Fellow at Pfizer, La Jolla, California; lead inventor of crizotinib
- **2011** — Crizotinib (XALKORI) receives FDA fast-track approval for ALK-positive NSCLC; named National Inventor of the Year
- **2013** — Co-founds Turning Point Therapeutics with Y. Peter Li; serves as Chief Scientific Officer and board member
- **2019** — Turning Point Therapeutics goes public on NASDAQ
- **2022** — Bristol Myers Squibb acquires Turning Point Therapeutics for $4.1 billion
- **2023** — Repotrectinib (AUGTYRO) approved by FDA for ROS1-positive NSCLC
- **2024** — Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
- **2025** — BlossomHill closes $84 million Series B extension, total capital raised to $257 million

## Achievements

- Led the design and development of three FDA-approved cancer medicines: crizotinib (XALKORI), lorlatinib (LORBRENA) and repotrectinib (AUGTYRO)
- Lead inventor of crizotinib, fast-tracked by the FDA in 2011 for ALK-positive NSCLC
- Invented a macrocyclic platform to systematically address drug resistance in targeted cancer therapies
- Co-founded Turning Point Therapeutics, acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb for $4.1 billion
- Elected to the National Academy of Engineering (2024)
- National Inventor of the Year Award (2011)
- ACS Heroes of Chemistry honoree for crizotinib (2013) and lorlatinib (2021)
- Distinguished Scientist Award, ACS San Diego Section (2023)
- Committee of 100 Circle of Excellence Award in Humanity in Science & Technology (2023)
- Named to The Medicine Maker Power List 2024 (Small Molecules)

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — BlossomHill announced an $84 million financing to accelerate its clinical-stage pipeline, including the macrocyclic OMNI-EGFR inhibitor BH-30643 (SOLARA trial) and CLK inhibitor BH-30236, with total capital raised reaching $257 million.
- **2024-02** — Elected to the National Academy of Engineering for contributions to oncology drug discovery.

## Links

- Website: https://bhtherapeutics.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/j-jean-cui-9b83a817
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/bhtherapeutics

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jean-cui
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-12