Outrun Therapeutics expands leadership team with appointment of Matthew Fyfe as Chief Scientific Officer
- Brings extensive small molecule drug discovery, development, and clinical experience across multiple therapeutic areas
- Will drive application of Outrun’s novel, proprietary X-E3L platform for protein stabiliser discovery to develop a pipeline of high-quality drug candidates targeting E3 ligases
- Continues strong momentum following 2024 emergence from stealth with $10M seed financing
Dundee, Scotland – 13 January 2025 – Outrun Therapeutics (“Outrun”), the E3 ligase inhibitor and protein stabilisation specialist, today announces the appointment of Matthew Fyfe as its Chief Scientific Officer.
Matthew has over 25 years of experience in drug discovery and development across multiple target classes covering oncology, immunology, neurology, ophthalmology and metabolic disease. He joins from Storm Therapeutics — where he was Senior Vice President of Therapeutics — and has held Senior Leadership positions at various clinical-stage biotech companies, delivering clinical candidates that have reached Phase 2 and beyond in several disease areas.
At Outrun, he will be responsible for the advancement of the Company’s therapeutics portfolio derived from its novel, proprietary X-E3L (Crosslinking E3 Labeller) technology platform which accelerates the discovery of first-in-class small molecule protein stabilising drugs targeting E3 ligases.
Dr Carolyn Porter, Chief Executive Officer at Outrun Therapeutics, said:
Matthew is a valuable addition to our leadership team, possessing a fantastic track record in the discovery and development of significant clinical-stage programmes across diverse therapeutic areas. He joins at a pivotal time for Outrun, and his breadth of experience will be key as we continue our progress towards the clinic.
Matthew Fyfe, newly appointed Chief Scientific Officer at Outrun Therapeutics, commented:
Outrun’s drug-hunting approach is among the most innovative in the space, offering a unique opportunity to target E3 ligases for protein stabilisation using its powerful X-E3L drug discovery platform, especially within the context of tumour suppression. I am excited to be able to leverage my knowledge and experience in drug discovery and development alongside the world-leading E3 ligase expertise offered by the Outrun team and its academic founder Professor Satpal Virdee to further drive innovation while delivering high-quality drug candidates.
Outrun’s elegant X-E3L platform enables the simplification and scaling of the study of E3 ligase targets, significantly reducing discovery time in the process. Through this platform, the Company has built a rich pipeline of highly valuable, first-in-class, small molecule E3 ligase inhibitors that prevent protein degradation, while identifying novel E3 ligase targets with potential in a range of therapeutic areas. Outrun’s lead programme is a small molecule inhibitor of an E3 ligase that destabilises a tumour suppressor protein in hard-to-treat solid tumours.
