Ed Olhava

Over his 15-year career in mid and early-stage biotech, Ed Olhava has invented and progressed multiple compounds through discovery and into clinical development. He has focused on discovering first-in-class small molecule modulators of new biological pathways, closely integrating medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, safety and CMC to enter clinical trials with these novel entities.

Before joining IFM Therapeutics, LLC, Ed was a strategic advisor at Third Rock Ventures, where he developed the strategic and operational plans for the drug discovery groups of two Third Rock seed companies, both of which were successfully funded and launched. Prior to Third Rock, he was a founding scientist at Epizyme, joining the company as the first medicinal chemist. He started the medicinal chemistry group and invented Epizyme’s first clinical compound and the first clinical histone methyltransferase inhibitor, EPZ-5676, leading activities from hit finding to filing the Investigational New Drug application. Before joining Epizyme, Ed began his medicinal chemistry career at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, where he co-invented NINLARO, approved in 2015 for the treatment of multiple myeloma, and MLN-4924.

Ed obtained his Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry from Harvard University and B.S. in chemistry from Stanford University. He is co-author/inventor on more than 40 papers and patents.