About me

I’m an entrepreneur and investor. Currently, I’m the Managing Director of Ascendant Venture, a family office investing in startups, with a focus on justice tech (companies that help current and former incarcerated people), and Founder of Infinita Life Science, a biotech focused on curing aging. I’m also actively involved in Bio Usawa, that will manufacture low cost cancer drugs for patients in Africa, and AdoraPet, which will bring healthier, allergy-free pets to pet parents.

Previously, I was Founder and CEO of KindredBio (NASDAQ:KIN), a biotech company that develops therapeutics for pets, which was acquired by Elanco. Before that, I was the CEO of the first U.S. nonprofit drug development company, Institute for OneWorld Health, CEO of Oxigene (NASDAQ:OXGN), and Head of Global Development for Elan. Before that, I served in various clinical roles at Genentech, including Head of Clinical Research for the Biotherapeutics Unit, overseeing approximately half of products at Genentech. I was previously an Associate Professor at UCSF School of Medicine, where I taught drug development to students, fellows, and junior faculty.

I am a physician by training (Harvard Medical School, Barnes Hospital), and a lawyer by training as well (albeit in British law, at Oxford, under a Rhodes Scholarship). In 2006, BusinessWeek named me as one of 99 youngest public company CEOs in the United States.

I have a lot of experience in drug development, including dozens of INDs and numerous NDA/BLA/MAA/etc on the human side, and now INADs and NADAs on the veterinary side. Some of my previous projects include semisynthetic artemisinin, Xolair, Lucentis, Tysabri, TNKase, Raptiva, Cathflo, Prialt, Rituxan in immunological diseases, Hedgehog antagonist, Protropin, Nutropin, Pulmozyme, Azactam, Maxipime, and anti-beta amyloid antibody, among others. Drugs I’ve developed have current aggregate sales of well over $10 billion per year.

You can see my full background at LinkedIn.

About this blog

My main domain of expertise is clinical and regulatory development. However, while I was running OneWorld Health, drug development productivity became my primary interest because when you’re developing drugs for patients earning 50 cents a day, you need to figure out how to be a more efficient drug developer. This blog was started to reflect these interests. It has since evolved to include my additional interests, including management and aging research.

Contact Information

You can contact me at richard.chin@clinicaltrialist.com