Mathai Mammen, M.D., Ph.D.

Chairman, CEO and President

Mathai Mammen is a world-renowned innovator in drug discovery, development, and team and company building. He brings significant global R&D and corporate leadership experience to his role as Chairman, CEO, and President at Parabilis Medicines.

Mathai previously served as a member of the Executive Committee and Global Head of R&D at Johnson & Johnson. At J&J, he reshaped one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical R&D organizations, notably pioneering the early and strategic integration of data science and AI-driven methodologies across the company’s entire portfolio. He led his team to global approvals for nine medicines, including Darzalex Faspro™, Balversa™, Carvykti™, Rybrevant™, and Tecvayli™ in oncology; Tremfya™ and Ponvory™ in immunology; and Spravato™ and Invega Hafyera™ in neuroscience. Under his leadership, the team also developed a world-class discovery engine and advanced numerous additional medicines through critical phases of clinical development – including Lazcluz™, Talvey™, Imaavy™, as well as milvexian, TAR-200, ikotrokinra, TNF-IL23 combinations, bota-vec, nipocalimab, and seltorexant – and achieved an unprecedented 90% success rate in Phase 2 to Phase 3 transitions.

Mathai’s tenure at J&J was marked by over 40 acquisitions and licensing deals, along with more than 350 strategic partnerships and collaborations that broadened J&J’s portfolio and capabilities. These efforts helped build a pipeline including 9 practice-changing blockbusters with $10B+ peak year sales potential, increasing the value of J&J’s portfolio by an industry-leading 300%. Prior to joining J&J, Mathai was Senior Vice President at Merck, overseeing diverse therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology, immuno-oncology, cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal diseases, notably contributing to the development of Keytruda™. Earlier, he co-founded Theravance, Inc. where, as head of R&D, he led the creation of several approved therapies, including Breo™, Anoro™, Trelegy™, Yupelri™, and Vibativ™. Throughout his career, Mathai has led the discovery/development of 17 approved high-impact medicines across therapeutic areas.

Mathai’s leadership philosophy centers on advancing ambitious science with profound therapeutic potential. He believes true innovation requires a fundamental industry-wide shift away from incrementalism and toward high-difficulty, high-reward science and technology capable of delivering meaningful global patient impact. He champions cross-disciplinary collaboration and cultivates teams that integrate scientific rigor, advanced analytics, and strategic business insight to accelerate truly transformational innovation for patients in need.

Mathai currently serves on the boards of Sandoz, Xaira, Kelonia, and GBH, and provides strategic counsel as an executive advisor to General Atlantic and Foresite Capital. He is also a former board member of 10x Genomics and has served as an executive advisor to academic initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania and Dalhousie University. He has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and patents.

Mathai holds an M.D. from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (HST) and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University, where he conducted research under renowned chemist George Whitesides.