May 1st, 2025

Host: Hubert Huang

Larry Hamann

Interdict Bio

Sequence-Selective Translation Inhibition as a Novel, Proximity-Based Cancer Therapeutic Modality

Larry Hamann is currently co-founder, president and CEO of Interdict Bio, pioneering small-molecule context-dependent translation inhibitors for addressing historically undruggable targets in oncology and neurodegeneration. Previously, he was Global Head of Discovery at Takeda.  Prior to Takeda, he was Corporate VP and Global Head of Small Molecule Drug Discovery at Celgene, and prior to Celgene, stints at Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Ligand.  In >30 years in drug discovery, his teams have advanced >22 molecules into the clinic, including ONGLYZA™, DAKLINZA™, and branaplam, as well as mezigdomide, golcadomide, and gridegalutamide - targeted protein degraders all currently in Phase III.  He is co-inventor on >70 patents, co-author on >90 scientific publications, and advises many biotechs and VCs. He is a recipient of the ACS Heroes of Chemistry Award, the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry Award, and was inducted into the Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame.  Larry holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Michigan.

Nick Till

Stanford University

Redirecting Trogocytosis for Targeted Protein Transfer

Nick Till earned a B.A. in Chemistry from Reed College where he studied bismuth catalysis in Professor Rebecca LaLonde’s lab.  After internship experiences at Gilead and Genentech, Nick joined Professor David W. C. MacMillan’s lab at Princeton University where he completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry.  There he developed new Ni/photoredox dual catalytic reactions and elucidated elementary mechanistic steps relevant to cross-coupling reactions that are widely employed in academic and industrial settings. He then joined Professor Carolyn Bertozzi’s lab at Stanford University where he works as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow using chemical approaches to manipulate the cell surface through various induced proximity modalities.