Press Release
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August 7, 2025

Bioptimus Strengthens Commercial and Scientific Leadership with Key Hires

Bioptimus, the company building the world’s first universal AI foundation model for biology, is thrilled to announce the addition of two exceptional leaders to its team: Ketan Patel joins as Head of Product, and Tokuwa Kanno as Head of Computational Biology.

These hires mark a new chapter in Bioptimus’ mission to place users and biological insight at the center of foundation model development. Following the arrival of Chief Commercial Officer, Julie Gerardi, these strategic additions further accelerate the company’s push to deliver real-world value to researchers, clinicians, and innovators around the globe.

Ketan Patel brings over two decades of experience driving innovation at the intersection of data, AI, and life sciences. Most recently, Ketan served as VP of Product Strategy at Clarivate, where he shaped solutions for pharmaceutical R&D and evidence-based decision-making. Prior to Clarivate, he held senior product leadership roles at AstraZeneca, Oracle, Pfizer, and Eli Lilly, where he led the development of digital tools and platforms to acceleratedrug discovery and development.

Ketan Patel:

“Biology is undergoing a data revolution, and Bioptimus is at the frontier of turning that data into understanding. Joining this team is a rare chance to rethink how we model biology itself — and bring powerful tools tothe scientific community.”

Tokuwa Kanno is an accomplished leader in computational biology and AI-driven drug discovery. He joins from GSK, where he led a team of computational biologists focused on leveraging large-scale biological data and AI to advance oncology pre-clinical and translational research . Previously, he held pivotal roles at Sanofi and Johnson & Johnson, where his research focussed on unlocking new insights into disease biology, drug mechanisms of action and drug-resistance biomarkers.

Tokuwa Kanno:

“The opportunity to build a foundation model that can transform how we model and interpret  biology is incredibly exciting. Bioptimus is uniquely positioned to bridge scientific depth with real-world utility, and I’m thrilled to help shape a product that will empower the next generation of researchers and innovators.”

Jean-Philippe Vert, CEO of Bioptimus:

“We’re assembling a world-class team to take on one of the most ambitious challenges in science. With Ketan and Tokuwa on board, we’re reinforcing our commitment to user impact and scientific excellence at every level of the company.”

Bioptimus continues to attract global talent united by a shared vision: to unlock the complexity of life with AI and build models that transform biology

Author
Author
The Bioptimus Team