Nathaniel David

David earned an A.B. in Biology from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from University of California, Berkeley.[4] He co-founded his first company, Syrrx, during the final year of his doctoral work at UC Berkeley.[4] Syrrx was the first company in the world to build a high-throughput structural biology ‘factory,’ using automation, nano-scale experiments, and crystallography to make the determination of atomic structures of proteins easier, faster, and cheaper.[5][6]

In 2002, while at Syrrx, he was named to the MIT Technology Review TR35 as one of the top 35 innovators in the world under the age of 35.[7]

In 2005, Syrrx was acquired by Takeda, and the FDA-approved drug Nesina arose from Syrrx discovery efforts.[8][9]

David left Syrrx to co-found Achaogen (NASDAQ: AKAO), an antibiotic company, and Kythera Biopharmaceticals (NASDAQ: KYTH).[1][10] He served as Chief Science Officer of Kythera while the company created a now-FDA-approved injectable drug Kybella that triggers the selective destruction of fat cells.[11][12] Kythera went public in October 2012 on the NASDAQ exchange under the ticker symbol KYTH, and was acquired by Allergan in 2015 for $2.1 billion.[13][14]

Achaogen's antibiotic plazomicin is effective against multidrug-resistant infections of Enterobacteriaceae.[15] In 2016, plazomicin demonstrated noninferiority for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a pivotal phase III trial against colistin, and against meropenem for complicated UTIs and acute pyelonephritis.[16][15] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved plazomicin for adults with complicated UTIs and limited or no alternative treatment options in 2018; it is now sold under the brand name Zemdri.[17] In April 2019, Achaogen declared bankrupt.[18]

In 2007, while still serving as Chief Science Officer at Kythera, David co-founded Sapphire Energy, a company with a mission to develop renewable, algae-derived transportation fuels that are 100% compliant with the existing energy infrastructure.[19] In 2010, the company began construction of the world's first commercial algal bio-refinery, a project that was awarded more than $100 million in federal funding.[20][21]

In 2011, David co-founded Unity Biotechnology (NASDAQ: UBX),[22] a company dedicated to lengthening human healthspan by selectively clearing senescent cells from the body.[1][23][24][25] UNITY is creating medicines that target multiple diseases of aging.[1] David is currently the President of Unity Biotechnology.[22][26]