Tyra Biosciences CEO and leadership

Daniel Bensen is Chief Operating Officer of Tyra which he co-founded in August 2018. Prior to co-founding Tyra, Dan served as Head of Immunology and Protein Chemistry at Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. where he led cross functional research groups pioneering a novel immunotherapeutic platform resulting in two candidates. Before Cidara, Dan served as Principal Scientist, Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology at Trius Therapeutics, Inc where he oversaw efforts to generate and advance a novel class of dual-targeting broad spectrum antibacterial agents until its acquisition by Cubist Pharmaceuticals. Before Trius, Dan held positions of increasing responsibility in structural biology and protein chemistry at ActiveSight and Diversa. Dan holds a B.A. in Biology from Point Loma Nazarene University and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business.

Esther van den Boom has over 19 years of accounting and finance experience. Esther is the founder of van den Boom & Associates, a finance and accounting firm that specializes in supporting life science companies. At van den Boom, Esther has supported several private and public companies as Chief Financial Officer including through various financings including preferred stock, venture debt, initial public offerings and secondary offerings. Most recently, Esther was head of finance for Equillium Biosciences and Phathom Pharmaceuticals from inception through their initial public offerings. Prior to founding van den Boom, Esther was a Senior Manager at Ernst & Young where she worked closely with many early-stage, venture backed companies including working with several from inception through their successful transition to a public company. At Ernst & Young, Esther regularly oversaw SEC filings and registration statements, complex accounting and auditing matters such as revenue recognition, product launches, debt and equity transactions, complex valuations and SOX 404 implementations. Throughout her career, Esther has worked closely with over 50 life science companies at all stages. Esther received a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego and a M.S. in Accountancy from San Diego State University and is a licensed CPA.

Hiroomi Tada has served as our Chief Medical Officer since November 2020. Prior to joining Tyra, Hiroomi served as Chief Medical Officer at Notable Labs, Inc., a personalized precision oncology company. Prior to Notable Labs, he served in various roles at Incyte Corp. including Vice President of Translational Sciences for Target Therapies. Hiroomi has also served in various clinical development roles at GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Hiroomi held faculty appointments as Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Temple University School of Medicine. Hiroomi holds a B.A. from Haverford College, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Thomas Jefferson University and an M.D. from Jefferson Medical College and completed his fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Robert Hudkins serves as our Chief Technology Officer having joined Tyra in January 2020. He brings over 30 years of drug discovery experience including all aspects of drug design and computational chemistry. Prior to joining Tyra, Bob spent the majority of his career with Cephalon, Inc., and later with Teva Pharmaceuticals where he was a Distinguished Scientist and Senior Research Fellow / Senior Research Director in Medicinal Chemistry responsible for the advancement of numerous clinical candidates in oncology and neuroscience. He has co-authored over 100 publications, and was co-inventor on over 123 published US patents. Bob serves as a Journal Editorial Advisory Board Member for multiple medicinal chemistry journals. He holds a B.S. from Barton College, a M.S. in Organic Chemistry from Old Dominion University, and a Ph.D. in Medical Chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Daniel Bensen is Chief Operating Officer of Tyra which he co-founded in August 2018. Prior to co-founding Tyra, Dan served as Head of Immunology and Protein Chemistry at Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. where he led cross functional research groups pioneering a novel immunotherapeutic platform resulting in two candidates. Before Cidara, Dan served as Principal Scientist, Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology at Trius Therapeutics, Inc where he oversaw efforts to generate and advance a novel class of dual-targeting broad spectrum antibacterial agents until its acquisition by Cubist Pharmaceuticals. Before Trius, Dan held positions of increasing responsibility in structural biology and protein chemistry at ActiveSight and Diversa. Dan holds a B.A. in Biology from Point Loma Nazarene University and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business.

Daniel Bensen is Chief Operating Officer of Tyra which he co-founded in August 2018. Prior to co-founding Tyra, Dan served as Head of Immunology and Protein Chemistry at Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. where he led cross functional research groups pioneering a novel immunotherapeutic platform resulting in two candidates. Before Cidara, Dan served as Principal Scientist, Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology at Trius Therapeutics, Inc where he oversaw efforts to generate and advance a novel class of dual-targeting broad spectrum antibacterial agents until its acquisition by Cubist Pharmaceuticals. Before Trius, Dan held positions of increasing responsibility in structural biology and protein chemistry at ActiveSight and Diversa. Dan holds a B.A. in Biology from Point Loma Nazarene University and an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business.

Esther van den Boom has over 19 years of accounting and finance experience. Esther is the founder of van den Boom & Associates, a finance and accounting firm that specializes in supporting life science companies. At van den Boom, Esther has supported several private and public companies as Chief Financial Officer including through various financings including preferred stock, venture debt, initial public offerings and secondary offerings. Most recently, Esther was head of finance for Equillium Biosciences and Phathom Pharmaceuticals from inception through their initial public offerings. Prior to founding van den Boom, Esther was a Senior Manager at Ernst & Young where she worked closely with many early-stage, venture backed companies including working with several from inception through their successful transition to a public company. At Ernst & Young, Esther regularly oversaw SEC filings and registration statements, complex accounting and auditing matters such as revenue recognition, product launches, debt and equity transactions, complex valuations and SOX 404 implementations. Throughout her career, Esther has worked closely with over 50 life science companies at all stages. Esther received a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego and a M.S. in Accountancy from San Diego State University and is a licensed CPA.

Hiroomi Tada has served as our Chief Medical Officer since November 2020. Prior to joining Tyra, Hiroomi served as Chief Medical Officer at Notable Labs, Inc., a personalized precision oncology company. Prior to Notable Labs, he served in various roles at Incyte Corp. including Vice President of Translational Sciences for Target Therapies. Hiroomi has also served in various clinical development roles at GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Hiroomi held faculty appointments as Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Temple University School of Medicine. Hiroomi holds a B.A. from Haverford College, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Thomas Jefferson University and an M.D. from Jefferson Medical College and completed his fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Robert Hudkins serves as our Chief Technology Officer having joined Tyra in January 2020. He brings over 30 years of drug discovery experience including all aspects of drug design and computational chemistry. Prior to joining Tyra, Bob spent the majority of his career with Cephalon, Inc., and later with Teva Pharmaceuticals where he was a Distinguished Scientist and Senior Research Fellow / Senior Research Director in Medicinal Chemistry responsible for the advancement of numerous clinical candidates in oncology and neuroscience. He has co-authored over 100 publications, and was co-inventor on over 123 published US patents. Bob serves as a Journal Editorial Advisory Board Member for multiple medicinal chemistry journals. He holds a B.S. from Barton College, a M.S. in Organic Chemistry from Old Dominion University, and a Ph.D. in Medical Chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University.