About QED Therapeutics

Who we are

A subsidiary of BridgeBio, QED focuses on precision medicine for FGFR-driven cancers and conditions. We live by our name: QED, derived from the Latin “Quod Erat Demonstrandum” —Thus, It Has Been Proven.

Our business is inspired by our values.

  • Put patients first
  • Think independently
  • Be radically transparent
  • EVERY MINUTE COUNTS
  • LET SCIENCE SPEAK

About us

QED Therapeutics has developed a strategic partnership with Helsinn to advance the oncology portfolio while maintaining sole ownership and development control of infigratinib for the treatment of achondroplasia. Future studies will investigate infigratinib for additional FGFR-driven tumor types and rare disorders.

FGFR=fibroblast growth factor receptor.

Our Team

Michael Henderson, MD

Chief Executive Officer

Michael joined BridgeBio to bring genetically targeted treatments to those patients with the highest unmet need. He is responsible for identifying and acquiring new technologies and playing a role in both the parent and subsidiary companies. Michael is the CEO of QED Therapeutics and has overseen the creation of 17 companies. He is a voting board member for 5 of BridgeBio’s subsidiary companies and cofounded PellePharm, one of BridgeBio’s portfolio companies, while in medical school. Prior to BridgeBio, Michael consulted for McKinsey & Company’s Silicon Valley Office where he served biotech clients across the US and EU. He received his BA from Harvard University and holds an MD from Stanford University. Originally from Oklahoma, he is a die-hard fan of the Oklahoma Sooners and a sworn enemy of any football team that opposes them.

Matt Outten, MBA, ALM, CPC

Chief Commercial Officer

Matt joined QED with over 20 years of pharmaceutical/biotech experience, focusing on oncology and various product launches. Before joining QED, Matt held various leadership positions at Pharmacyclics, including VP of Marketing and Market Access, VP of Commercial Operations, and Chief Commercial Officer. During his time at Pharmacyclics, Matt led the successful launch of Imbruvica for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and spearheaded launches in 5 additional disease states. Matt has also held important roles across marketing, sales, and market access at pharmaceutical and biotech companies including Millennium, Schering Plough, and GlaxoSmithKline. Matt received his BA from Hamilton College, MBA from The University of Delaware, and ALM from Harvard.

Rick Panicucci, PhD

Senior Vice President of CMC

Prior to joining BridgeBio, Rick served as VP of Pharmaceutical Development Services at WuXi STA, where he provided scientific leadership in formulation development and GMP manufacturing. From 2004 to 2015, Rick was Global Head of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Profiling (CPP) at Novartis. His responsibilities included analytics, solid state chemistry, and formulation development for all small molecule therapeutics. He also helped develop novel drug delivery technologies for small molecules and large molecules including oligonucleotides. Rick has also led R&D groups at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Symbollon Pharmaceuticals, Biogen, and Bausch & Lomb. He received a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Toronto and did a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Board of Directors

Neil Kumar, PhD

President and Chairman of the Board

Neil is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of BridgeBio Pharma LLC, a company focused on the development of novel therapies for genetic diseases. Prior to founding BridgeBio, he held prominent roles with both established and emerging companies, including Principal at Third Rock Ventures, VP of Business Development and Operations for MyoKardia, and Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company. Additionally, Neil was involved in the formation of a gene chip startup and was a technical consultant for AstraZeneca’s pathway signaling group. Neil is the author of several peer-reviewed papers in the fields of oncology and systems biology. He holds BS and MS degrees in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University, and received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Frank McCormick, PhD

Board of Directors

A professor at the University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. Prior to joining the UCSF faculty, Frank has held leadership positions with several San Francisco Bay Area biotechnology firms specializing in cancer care, including Cetus Corp and Chiron Corp. In 1992, he founded Onyx Pharmaceuticals, a company dedicated to developing new cancer therapies, and served as its Chief Scientific Officer until 1996. At Onyx, he initiated and led drug discovery efforts that led to the approval of Sorafenib for treatment of renal cell cancer and hepatocellular cancer in the United States as well as approval of ONYX-015 in China for treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer. Frank is the author of over 285 scientific publications and holds 20 issued patents. He served as President (2012-2013) for the American Association for Cancer Research. More recently, he has taken a leadership role at the Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research, overseeing an NCI-supported national effort to develop therapies against RAS-driven cancers.

BridgeBio

Our parent company

BridgeBio is a team of experienced drug discoverers, developers and innovators working to create life-altering medicines that target well-characterized genetic diseases at their source. Founded in 2015, BridgeBio’s mission is to identify and advance transformative medicines to treat patients who suffer from Mendelian diseases, which are diseases that arise from defects in a single gene, and cancers with clear genetic drivers. BridgeBio’s pipeline of more than 20 development programs includes product candidates ranging from early discovery to late-stage development.

Logo for Bridge Bio: hope through rigorous science