Kate Yen

Kate Yen, PhD, is the Founder and CEO of Auron Therapeutics. Prior to founding Auron, she was a Director at Agios Pharmaceuticals, where she led the IDH translational research team that supported the preclinical and clinical development and approval of two IDH mutant inhibitors, IDHIFA and TIBSOVO. She led the proof of concept studies that identified their novel mechanism of action (i.e. induction of differentiation) and coordinated the research objectives across many departments to support drug discovery. She also supported the P1 clinical trials and led the development of a global P3 combination trial in AML patients. Prior to joining Agios, Kate held positions at Merck and UCLA, where she studied the molecular mechanism of eukaryotic transcriptional regulation, developed the Hi-Myc mouse model of prostate cancer, and studied the molecular mechanisms of tumor initiation and progression. Kate brings to Auron her unique translational biology expertise spanning both basic science and clinical development and her experience leading the development of novel oncology therapies from concept through to FDA approval.