# Robert Ross

> Robert Ross is a medical oncologist turned biotech executive and the founding CEO of Clasp Therapeutics, a Baltimore-based clinical-stage immuno-oncology company building bispecific T cell engagers that target mutated cancer driver peptides presented by HLA with what the company calls absolute specificity. Launched in March 2024 with a $150 million Series A from Third Rock Ventures, Novo Holdings and Catalio Capital, Clasp is commercializing science from Johns Hopkins legends Bert Vogelstein and Drew Pardoll. Ross previously ran Surface Oncology through its acquisition by Coherus, led oncology at bluebird bio, and trained as a physician at Columbia, Harvard, Stanford and UCSF.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer at Clasp Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** Clasp Therapeutics, Surface Oncology, bluebird bio, Genentech, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Obsidian Therapeutics, Xilio Therapeutics
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Biological Sciences and B.A. in Philosophy, Stanford University, M.S. in Medical Science, Harvard Medical School, M.D., Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Residency, Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
- **Known for:** Founding CEO of Clasp Therapeutics, raising a $150 million Series A in 2024, Led Surface Oncology as CEO through its acquisition by Coherus Biosciences, Built and led the oncology organization at bluebird bio as Head of Oncology

## Career timeline

- **—** — Fellow in Medical Oncology and faculty member at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- **—** — Roles at Genentech and Infinity Pharmaceuticals
- **—** — Head of Oncology at bluebird bio
- **—** — Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of Surface Oncology, through its acquisition by Coherus Biosciences
- **2023** — Joined Clasp Therapeutics as a founder and CEO (November 2023)
- **2024** — Clasp launches publicly with a $150M Series A (March 2024)
- **2024** — Clasp presents preclinical data on its p53-targeting T cell engager at SITC (November 2024)
- **2025** — Clasp doses first patient in the Phase 1 GUARDIAN-101 trial of CLSP-1025 (April 2025)

## Achievements

- Founding CEO of Clasp Therapeutics, raising a $150 million Series A in 2024
- Led Surface Oncology as CEO through its acquisition by Coherus Biosciences
- Built and led the oncology organization at bluebird bio as Head of Oncology
- Advanced CLSP-1025, described as the first tumor-specific T cell engager to enter clinical development, into the clinic in 2025
- Independent board director at Obsidian Therapeutics and Xilio Therapeutics

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — Clasp dosed the first patient in the Phase 1 GUARDIAN-101 trial of CLSP-1025, targeting the p53 R175H mutation presented by HLA-A*02:01.
- **2024-11** — Clasp presented comprehensive preclinical data on its p53-mutant-targeting precision T cell engager at the SITC Annual Meeting.
- **2024-03** — Clasp Therapeutics launched publicly with $150M in Series A financing led by Third Rock Ventures, with Novo Holdings and Catalio Capital.

## Links

- Website: https://clasptx.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-ross-90a32044

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