Five questions for…Ovid Trifan

With more than 20 years of work in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Ovid Trifan brings extensive oncology clinical drug development experience to Totus. Over his career, he has held leadership roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, and Apexigen, where he led or contributed to the development of several medications, some of which are now used in clinical practice.

In his new role as Totus’ Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Trifan will lead the advancement of Totus’ pipeline of novel drug candidates into the clinic. We recently talked with Dr. Trifan to find out how he began his career in industry, the promise he sees in Totus, and his goals over the next few years.

How did you begin your career in the pharmaceutical industry?

My first job in the industry was with the Pharmacia Corporation as a bench scientist working within the oncology research team. That is how I became acquainted with the discovery of small molecules for oncology, which is somewhat similar to what Totus is pursuing.

Later I decided to change my career, so I did a fellowship in clinical research at Johnson & Johnson, and the rest is history. Working in clinical research brings proximity to the patient, and personally, I find it highly rewarding to see the impact of my work on an almost daily basis.

What excites you about working with Totus?

First of all I’m excited about the technology. Discovering covalent inhibitors for hard-to-drug targets, in combination with artificial intelligence–based new drug design, is cutting-edge science. I hope this approach will enable us to bring high-quality medications to patients.

On a more intangible level, I was attracted to the enthusiasm of the people I talked to on the team. I have learned that a strong team with good chemistry is essential for a company’s success. That’s why it’s incredibly important for me to have a good vibe and work with people who are excited about doing this work.

As you know, Totus is bringing a drug program — known as TOS-358, which targets the PI3Kα mutation — to clinical trials within just two years. How do you feel about that?

It shows that Totus moves quickly, and I value companies that are nimble. I like the fact that Neil and this team are focused, thoughtful, and decisive. I value that approach — myself, I like to consider and discuss options, come up with a plan, then go ahead and execute it as soon as possible. One of the biggest assets in a small company is time, and one cannot afford to waste it.

How will the usage of machine learning impact Totus’ work?

Machine learning enables us to save time and effort by narrowing down the possibilities. One can rapidly filter down and find out what the ideal structure should look like. I believe this element of their work is one of the things that makes Totus so special.

What are your goals at Totus over the next few years?

My first goal would be to advance the lead molecule into the clinic as fast as possible and achieve clinical proof of concept in less than two years. That is aggressive, but doable. The second objective would be to work with the entire Totus team toward getting additional molecules into the clinic. That would be great news for patients, and also great news for the company.