Rezo Therapeutics Appoints Derek Hicks as CEO

Strategic biotech and pharma executive to guide company's advancement of AI-enabled precision medicines

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Rezo Therapeutics, a biotechnology company pioneering the integrated mapping of disease networks for precision therapeutics, today announced that Derek Hicks was appointed CEO. With more than 25 years of leadership in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, Derek brings a strong track record of transformative business development and experience in a wide range of disease areas, including oncology.

"Derek brings an exceptional blend of skills, experience and strategic acumen, in addition to a collaborative style, all of which are vital as Rezo continues to redefine treatments for cancer and other complex diseases," said Rezo Chairman George Scangos. "With Derek at the helm, we are strongly positioned to accelerate our cutting-edge drug-discovery capabilities and unlock new frontiers of drug discovery and development."

"Derek's appointment represents the beginning of a pivotal chapter in Rezo's evolution," said Rezo President and Co-Founder Nevan Krogan. "The strides we've made in advancing our platform and pipeline speak to our team's relentless drive, and Derek brings the leadership, scientific insight and passion for building mission-driven teams to help us reach new heights."

Rezo's vision is to accelerate drug discovery by integrating University of California, San Francisco's cutting-edge science with artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and world-class drug discovery and development. The company's focus is on protein-protein interactions, combining proteomics, genetics, structural biology, chemistry and bioinformatics. Rezo seeks to uncover novel sites that can be targeted with small molecules to inhibit or restore protein activity and to identify mutation-specific sites to develop drugs that overcome resistance and act specifically. 

"Rezo's platform is uniquely positioned to address some of the biggest challenges in drug discovery. The strength of the board and leadership – and their commitment to pushing boundaries – was a huge factor in my decision to join the company," Derek said. "I look forward to working with the Rezo team and more deeply engaging with partners and investors who share in our mission to develop a differentiated product pipeline by modulating protein-protein interactions."

Prior to joining Rezo, Derek was chief business officer at Intellia Therapeutics, a pioneer in the development of CRISPR/Cas9 transformative therapies. He also served as head of Business Development at Spark Therapeutics, a strategic role in which he was responsible for search and evaluation, licensing and key partnership activities. Earlier in his career, Derek spent 18 years at Pfizer in a variety of leadership positions, culminating as vice president, Corporate Business Development within the Worldwide Business Development team. While at Pfizer, he played a key role in numerous transactions, including the creation of Cerevel and the Zoetis spin/split transaction.

Derek earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and a Master in Business Administration from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, where he currently serves on the Dean's Advisory Council.

About Rezo Therapeutics
Rezo Therapeutics is pursuing an integrated approach to drug discovery that leverages the multiple technologies and tools needed to bring disease networks into focus, pinpointing novel targets and therapies with more clarity. Rezo's Sequence to Systems to Drugs platform integrates proteomics, genetics, structural biology, chemistry, artificial intelligence and machine learning to create maps of molecular disease networks. Rezo was founded by a renowned team of scientists from University of California, San Francisco, as well as George Scangos and Norbert Bischofberger. The company's initial focus is on oncology, with plans to explore additional therapeutic areas through collaborations and partnerships. To learn more, visit the company's website at rezotx.com or its LinkedIn.

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SOURCE Rezo Therapeutics