James Christensen

Terremoto Biosciences, a biotechnology company developing highly targeted small-molecule medicines, has appointed James Christensen, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer and President.

Dr. Christensen, who currently serves as President and Head of Research and Development at Terremoto, succeeds Charles Baum, M.D., Ph.D., who will transition to Executive Chairman. Peter Thompson, M.D., the company’s current Chairman and co-founder, will remain on Terremoto’s Board of Directors.

Dr. Christensen joined Terremoto after serving as Chief Scientific Officer at Mirati Therapeutics, where he led drug discovery, early clinical development, translational research, manufacturing and companion diagnostics. During his tenure, he oversaw the advancement of multiple clinical and preclinical programs.

Previously, Dr. Christensen was Head of Oncology Precision Medicine and a member of the executive leadership team in Pfizer’s Oncology Research Unit. In that role, he led oncology nonclinical research and translational sciences for programs including Sutent® and Xalkori®.

Dr. Christensen earned his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University and a B.S. in Biology from Northern Illinois University. He is also a Venture Partner at OrbiMed and serves on the Board of Directors of Boundless Bio. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and serves on the editorial boards of the American Association for Cancer Research journals Cancer Research and Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.

The leadership transition brings Christensen’s extensive experience in drug discovery, precision oncology and translational development to the CEO role as Terremoto advances its pipeline of targeted small-molecule medicines.