# Perry Nisen

> Perry Nisen is a physician-scientist and CEO of Quanta Therapeutics, a South San Francisco biotech building next-generation oral KRAS inhibitors for RAS-driven cancers. A former pediatric oncologist turned pharma executive, he ran the GSK oncology portfolio later acquired by Novartis for over $16 billion, led the Sanford Burnham Prebys research institute, and serves on Teva's board. He now chases the 'undruggable' mutations that drive a quarter of all human cancers.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Quanta Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** Quanta Therapeutics, Sofinnova Investments, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott Laboratories, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- **From:** New York, New York, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S., Stanford University, M.D. and Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Residency, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
- **Known for:** Led the GSK oncology portfolio later acquired by Novartis for over $16 billion, Served as CEO of the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, Independent Director of Teva Pharmaceuticals and chair of its Science and Technology Committee

## Career timeline

- **1980s-1990s** — Lowe Foundation Professor of Neuro-Oncology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; practiced pediatric hematology-oncology
- **1990s-2000s** — Divisional Vice President, Cancer Research and Oncology Clinical Development at Abbott Laboratories
- **2000s-2014** — Senior leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline: Oncology Therapy Area Head, interim Chief Medical Officer, SVP of Science and Innovation
- **2014** — Appointed CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, holding the Donald Bren Chief Executive Chair
- **2017** — Retired from Sanford Burnham Prebys
- **2018** — Joined Sofinnova Investments as Executive Partner / Executive Advisor; founding Executive Chairman of Quanta Therapeutics
- **2021** — Became Chief Executive Officer of Quanta Therapeutics in June
- **2023** — Quanta closed a $50.7M Series D led by Avidity Partners; total raised over $142M

## Achievements

- Led the GSK oncology portfolio later acquired by Novartis for over $16 billion
- Served as CEO of the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
- Independent Director of Teva Pharmaceuticals and chair of its Science and Technology Committee
- Built Quanta Therapeutics' allosteric drug discovery platform targeting RAS-driven cancers
- Advanced two lead KRAS programs (QTX3034 multi-KRAS and QTX3046 G12D-selective) toward the clinic
- Recipient of Alpha Omega Alpha, the Macintosh Fellowship, the Basil O'Connor Research Award, and a Woodward Visiting Scholar appointment at Harvard

## Latest updates

- **2023-05** — Quanta Therapeutics closed a $50.7M Series D led by Avidity Partners, bringing total funding past $142M, to advance its KRAS pipeline toward clinical trials.

## Links

- Website: https://quantatx.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/perry-nisen-91115818

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/perry-nisen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-08