Prof. Dr. Paul W.H.I. Parren (30-4-1963; Professor in Molecular Immunology at the Leiden University Medical Center; owner at Sparring Bioconsult BV and Executive Vice President and Head of R&D at Lava Therapeutics) is an expert in biotechnology, translational science and drug development.
Prof. Parren holds a PhD in molecular immunology from the University of Amsterdam (1992). He was an Associate Professor at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, where he studied the role of human antibodies in protection against viral infections. From 2002-2017, he served in the positions of Vice President, Senior Vice President and Scientific Director at the biotechnology company Genmab in Utrecht, where he headed preclinical R&D. In 2015, he became a Professor of Molecular Immunology at the Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden. In 2018, he accepted the role of head of R&D at the start-up biotech Lava Therapeutics to develop novel bispecific T-cell engagers for cancer therapy.
Prof. Parren continues to provide drug development, patent and investment advice as an independent biotech consultant. He is a strategic and tactical advisor to several start-up biotech companies, he is an operational partner at Gilde Healthcare and he provided expert advice in intellectual property litigation cases in the UK and US.
Prof. Parren is dedicated to translate antibody biology and immunotherapy knowledge into innovative antibody therapeutics and technologies. He is an inventor of the approved therapeutic antibodies ofatumumab (Arzerra) and daratumumab (DARZALEX) and the clinically translated technologies DuoBody and HexaBody. His work has thus far directly led to two registered therapeutic antibodies and ten further therapeutic antibodies currently in (phase I to III) clinical development for the treatment of several cancers, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Prof. Parren is a Board member of The Antibody Society, an international non-profit organisation which develops initiatives to bridge science disciplines and progress the therapeutic antibody field. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology, a non-profit organisation headquartered in Silverthorne, Colorado, USA that aims to advance biomedical and life sciences by connecting scientists and scientific disciplines.