Scientific Advisory Board

Tarak Mody, PhD is a strategic advisor to several oncology-focused biotech companies, supporting their business development, licensing, and corporate development efforts. With 32+ years of professional experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Mody has a proven track record of forging transformative strategic partnerships.

Dr. Mody currently serves on multiple Advisory Boards and is on the Board of Directors for InnovoTEX, a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel macrocyclic drug conjugates for cancer.

Most recently, he held the position of Chief Business Officer at the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) thru August 31, 2025. During his four-year tenure, he led business development, technology licensing, and alliance management, forming numerous mission-focused strategic alliances with pharma, biotech, and not-for-profit organizations to accelerate breakthrough immuno-oncology therapies for patients.

Prior to PICI, he served as Vice President of Business Development and Alliance Management at Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc. (now Amgen, Inc.), a biotech company focused on developing immuno-oncology and targeted therapies for patients with cancer (2013-2021). He led the global partnering process on the breakthrough gastric cancer product bemarituzumab, culminating in the $1.9 billion acquisition of Five Prime by Amgen Inc. in 2021. During his tenure, he also forged several key strategic oncology partnerships, including those with Bristol Myers Squibb ($1.7+ billion transformative deal), Seattle Genetics (now Pfizer), and Zai Lab.

Before Five Prime, Dr. Mody spent 20 years (1993-2013) at Pharmacyclics, Inc. (now AbbVie, Inc.), transitioning from a founding member of the R&D Team to the head of business development and intellectual property (2006-2013). He orchestrated the $1+ billion transformative global 50:50 alliance with Johnson & Johnson on the breakthrough product ibrutinib (IMBRUVICA®), a first-in-class, blockbuster bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, currently approved for several blood cancers. During his tenure, Dr. Mody was also instrumental in rebuilding the company’s pipeline by acquiring a multi-asset portfolio from Celera Genomics in 2006, which included ibrutinib and fostered several partnerships with large pharma. He is a co-inventor on over 100 issued US and international patents.

Dr. Mody received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin under Professor Jonathan L. Sessler (Member of National Academy of Sciences). His doctoral work on the novel class of compounds, texaphyrins, was the original scientific basis for the formation of Pharmacyclics, Inc. He also holds a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Mathematics from Villanova University and is a recipient of several prestigious doctoral fellowships and awards.