Occam Recruits CEO for Drug Discovery Platform Company

In late 2024, Occam recruited Mark Pykett, VMD, PhD, as CEO of Orogen Therapeutics - a Boston-based platform company applying ML algorithms to DNA Encoded Libraries (FocusDEL™) to supercharge small molecule discovery across a range of therapeutic areas. Orogen is backed by Anterra Capital and Novalis LifeSciences.

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Mark is a serial entrepreneur and accomplished biotech CEO and board member. Most recently, he served as CEO of Myrtelle - a clinical-stage gene therapy company targeting rare CNS disorders. Prior executive appointments include that of CEO of Agilis Therapeutics (which he exited to PTC Therapeutics), CSO of PTC Therapeutics, and CEO of Navidea Biopharmaceuticals.

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Mark holds a BA in Biology from Amherst College, a dual VMD/ PhD in molecular biology from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from Northeastern University. He completed postdoctoral training in cancer biology at Harvard University before entering industry.

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About Orogen Therapeutics

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Orogen Therapeutics is revolutionizing small-molecule drug discovery by integrating proprietary focused DNA-encoded libraries (FocusDEL™), virtual screening, and bespoke chemical adaptation, all powered by machine learning and guided by human insight. Their mission is to rapidly and effectively deliver groundbreaking clinical solutions to patients with serious unmet medical needs.

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The company's proprietary platform pioneers a novel drug discovery approach, enabling the efficient derivation of novel drug candidates in less time and at lower cost. Orogen's team comprises creative veteran scientists with decades of drug development experience and a deep interest in all aspects of small molecule R&D, including data science, cutting-edge AI, DNA-encoded libraries, focused libraries, target evaluation, chemistry, biochemistry, and biophysics.