Kevin Otipoby

Kevin has more than 25 years of industry and academic experience in immunology. His work has largely focused on understanding lymphocyte activation and discovering and developing therapeutics to modulate lymphocyte activity. Kevin graduated magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. He then received his Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Washington in Seattle where he studied the role of the BCR co-receptor CD22 in B cell development and activation.

Kevin did his post-doctoral training in Klaus Rajewsky’s lab at Harvard University in Boston, where he helped establish the critical role of the BCR in mature B cell survival, proliferation, and lineage commitment. Kevin then joined the Immunology Research department at Biogen where he led the biology efforts to discover and develop small molecule inhibitors of BTK to treat multiple autoimmune diseases and a biologics program targeting long-lived plasma cells. Kevin then joined the Immunology Pharmacology group at AbbVie where, among other responsibilities, he led the biology efforts to discover a small molecule GPCR agonist with colon-restricted activity to treat IBD.

Kevin left Large Pharma to help start Pandion Therapeutics as the second employee, where he led the Immunology and Biomarker groups. At Pandion, Kevin built a successful interdisciplinary team to discover and develop a pipeline of biologics-based therapies to treat autoimmunity by either activating regulatory T cells or inhibiting effector T cells to reestablish immune homeostasis. After Pandion was acquired by Merck, Kevin joined Seismic Therapeutic as the Senior Vice President of Immunology. Kevin brings his knowledge of molecular and cellular immunology and experience in advancing projects from early discovery, through IND to the clinic.