David Kirn, MD

David Kirn, MD, is co-founder and has served as Chief Executive Officer since inception in 2013. Dr. Kirn is also Professor of Bioengineering and Molecular & Cellular Biology (Adjunct) at UC Berkeley where he teaches biotechnology entrepreneurship, including in the Robinson Life Sciences Business & Entrepreneurship Program. He is a board director and co-Founder of the UC Berkeley Life Sciences Entrepreneurship Center.

Over his 30 year career, Dr. Kirn has co-founded and been CEO of four viral vector-based genetic medicines companies, three of which to date were either acquired or went public. Dr. Kirn also held senior clinical research and development positions at Onyx Pharmaceuticals (VP) and Celgene (SVP), and was a senior consultant and strategic advisor on viral vector-based genetic medicines to Novartis, Bayer, Pfizer, Biogen and others.

Dr. Kirn received a BA in Physiology (Departmental Citation; Phi Beta Kappa) from UC Berkeley, an MD (Alpha Omega Alpha) from UC San Francisco Medical School and completed internal medicine residency training at Harvard Medical School, Brigham & Women’s Hospital (including term as Chief Medical Resident at affiliated WRVA hospital). He completed medical oncology and clinical research fellowships at UC San Francisco, and he completed a certificate of business excellence from the Haas Business School at UC Berkeley. He was awarded the Johnson & Johnson Entrepreneur Innovator award from the J&J Innovation Center, was named to The Medicine Maker Power List, Advanced Medicine in 2022, and was a 2024 PharmaVoice 100 honoree in the Standout Leaders category.