Dr. Pan brings more than 20 years of experience applying molecular simulation to fundamental scientific questions and drug discovery, most recently at D.E. Shaw Research, where he served as a Senior Research Scientist for more than 12 years. Dr. Pan will be based in New York and will continue to expand the computational platform team that will develop a broad range of applications for drug discovery. Mr. Sun is a seasoned life science executive with more than a decade of experience and strong track record in biotechnology, most recently at Silicon Therapeutics, which he co-founded and led as CEO through its acquisition by Roivant Sciences (NASDAQ:ROIV) in February 2021.
“Albert and Lanny bring a wealth of technical expertise, and business experience, respectively to TandemAI,” said Jeff He, MBA, co-founder and CEO of TandemAI. “Albert is a leader in computer-aided drug design and molecular dynamics simulation, and he has deep experience using novel computational methods to successfully interrogate difficult targets. We look forward to his many contributions as he advances TandemAI’s computational technology development platform. Lanny has an outstanding track record in company building. His knowledge and insights are extremely valuable to TandemAI’s continued growth.”
He noted that TandemAI recently raised $25 million in Seed and pre-Series A financing, enabling the company to rapidly recruit top talent in both the US and China.
“Small molecule drug discovery is at the front end of a new era of innovation and productivity driven by the emergence of AI-based computational tools,” said Mr. Sun. “TandemAI is integrating dry and wet lab operations to democratize access to advanced computational technology and to provide a turnkey drug discovery solution to partners. I look forward to working with Jeff, Albert and the TandemAI team to realize that vision.”
“TandemAI represents a terrific opportunity, especially at this point in time,” said Dr. Pan. “The need has never been greater for cutting edge computational tools to facilitate faster, more cost-efficient drug discovery against difficult targets, with higher success rates. The scale and ambition of what TandemAI seeks to achieve is truly impressive.”
Dr. Pan earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and an A.B. in chemistry and physics from Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He was an NIH NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Chicago.
In addition to TandemAI and Gordian, Mr. Sun serves as Chairman of Full-Life Technologies, a fully integrated global Nuclear Health company. Prior to Silicon Therapeutics, he served as CEO or Managing Partner at a wide range of healthcare companies and venture capital firms.