Brian Varnum PhD

Dr. Varnum is a biotech veteran with more than twenty years of experience. Brian began his career with Amgen, and spent more than 18 years at the biotech pioneer as the company grew from a start-up to the largest and most successful biotechnology company. He started in discovery research where his team purified novel growth factors and advanced antibodies and small molecules into clinical studies. Brian also worked in development, assisting with clinical development of proteins, antibodies and small molecules. In this capacity, Brian contributed to key regulatory filings, market research and product launch, giving him experience in drug discovery and development from the lab bench to product launch and marketing.
After retiring from Amgen in 2007, Brian turned his focus to the start-up landscape, working in several capacities, including assisting investors, entrepreneurs and start-ups in the assessment of technologies for funding or in-licensing. In these capacities, Brian established research strategies and plans, and served as CSO for several companies, securing funding, and executing research contracts with large and mid-sized pharmaceutical companies. Brian obtained his Ph.D. from UCLA studying oncogenes, and his drug development research experience includes hematopoietic growth factor discovery, oncology, auto-immune/inflammatory disorders, personalized medicine in IBD and infectious diseases.