covalent-inhibitors
(2)
Nassim Usman
Nassim Usman is an organic chemist turned biotech operator who runs Totus Medicines, an Emeryville, California company using a DNA-encoded covalent library platform (OmniDEL) paired with machine learning to build small-molecule drugs against targets long considered undruggable. He took the CEO chair in December 2023 alongside a $66 million Series B, and its lead drug, TOS-358, is the first covalent PI3K-alpha inhibitor in the clinic. Over three decades he has moved from bench chemistry on RNA and ribozymes to the top jobs at Sirna Therapeutics, Catalyst Biosciences, and Principia Biopharma, plus a stint as a venture investor at Morgenthaler Ventures.
Totus Medicines
Totus Medicines is a clinical-stage precision medicines company in Emeryville, California, building covalent small-molecule drugs against historically undruggable targets. Its AI-powered OmniDEL platform screens billions of DNA-encoded covalent candidates against thousands of targets inside living cells, surfacing molecules that older methods miss. Its lead program, TOS-358, is the first and only covalent PI3Ka inhibitor in clinical development, showing class-leading tolerability and strong disease control in breast, endometrial, and head & neck cancers.