Mike Kagey

Mike Kagey has extensive experience in the field of translational medicine and research. Mike started their career as a Ph.D. student at the University of Virginia, where they focused on studying polycomb proteins. Mike then moved on to work as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, where they developed a high-throughput screen for identifying chromatin regulators and transcription factors.

After their postdoctoral work, Kagey joined Tensha Therapeutics, a company focused on developing small molecule BET bromodomain inhibitors for oncology. There, they contributed to the research and development efforts, leveraging discoveries made by Dr. James Bradner.

Kagey's next venture was Leap Therapeutics, where they held various roles over the years. Mike started as an Associate Director of Research and later became the Director of Translational Research. In these positions, they played a pivotal role in advancing the company's understanding of therapeutic antibodies and leading CDx and biomarker efforts for the therapeutic antibody DKN-01, which targets the Wnt signaling modulator DKK1. Mike eventually rose to the position of Senior Director of Translational Medicine before becoming the Vice President of Translational Medicine in 2023.

Additionally, Kagey was a co-founder of Crew Cut Landscape, a landscape company that they owned and operated for five years before selling it.

Mike Kagey obtained a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics from the University of Virginia between 2000 and 2006. Prior to that, they completed their undergraduate education at Bucknell University, earning a B.S. degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from 1996 to 2000.