# Roy Maute

> Roy Maute is co-founder and CEO of Pheast Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech in Redwood City, CA, developing macrophage-targeted cancer immunotherapies. Trained at UC Berkeley, Columbia (PhD, Genetics), and Stanford (postdoc under Irving Weissman), Maute has built a career at the intersection of innate immunology and drug development. Before Pheast, he co-founded Ab Initio Biotherapeutics (acquired by Ligand in 2019) and led translational research at Forty Seven Inc. ahead of its $4.9B acquisition by Gilead in 2020. At Pheast, he is advancing PHST001, a novel anti-CD24 antibody that teaches macrophages to eat cancer cells, currently in Phase 1 clinical trials with FDA Fast Track Designation for ovarian cancer.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Pheast Therapeutics
- **Organizations:** Pheast Therapeutics, Ab Initio Biotherapeutics, Forty Seven Inc., Gilead Sciences, Stanford University, Columbia University
- **From:** Dallas, Texas, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley, Ph.D. in Genetics, Columbia University, Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (Lab of Dr. Irving Weissman), Stanford University School of Medicine
- **Known for:** Co-founded Ab Initio Biotherapeutics, acquired by Ligand Pharmaceuticals in 2019, Led translational research at Forty Seven Inc. ahead of its $4.9B acquisition by Gilead Sciences, Co-founded Pheast Therapeutics and raised $76M Series A

## Career timeline

- **2015** — Co-founded Ab Initio Biotherapeutics with Kenneth Lin; served as Head of Biology, developing patented antigen technology for targeting GPCRs
- **2019** — Ab Initio Biotherapeutics acquired by Ligand Pharmaceuticals for $12 million
- **2019** — Joined Forty Seven Inc. as Director of Translational Research; led biomarker strategy for magrolimab (anti-CD47 checkpoint inhibitor)
- **2020** — Forty Seven Inc. acquired by Gilead Sciences for $4.9 billion; continued as Senior Research Scientist leading Biomarkers Science team
- **2021** — Co-founded Pheast Therapeutics; became CEO and Chief Scientific Officer
- **2022** — Pheast Therapeutics raised $76M Series A led by Catalio Capital Management and ARCH Venture Partners
- **2025** — FDA granted Fast Track Designation for PHST001 (anti-CD24 antibody) for ovarian cancer treatment
- **2026** — Pheast dosed first patient in Phase 1b combination cohorts (March 2026)
- **2026** — Presented initial Phase 1a clinical data at AACR 2026 showing early clinical activity and target engagement for PHST001

## Achievements

- Co-founded Ab Initio Biotherapeutics, acquired by Ligand Pharmaceuticals in 2019
- Led translational research at Forty Seven Inc. ahead of its $4.9B acquisition by Gilead Sciences
- Co-founded Pheast Therapeutics and raised $76M Series A
- Secured FDA Fast Track Designation for PHST001 in ovarian cancer (June 2025)
- Advanced PHST001 into Phase 1b combination cohorts (March 2026)
- Presented initial Phase 1a clinical data at AACR 2026 demonstrating early clinical activity
- Published peer-reviewed research on PD-1 variants, CD47-SIRPα therapeutics, and macrophage checkpoint biology
- Co-invented patented antigen discovery technology for multi-transmembrane protein targeting (Ab Initio)

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Presented preclinical data on second program PHST677 (bispecific ADC targeting CDH1 and Nectin-4) at PEGS Boston Summit 2026 - first public disclosure of CDH1 as a novel immune-regulatory ADC target
- **2026-04** — Presented initial Phase 1a clinical data at AACR 2026 showing early clinical activity and target engagement for PHST001 in advanced solid tumor patients
- **2026-03** — Pheast dosed first patient in Phase 1b combination cohorts for PHST001, evaluating combination with chemotherapy in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer
- **2025-11** — Pheast Therapeutics completed latest funding round (per Apollo data: raised as of November 2025)
- **2025-06** — FDA granted Fast Track Designation for PHST001 for the treatment of ovarian cancer

## Links

- Website: https://pheast.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/roy-maute-2b31b975

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/roy-maute
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-13