# Vishwanath Lingappa

> Vishwanath Lingappa is the CEO and CTO of Prosetta Biosciences, a San Francisco-based biotechnology company he founded in 2003 after 22 years as a faculty member at UCSF. An MD-PhD with a doctorate from The Rockefeller University under Nobel laureate Gunter Blobel, Lingappa developed a proprietary Cell-Free Protein Synthesis System (CFPSS) drug discovery platform that targets transient multi-protein complexes - a class of drug targets largely ignored by traditional pharma. His company is pursuing small-molecule therapeutics across neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, ALS, Parkinson's), oncology, and infectious diseases (COVID-19, HIV, influenza), and won an ARPA-H Dash competition for a pan-cancer drug candidate. With over 157 publications and 12,800+ citations, Lingappa bridges rigorous academia with commercial biotech ambition.

- **Role:** CEO and CTO at Prosetta Biosciences Inc
- **Organizations:** Prosetta Biosciences Inc, UCSF (Professor Emeritus)
- **From:** Lafayette, Indiana, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. with High Honors, Swarthmore College, Ph.D. (Molecular Biology), The Rockefeller University, M.D., Cornell University Medical College (Weill Cornell)
- **Known for:** First graduate student of Nobel laureate Gunter Blobel at The Rockefeller University, 157 published scientific papers with over 12,800 citations, Kaiser Award for Teaching Excellence at UCSF (1990)

## Career timeline

- **1954** — Born in Lafayette, Indiana to Indian immigrant academics B.T. and Yamuna Lingappa
- **1975** — Graduated Swarthmore College with B.A. with High Honors
- **1979** — Completed Ph.D. at The Rockefeller University as first graduate student of future Nobel laureate Gunter Blobel
- **1980** — Completed M.D. at Cornell University Medical College
- **1982** — Joined UCSF faculty in Departments of Physiology and Medicine
- **1990** — Received Kaiser Award for Teaching Excellence at UCSF
- **1999** — Mentor Gunter Blobel wins Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- **2003** — Founded Prosetta Biosciences in San Francisco
- **2004** — Left UCSF after 22 years to lead Prosetta full-time; elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- **2007** — Prosetta raises Series A funding of $2 million
- **2015** — Prosetta raises approximately $31 million in Series D private placement with investors including Takeda Pharmaceutical and Alger Management
- **2021** — Prosetta announces novel small-molecule solution to COVID-19 crisis
- **2023** — Won ARPA-H Dash to Accelerate Health Outcomes competition with 'One Drug For All Cancers' entry
- **2024** — Prosetta named only biotech company in Scripps Research Institute's NIH-funded Center for Pandemic Preparedness

## Achievements

- First graduate student of Nobel laureate Gunter Blobel at The Rockefeller University
- 157 published scientific papers with over 12,800 citations
- Kaiser Award for Teaching Excellence at UCSF (1990)
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2004)
- Won ARPA-H Dash to Accelerate Health Outcomes competition with pan-cancer drug candidate
- Only biotech company invited into Scripps Research Institute's NIH-funded Center for Pandemic Preparedness
- Secured over $35 million in non-dilutive government contracts for Prosetta
- Partnerships with Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Elanco, and Takeda Pharmaceutical
- Professor Emeritus of Physiology and Medicine at UCSF
- ORCID: 0000-0003-0962-6571

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Prosetta named the only biotech company in Scripps Research Institute's NIH-funded Center for Pandemic Preparedness
- **2023-06** — Won ARPA-H Dash to Accelerate Health Outcomes competition with 'One Drug For All Cancers' submission
- **2023-01** — PAV-615 assembly modulator advancing in preclinical ALS/FTD models; PAV-617 and PAV-951 showing pan-cancer cytotoxicity; moving toward FDA Phase I clinical trials
- **2021-01** — Prosetta announces novel small-molecule drug candidates effective against COVID-19, influenza, and common cold without drug resistance liability

## Links

- Website: https://prosetta.com/vishwanath
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/vishwanath-r-lingappa-200a129
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/vishwanath_git
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vishwanath.lingappa

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