Christoph Lengauer

Scientific Advisor at Mersana Therapeutics

Christoph is a partner at Third Rock Ventures where he has been instrumental in founding and launching several companies. He currently serves as the Chief Innovation Officer at Thrive Earlier Detection as well as the CSO at Celsius Therapeutics. Christoph has contributed to the discovery and development of seven FDA-approved cancer medicines, including AYVAKIT™ indicated for the treatment of adults with unresectable or metastatic GIST harboring a PDGFRA exon 18 mutation with an overall response rate of 84%.

Prior to joining Third Rock, Christoph was CSO and chief drug hunter at Blueprint Medicines, global head of oncology drug discovery at Sanofi, and senior unit head of oncology discovery at Novartis. Prior to Novartis, Christoph was an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he was involved in the identification of several cancer driver genes including PIK3CA and BRAF. As part of his research, Christoph discovered that all cancers are genetically unstable, which explains the molecular heterogeneity of cancer and why cancers develop resistance to cancer drugs. He has authored more than 100 scientific articles published in top-tier scientific journals, including Cell, Nature and Science.

Christoph studied human genetics in Salzburg, Austria and got his PhD in biology from the University of Heidelberg in Germany. He received his MBA with a focus on medical services management from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. Christoph has received numerous awards, including the Novartis Oncology President’s Award for Top Innovator. He has been elected to membership in the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars. Christoph is a strong and outspoken advocate of patients’ rights and is featured in the New York Times bestseller and HBO movie The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. He coached the Johns Hopkins Women’s soccer team for several years and was director of coaching at the Baltimore Bays Premier Soccer Club.

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Timeline

  • Scientific Advisor

    Current role