Paul W.H.I. Parren, Ph.D.

Prof. dr. Paul W.H.I. Parren is a leading scientist, entrepeneur and drug developer in the therapeutic antibody field. He holds a PhD in molecular immunology from the University of Amsterdam (1992). Dr. Parren was an Associate Professor at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. From 2002-2017, he led research and preclinical development at Genmab, and from 2018-2023, he headed R&D at LAVA Therapeutics, bringing it to a clinical-stage, NASDAQ-listed, biotechnology company. He developed three clinically translated therapeutic antibody platforms, and his work contributed to nine FDA- and EMA-approved therapeutic antibodies, incorporated in eleven registered medicines and including four therapeutics from the DuoBody bispecific antibody platform. His scientific publications have >42,000 citations (h-factor 107) and he holds >360 issued patents in US, EU and JP. He is a tenured Professor of Molecular Immunology at the LUMC in Leiden, and he provides independent drug development advice through Sparring Bioconsult BV (Est. 2017). He is co-founder and CSO of Gyes BV (2022), Moirea BV and Olethros BV (2024), an ecosystem of start-up companies pioneering the development of highly selective multifunctional antibody therapeutics. He has been on the Board of Directors of The Antibody Society since 2013, served as its President between 2015-2017 and is currently in his second term as Board Chairperson (2022 through 2027).