In Memoriam: Tom Boone, M.S.
Simcha Therapeutics honors the remarkable legacy of Tom Boone, a pioneering scientist whose expertise and vision profoundly shaped the field of protein therapeutics. With over 40 years of groundbreaking accomplishments in their discovery and development, Tom was a key force behind the innovative foundation of Simcha’s programs, and his dedication to advancing science continues to inspire our mission.

Tom’s career was marked by a relentless pursuit of excellence. Tom worked at Amgen for 28 years and served in positions of increasing responsibility in growing Amgen Protein Sciences to an organization of over 300 researchers across five different sites. His career at Amgen began in 1981 as a bench scientist with the isolation and cDNA cloning of novel cytokines and growth factors including G-CSF. He was also responsible for expressing, purifying, and formulating many of Amgen’s recombinant proteins. Tom developed proprietary processes used to produce recombinant G-CSF and other therapeutic candidates for clinical applications. Tom was the first Vice President of Amgen Protein Science and was the lead scientist in the development of Nplate®, a treatment of thrombocytopenia. His critical role in the discovery and process development of G-CSF (Neupogen) is widely recognized.

After leaving Amgen, Tom brought his visionary leadership to early-stage biotech ventures, providing strategic and technical guidance to more than 30 companies. His vast experience and deep scientific insight were essential in helping them license in clinical stage molecules and advance novel therapies.

Tom held master’s degrees in microbiology from UCLA and Soil Science from UC Davis.

At Simcha, we are privileged to have benefited from Tom’s unparalleled expertise and commitment. Tom’s enduring contributions to science and humanity will always be remembered and cherished.

Hirdesh possesses over two decades of drug development expertise, making significant contributions advancing medicines from discovery to regulatory approval. In his recent role as VP of Development Sciences at CytomX Inc., he managed a diverse portfolio encompassing antibodies, ADC’s, bispecifics, and cytokines. Prior to this, he served as VP of Development Sciences at Revolution Medicines Inc., concentrating on novel therapies targeting RAS-addicted cancers. At Medivation Inc., Hirdesh led Translational Medicine & Companion Diagnostics (CDx), involving the translational strategy & clinical development for enzalutamide (XTANDIâ), talazoparib (TALZENNAâ) and several other pipeline molecules. He invented & facilitated successful clinical biomarker work culminating in CDx development at partner firms. His earlier tenure at Genentech Inc. and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd focused on development sciences and safety assessment where he provided leadership & strategic alignment of a safety biomarker, stem cell & biochemical-molecular toxicology investigative laboratory group. Hirdesh holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, and a Master’s in Immunology from Punjab Agricultural University, India. Additionally, he has completed Executive Management programs at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School, and The Wharton School.