David de Graaf

Co-Founder, CEO & President @ Reverb Therapeutics | Drug Discovery & Development

Greater Boston

About

I have the immodest goal of believing I can change the underpinnings of research and development of pharmaceuticals in order to provide integrative, personalized patient care in all therapeutic areas. I think that leadership should provide vision and direction, but I also believe that everyone needs to contribute to filling in that vision in a collaborative and constructive environment. I believe that unique skills are undervalued in large organizations and can shine in smaller ones.

Experience

  • Co-Founder, CEO & President at Reverb Therapeutics
    Sep 2022 - Present · 3 yrs 10 mos

    Reverb Therapeutics' Amplify•R platform uses the power of bispecific antibodies to modulate cytokine signaling and overcome the complexities associated with approaches reliant on engineered cytokines or muteins. By redirecting available natural endogenous cytokines, the platform overcomes issues of systemic toxicity, broad immunogenicity and manufacturing issues that are so common with other approaches. The company’s lead program is a next generation anti-PD1 candidate, synergizing IL-15 activity with checkpoint inhibition on PD1 positive immune cells.

  • Co-founder and Board Chair at NewCo
    Feb 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 5 mos

    Building on great opportunities in the auto-immune space.

  • Chairperson at Ability Biologics
    Dec 2022 - Present · 3 yrs 7 mos

  • Managing Partner at Inkling LLC
    Jan 2018 - Present · 8 yrs 6 mos

  • Abcuro, Inc (Newton, Massachusetts, United States)
    • Strategic Advisor
      Jun 2022 - Jun 2023 · 1 yr 1 mo

    • President & CEO
      Sep 2020 - Jun 2022 · 1 yr 10 mos

      Abcuro is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing treatments for autoimmune and cancer indications modulated by cytotoxic T and NK cells that express the inhibitory immune checkpoint receptor KLRG1 (killer cell lectin-like receptor G1). The company is advancing ABC008, a first-in-class anti-KLRG1 antibody designed to deplete cytotoxic T cells that attack healthy muscle tissue in patients with inclusion body myositis (IBM), into clinical studies. IBM is a progressive and debilitating inflammatory skeletal muscle condition with no available pharmaceutical therapies. Abcuro has received FDA orphan drug designation for ABC008 in IBM. The company is also advancing ABC015, an anti-KLRG1 blocking antibody capable of reactivating inhibited cytotoxic T and NK cells in the tumor microenvironment.