Nathaniel David is an American scientist and biotechnology entrepreneur who has co-founded several life sciences companies that together have raised more than $1.5 billion in financing and contributed to the development of multiple FDA-approved medicines, including
alogliptin,
trelagliptin,
Zemiglo (Zemdi), '
Zemdri'', and '
Kybella''.
Biography
Education and Career
David earned an A.B. in Biology from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
.
While completing his doctorate, he co-founded Syrrx in 1999. The company developed a high-throughput structural biology platform that used automation and miniaturization to accelerate protein structure determination. David was named to the
MIT Technology Review TR35, a list of top global innovators under the age of 35. Syrrx was acquired by
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in 2005, and its research contributed to the development of
Nesina (alogliptin), a diabetes drug approved by the FDA.
David later co-founded Achaogen (NASDAQ: AKAO), focused on developing treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections. Achaogen develope
Zemdri(
plazomicin), which was approved by the FDA for complicated urinary tract infections.
In 2005, David co-founded Kythera Biopharmaceticals (NASDAQ: KYTH), where he served as Chief Science Officer. The company develope
Kybella the first FDA-approved injectable drug for reducing submental fat. Kythera went public in 2012 and was acquired by Allergan in 2015 for $2.1 billion.
In 2011, he also co-founde
UNITY Biotechnology(NASDAQ: UBX).
Recent Work
In 2021, David co-founded '
Jupiter Bioventures'' with former National Cancer Institute director
Ned Sharpless. Jupiter Bioventures is a venture foundry that supports the development of therapeutic companies based on emerging biological science. It launched with an initial fund of $70 million and focuses on areas such as oncology and immunology.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:David, Nathaniel
Living people
American molecular biologists
1967 births
Harvard College alumni
American company founders
University of California, Berkeley alumni