Meet the Team
Co-Founder
John A. Tainer, Ph.D.
Co-Founder
John A. Tainer, Ph.D., is the Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, and Director of Structural Biology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. An NCI Outstanding Investigator and CPRIT Scholar, his research integrates structural biology and biophysics to uncover DNA-repair mechanisms and develop new strategies for precision cancer therapy.
President and CEO
Zamal Ahmed, Ph.D.
Zamal Ahmed, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. His research focuses on protein–protein interactions and cell-signaling mechanisms, including the development of allosteric small-molecule inhibitors as tools to investigate protein function and evaluate new therapeutic opportunities. His expertise includes GRB2 signaling adaptor function, strategies for artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery and functional cell imaging.
Co-Founder
Darin Jones, Ph.D.
Darin E. Jones, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Pharmaceuticals Sciences at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. A medicinal chemist, with experience in Pharma, and specializing in chemical biology and drug discovery, his research focuses on developing small molecules to investigate disease mechanisms and advance new therapeutic strategies. His expertise is on precision therapeutics for reduced toxicity and increased efficacy by design.
Todd Lorenz, M.D.
Todd Lorenz, M.D., is CEO of Abscopal Therapeutics and a board-certified physician with more than 20 years of experience in drug development and clinical-trial strategy. He has held senior leadership positions at Portola Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Catalyst Biosciences, Orexigen Therapeutics, Corgentech, and COR Therapeutics, guiding programs from translational development through global clinical trials. Played pivotal roles in multiple drug approvals.
Co-Founder
Jeff Perry, Ph.D.
Jeff Perry, Ph.D., is a co-founder of Abscopal Therapeutics and an Assistant Professor at the City of Hope Medical Center. A structural biologist and drug-discovery scientist, his research integrates structural biology, chemical biology, and fragment- and structure-based approaches to develop new small-molecule therapies for cancer and metabolic diseases. He has played pivotal roles in early stage biotechnology companies developing novel targets cancer therapeutics.