John Lepore, M.D. is CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering and CEO of ProFound Therapeutics, an early stage biotechnology company harnessing the expanded human proteome to identify novel, first-in-class protein drugs and drug targets.
Dr. Lepore joined ProFound after 17 years at GSK where he had extensive experience leading international R&D organizations across diverse therapeutic areas. He was most recently Senior Vice President, Head of Research at GSK where he led a large organization of scientists and physicians focused on leveraging the science of immunology, human genetics and genomics, and applying advanced technologies to identify novel drug targets, discover new therapeutic molecules, and demonstrate proof of mechanism in clinical studies.
Dr. Lepore joined GSK in 2006 and held roles of increasing responsibility including VP of Clinical Pharmacology and Discovery Medicine, VP and Head of the Heart Failure Discovery Performance Unit, SVP and Head of the Metabolic Pathways and Cardiovascular Therapeutic Area Unit, and SVP R&D Pipeline responsible for end-to-end R&D activities across multiple therapeutic areas. He was also Interim Head of Business Development and played a key role in multiple preclinical and clinical deals to augment the GSK pipeline. At GSK, he chaired the Research Review and Investment Boards, responsible for project prioritization and capital allocation across research and early clinical development.
Before joining GSK, Dr. Lepore was on the faculty of the Cardiovascular Medicine Division of the Department of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where his lab investigated the transcriptional regulation of cardiovascular development, and he was attending physician on the academic cardiology service.
Dr. Lepore received his B.S. in Biology from the University of Scranton and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Scholar. He subsequently trained in internal medicine and cardiology and served as Medical Chief Resident at Massachusetts General Hospital, with post-doctoral training at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Lepore was previously on the Board of Directors of ViiV Healthcare, the Altius Institute, and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), and the Scientific Advisory Boards of Medicxi Ventures and Hatteras Ventures. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of ProFound Therapeutics, KSQ Therapeutics, and the Innovation Growth Board of Mass General Brigham.