# Josh Bilenker

> Josh Bilenker is the CEO and co-founder of Treeline Biosciences, a Watertown, Massachusetts biotech building precision oncology medicines. A physician by training who once reviewed cancer drugs at the FDA, he founded Loxo Oncology in 2013 and took a tumor-agnostic, genomics-first approach he likened to 'moneyball' target selection. Loxo produced three FDA-approved medicines and was bought by Eli Lilly for roughly $8 billion in 2019. In 2021 he started Treeline with former Novartis research head Jeff Engelman, and in 2026 the company agreed to merge with Standard BioTools to go public as 'Treeline Biosciences' (Nasdaq: TRLN).

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Treeline Biosciences
- **Organizations:** Treeline Biosciences, Loxo Oncology, Loxo Oncology at Lilly, Aisling Capital, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Sana Biotechnology
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** M.D., The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Residency in internal medicine; fellowship in medical oncology (board certified), University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Founded Loxo Oncology, which developed three FDA-approved medicines, Led Loxo to an approximately $8 billion acquisition by Eli Lilly in 2019, Delivered roughly a 1,700% return from Loxo's $13 IPO price to Lilly's $235/share buyout

## Career timeline

- **2004** — Joined the FDA as a medical officer in the Office of Oncology Drug Products (until 2006)
- **2006** — Began life sciences investing career at Aisling Capital
- **2013** — Founded Loxo Oncology and became its founding CEO
- **2014** — Took Loxo Oncology public; shares launched at $13
- **2019** — Eli Lilly acquired Loxo Oncology for about $8 billion ($235/share)
- **2019** — Became CEO of Loxo Oncology at Lilly, Lilly's oncology R&D group
- **2021** — Co-founded Treeline Biosciences with Jeff Engelman; became CEO
- **2025** — Treeline unveiled its first clinical candidates and $200M in new funding
- **2026** — Treeline agreed to merge with Standard BioTools to trade on Nasdaq as TRLN

## Achievements

- Founded Loxo Oncology, which developed three FDA-approved medicines
- Led Loxo to an approximately $8 billion acquisition by Eli Lilly in 2019
- Delivered roughly a 1,700% return from Loxo's $13 IPO price to Lilly's $235/share buyout
- Named BioPharma Dive Executive of the Year
- Co-founded Treeline Biosciences and brought three programs into Phase 1 development
- Engineered Treeline's 2026 path to public markets via merger with Standard BioTools (Nasdaq: TRLN)

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Standard BioTools and Treeline Biosciences announced an all-stock merger; the combined company will keep the Treeline name, trade on Nasdaq as TRLN, be led by Bilenker, and hold over $900M in cash with runway into 2029.
- **2025-09** — Treeline unveiled its first clinical candidates and raised $200M; pipeline includes Phase 1 programs TLN-121, TLN-372 and TLN-254, with TLN-499 entering Phase 1 in 2026.

## Links

- Website: https://treeline.bio
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-bilenker-58655b14
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHuH5DJaoag

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/josh-bilenker
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-11