How Antibody Drug Conjugates are Fighting Cancer: Seattle’s Role & What’s Next

Mr. Donigian joined the Business Development group at Zymeworks in March 2020 and has been serving as Vice President, Business & Commercial Development since January 2024. Mr. Donigian has over 15 years in the biotechnology and biopharma industry across drug development and diagnostics. Prior to joining Zymeworks, Mr. Donigian was the Director of Business Development and BioPharma collaborations at NanoString Technologies, where he lead diagnostics business development efforts. Prior to that, Mr. Donigian was a Corporate Development consultant with Dendreon where he facilitated buy and sell side M&A analysis for late-stage opportunities.

Mr. Donigian started his career developing novel cancer stem cell therapeutics at OncoMed Pharmaceuticals helping to bring multiple therapeutic candidates into first in human trials. Mr. Donigian received his Molecular Biology and Organic Chemistry from San Jose State University and an MBA from the University of Washington.

Tae is an entrepreneur, investor, and drug developer.  He has extensive experience across multiple drug modalities and therapeutic areas including oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular, and metabolic.  Since starting his career at Merck, he has held positions of increasing responsibility at multiple companies at the forefront of science and medicine (Seattle Genetics/Seagen, Stemcentrx, AbbVie, and Amphivena).  Tae co-founded ProfoundBio (acquired by Genmab for $1.8B in May), where he served in multiple roles, including board member, President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer.  Tae has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from UCLA.  He also received a NIH postdoctoral training grant to study Cardiology at UCLA.

Avnish leads the Portfolio Strategy and Business Development team at SystImmune. Prior to joining SystImmune Avnish gathered extensive experience in biopharma as a member of corporate venture team at Eli Lilly and leading oncology business development activities at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS). While at BMS his team executed strategic initiatives including acquisition of Turning Point and Mirati as well as licensing deals, clinical collaborations, and equity investments in assets across modalities and stages of development.

Prior to BMS, Avnish’s professional journey included roles with increasing responsibility at Novartis and Eli Lilly leading oncology drug discovery and translational research teams. Avnish received his PhD from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in NY as a DoD fellow and post-doctoral training as a Jane Coffin Childs Fellow in the lab of Ron Depinho at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Sharsti has spent the last 11+ years discovering and developing antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) at Pfizer (formerly Seagen).  During her tenure, she has initiated and led the research efforts for many clinical ADCs, with a strong focus on defining parameters for pairing the right target, linker, and payload and broadening the understanding of ADC sensitivity and resistance.  In her current position, she is a Sr. Director in the Oncology Research Group where she oversees the biology research for the Pfizer ADC portfolio. Prior to joining Seagen, Sharsti was a Damon Runyon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies studying the adult tissue stem cell niche.  She earned her BS in Microbiology from California State University, Long Beach and her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of California, San Diego where she uncovered novel insights into mitotic spindle function.  In her spare time, she loves spending time outdoors with her family and dog, especially skiing, boating, running, and attending local Seattle sporting events.

Charlotte Schubert is a science writer, journalist and editor. She is currently a contributing editor at GeekWire, where she was formerly a full-time life sciences and health reporter, and she runs a science communications and editing business. She is a former senior editor at Nature Medicine, served as a manuscript editor for the CAR T cell team at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, and earned her Ph.D. at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the University of Washington.