Nimbus hires Loh from Kymera to lead biology team

Nimbus Therapeutics has hired Christine Loh to lead its biology team. Loh joins the computational chemistry specialist after a two-year stint at Kymera Therapeutics.

Kymera hired Loh as vice president of biology in 2017 and moved her to the VP of translational medicine post earlier this year. Those positions gave Loh a leading role in Kymera’s biomarker strategy, patient selection and efforts to build up resources to take drug candidates into the clinic. Kymera is due to take a IRAK4 protein degrader into the clinic next year. 

Prior to joining Kymera, Loh, who has a Ph.D. in immunology, spent spells at Biogen, Bioverativ, Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline’s Sirtris. Loh worked in areas including target research and immunology during those spells.

That background landed Loh the position of SVP, head of biology at Nimbus. The appointment puts Loh in contact with wholly owned discovery-stage programs against targets including STING and ACLY. Nimbus is also working on drugs in partnership with Celgene and has partnered with Genentech on a target familiar to Loh from her time at Kymera, IRAK4. Genentech is responsible for that program.

Working in partnership with Schrödinger, the computational chemistry specialist that co-founded the biotech, Nimbus has validated those targets and other therapeutic avenues for Loh and her team of biologists to pursue. 

“The company’s suite of well-validated targets provides valuable opportunities to develop novel therapeutic agents,” Loh said in a statement.

Loh leaves Kymera two months after co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer Nello Mainolfi replaced Laurent Audoly as CEO. When Audoly left, Kymera said the former CEO had “decided to pursue new entrepreneurial opportunities.” Two months later, Audoly is yet to publicly take up a new position.