Christoph Westphal, MD, PhD, is co-founder and General Partner of Longwood Fund and has spent 20 years as a life sciences CEO, entrepreneur, and investor. Companies founded by Christoph have developed and received FDA approval for important drugs, including the first RNAi therapy; for currently incurable cancers; the largest-selling heparin in the United States; a therapy for MS; and several experimental medicines: for cystic fibrosis, for anemia, for serious inflammatory disorders, and for serious neurological illnesses such as MS.
Christoph has been the co-founder, CEO, and lead investor of six biotechnology companies that have completed initial public offerings including Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: MNTA), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALNY), Acceleron Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: XLRN), Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIRT, acquired by GSK in 2008), Verastem (NASDAQ: VSTM), and TScan Therapeutics. Dr. Westphal is also co-founder of Longwood portfolio companies Alnara Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Eli Lilly) and Axial Biotherapeutics; and co-founded Concert Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: CNCE).
Christoph earned his MD from Harvard Medical School and Ph.D. in genetics from Harvard University; and he graduated with a B.A. summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University. Dr. Westphal has served or currently serves as a member or director of the Boston Commercial Club, the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s (BIO) Emerging Companies Section Governing Board, the Board of Fellows of Harvard Medical School, and the Board of Trustees of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
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