Askar Kuchumov, Ph.D.

Askar Kuchumov, Ph.D. has extensive experience in business development and leadership roles in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Askar currently serves as the VP of Business Development at Abpro, a position they have held since April 2023. Prior to this, they were the VP of Business Development at Esperovax, Inc. from 2021 to March 2023. Esperovax is a preclinical stage startup focused on RNA therapeutics and oral RNA vaccine technology.

From 2018 to 2021, Kuchumov worked as the Interim CEO at Lactocore, Inc., a preclinical company working on peptide-based treatments for CNS and metabolic disorders. Askar also co-founded Astrotide, Inc. in 2015 and served as the CEO until 2017. Astrotide was founded in collaboration with a professor from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston.

Kuchumov gained industry experience at Cleveland Biolabs, Inc. where they worked as the Director of Business Development from 2011 to 2015. Cleveland Biolabs was a clinical-stage public company developing drugs for radiation protection, oncology, and infectious diseases.

Prior to their work at Cleveland Biolabs, Kuchumov held roles at Bioprocess Capital Partners, LLC as an Investment Manager and Entrepreneur-In-Residence. Askar played a key role in structuring and closing investment deals and served as Interim CEO of a portfolio company.

Earlier in their career, Kuchumov worked as a Business Development Specialist (Sales) at Becton Dickinson, a Senior Application Scientist at Tecan Group AG, and an Application Scientist at Genomic Solutions, Inc.

Overall, Kuchumov's work experience showcases their expertise in business development, leadership, and venture capital in the biotech industry.

Askar Kuchumov, Ph.D. earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU). Following this, they pursued further education at Wayne State University School of Medicine, where they obtained their Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The specific start and end years for each degree are not provided.