Welcome to Partnology’s Biotech Leader Spotlight Series, where we highlight the remarkable accomplishments and visionary leadership of biotech industry pioneers. This series is about showcasing the groundbreaking strides made by exceptional leaders who have transformed scientific possibilities into tangible realities. Through insightful interviews, we invite you to join us in following the inspiring journeys of these executives who continue to shape the landscape of the biotech industry. This week we are recognizing:
Dr. Chan Whiting serves as the Chief Scientific Officer at Deciduous Therapeutics. With a deep background in immunology and drug development, Dr. Whiting brings over twenty years of leadership experience in the biotechnology industry. In her previous role as Chief Development Officer and Head of R&D at Actym Therapeutics, Dr. Whiting was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the company’s novel microbial cellular therapy, currently in clinical trials in patients with highly immunosuppressive cancers. Prior to Actym, she held the position of Senior Vice President and Head of R&D at Tempest Therapeutics (TPST), where she advanced multiple programs from discovery to Phase 1 clinical trials. Before Tempest, Dr. Whiting served as Director at Aduro Biotech. There, she led the Department of Immune Monitoring and Biomarker Development and was the project team leader (PTL) for the personalized medicine program (neo-antigen vaccine). Dr. Whiting earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Immunology from UCLA. She completed her postdoctoral studies in inflammation and autoimmunity at Tularik and Stanford University.
Walk me through your career, highlighting the most pivotal moments or decisions throughout:
From the very beginning, I was fascinated by how cells interpret signals from the outside world and translate that information inside the cell. At Stanford, I had the opportunity to work at the cutting edge of science, where I was exposed to both the application of new technologies in genomics and applying large-scale data-driven approaches to understand biology and toward drug development. This was during the early 2000s, when the ‘omics era was taking off, and it helped shape my interest in applying computational and data mining tools to biological questions. Being in Silicon Valley, I was fortunate to be part of an environment that merged biological research with technology, allowing me to use in silico modeling and data analysis to understand disease mechanisms and potential drug targets.
This experience in the genomics era led me to industry, where I joined my first company, Entelos, Inc. We were one of the early adopters of systems biology using ‘omics data and mechanistic disease understanding combined with mathematical modeling to develop in silico disease models. My background in immunology led me to focus on autoimmune diseases like Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies and immune oncology, using these models to identify intervention points for drug target discovery.
Afterward, I was recruited to Ingenuity Systems, a company that specialized in annotating biological knowledge and developing tools to enable the analysis of large-scale ‘omics datasets. We focused on understanding the biochemical connections of proteins and pathways, and how those pathways are involved in disease. Using these insights, we developed tools to identify potential drug targets and support experimental drug development. I also had the opportunity to collaborate with the US Department of Defense on biodefense projects, where we worked on identifying therapeutic targets for bioterrorism-related pathogens like Ebola and Anthrax.
Throughout my career, I’ve been deeply interested in the intersection of science, technology, and drug development. The explosion of immune-oncology in the early 2010s was a pivotal moment, and I was fortunate to join Aduro Biotech, where I headed their clinical immune monitoring and biomarker translational research. During my time there, we were among the first to develop novel immune therapies targeting the dGAS/STING pathway and personalized medicine approaches, such as developing neoantigen-based vaccines based on an individual’s tumor mutations. We were the first ones to show that this personalized approach to cancer treatment is sound science and highly feasible. It is exciting to see the current mRNA-based neoantigen vaccines are currently being developed by companies like Moderna and BioNTech.
Following my time at Aduro, I joined Tempest Therapeutics as one of the first employees, where I helped grow the company and its programs. We worked on taking small molecules targeting immune metabolism into the clinic. From there, I moved to Actym Therapeutics as the Chief Development Officer, heading R&D. Currently, I am at Deciduous Therapeutics, where I continue to focus on developing immune therapies to target age-related diseases.
Deciduous Therapeutics focuses on immune modulation—can you share more about the company’s scientific approach and how it differentiates from other immunotherapy strategies?
Deciduous is developing immune therapies that specifically target the elimination of senescent cells, which is a novel approach for treating age-related diseases. This encompasses a wide range of conditions, including fibrosis, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Senescence is a natural process that limits the proliferation of cells. As we age, several things happen: our immune system becomes less robust, and senescent cells begin to accumulate. The accumulation of these cells promotes chronic inflammation through various mechanisms. Senescent cells produce inflammatory cytokines and other secretory components, and they also become resistant to apoptosis, which is why they tend to build up. Additionally, the decline in immune function limits the body’s ability to remove these cells, contributing to age-related diseases.
The field has focused on finding ways to eliminate these senescent cells. One common approach is through senolytics, which are compounds that target and kill senescent cells. Some companies are developing direct senolytic drugs, and even approved oncology drugs like dasatinib and quercetin have been shown to eliminate senescent cells. Additionally, some companies are working on targeting pro-growth factors, like the Bcl-2 family of proteins, that are expressed at higher levels in senescent cells to resist apoptosis. However, a key challenge in the field is that many of these targets are not unique to senescent cells. While these targets may be elevated in senescent cells, they are also present in healthy cells, which means that treatments can have on-target toxicity that’s not acceptable.
What sets Deciduous apart from other approaches is that we are not simply trying to kill senescent cells; instead, we focus on rejuvenating the immune system in a very specific way. Our lead program targets a specific immune cell population known as invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells. We use a glycolipid that specifically activates iNKT cells and not other immune cells, making the treatment highly specific and tolerable. This class of compounds has already been tested in humans.
Importantly, activating iNKT cells in this specific way also enables the immune system to recognize and target senescent cells with precision. This is based on work from Anil Bhushan (UCSF), the scientific founder of Deciduous, who showed that senescent cells have increased expression of CD1d, a molecule that presents lipid antigens to iNKT cells. This recognition of senescent cells by iNKT cells is highly specific, which makes our approach differentiated from others in the field that try to target receptors that are also expressed in healthy cells.
In summary, Deciduous’ approach is unique in that it reactivates the immune system in a precise and targeted manner, allowing for the elimination of senescent cells without the toxic risks associated with less specific therapies.
How do you approach building and leading high-performing R&D teams in biotech startups?
Not every company faces the same challenges, but in my experience—starting in small, early-stage startups and then growing with them—the needs evolve. In a small biotech setting, you really have to hire teams that can thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment. It’s not just about being smart or experienced; it takes a certain level of guts to join a company with limited funding but ambitious goals, a novel, high-risk approach, and the drive to develop new drugs.
Obviously, I always aim to bring in highly skilled and well-trained collaborators. But in a small biotech, you can’t hire everyone as a full-time employee. It’s often a mix of consultants, advisors, and core team members. And for those who do join full-time, the key traits they need are adaptability, agility, resourcefulness—and, honestly, a bit of bravery. It’s a huge risk to join a small company, but if it succeeds, the payoff can be incredible.
Beyond that, working in a small biotech demands flexibility. You have to be willing to grow, learn new things, and take on responsibilities outside your initial job description. It’s both a challenge and an opportunity. My first experience at a startup, for example, began with my immunology background, focusing on clinical immune monitoring. But soon, I had the opportunity to lead an entirely new program—pushing me outside my comfort zone to build a team, navigate regulatory pathways, and oversee CMC, QA, and everything needed to get an IND approved and running the clinical study. It was both terrifying and exhilarating, and that kind of opportunity really only exists in a small biotech setting.
So when I build teams, I look for people who are not only highly collaborative and intelligent but also independent, curious, and agile. That combination is essential for success. And so far, it’s worked well for the teams that have thrived.
As someone who advises multiple biotech startups, what advice do you have for early-stage companies looking to attract investment and strategic partnerships?
My strength is really on the science side. But having been part of so many different startups, I’ve learned a lot from CEOs and CBOs about crafting a strategy that builds investor trust and successfully grows a company.
When it comes to the key components you need, the most obvious is building a strong business and scientific story. That starts with having the most robust data package possible. From there, you have to craft a compelling narrative—what differentiates your approach from others or from the standard of care? Why does your work matter? How does it address a significant unmet need in a way that others haven’t?
Beyond that, credibility is critical. Your science and platform must be sound and scalable. That means building credibility through rigorous research, strategic collaborations with top-tier academic institutions, and assembling the best scientific and clinical advisors. These are absolute must-haves.
Then, there’s the team. Investors need to see that you have experienced leadership capable of executing your strategy and building the right team to bring it to life. And just as important as experience is team cohesion. Investors can tell when a leadership team doesn’t work well together. When you’re in a room fundraising, they can pick up on whether there’s real collaboration or underlying tension. So putting together a team that gels well and can execute effectively is essential.
Ultimately, these elements—compelling science, credibility, strong leadership, and team synergy—are the key to securing the right funding, building out your programs, and growing a successful company.
What trends do you see shaping the future of immunotherapy and autoimmune disease research?
I think precision medicine—particularly precision immunotherapy—is critical. In oncology, for example, neoantigen-targeted therapies and other approaches that tailor treatment to an individual’s disease are becoming more important. One-size-fits-all therapies simply don’t work. Even with targeted therapies in oncology, we’re still searching for patient-specific targets. Take lung cancer, for instance—there’s no single drug that works for every case. Each patient has unique mutations, so the challenge is identifying the right patients and tailoring treatments accordingly.
This concept extends beyond oncology to autoimmune diseases as well. There’s growing interest in designing personalized vaccines for autoimmunity, similar to mRNA-based cancer vaccines. The idea is to leverage new technologies—like mRNA—to target an individual’s specific autoimmune reactivity. We’ve been working toward antigen-specific tolerization for a long time, and now, with these novel platforms, we may finally achieve it.
Beyond vaccines, cellular therapies are becoming increasingly exciting in inflammation and autoimmunity. T regulatory cells engineered to target a patient’s specific antigens could be a game changer, and CAR-T therapies are already being explored for autoimmune conditions. Additionally, bispecific antibodies—such as T-cell engagers—are showing promise.
Another major trend is antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which offer greater precision in targeting disease. We’re also seeing autoimmunity learn from oncology—just as we’ve used checkpoint inhibitors to activate immune responses in cancer, can we develop checkpoint agonists to temper immune responses to treat autoimmunity? Some companies are already working on this, and it will be exciting to see how these approaches evolve. There’s a lot happening in the space, and it’s an exciting time for precision medicine.
