Dr. Jonathan K.c. Knowles

Biography

 Dr. Jonathan Kenneth Charles Knowles, Ph.D., has been the Chief Scientific Officer of Caris Life Sciences Inc. since May 2010. Dr. Knowles served as the Head of Global Research for Roche at Roche Palo Alto, LLC. He serves on Institute of Biotechnology at University of Helsinki, Oulu Biocentre at University of Oulu and Turku Biocentre at University of Oulu. He serves as Research Director at FIMM University of Helsinki (20010-2014 FiDiPro Distinguished Professor), and Professor Emeritus at EPFL, Lausanne. Dr. Knowles has a distinguished career that has spanned decades in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. He served as an Interim Chief Executive Officer of Immunocore Limited. He served as the Chief Scientific Officer of Miraca Life Sciences, Inc., since May 2010. He served as the Head of Global Pharmaceuticals Research for Roche Group at Genentech, Inc., since September 1997. He served as the President of Group Research at Roche Pharmaceuticals. He served as the Head of Global Research at Roche Holding AG (formerly Roche Group and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.) from 1998 to December 31, 2009. He served as the Head of the Glaxo Institute for Molecular Biology in Geneva. He served at Roche as the Head of Global Pharmaceuticals Research from September 1997 to December 31, 2009. He was a Partner of Ukko Partners. He focused Chugai Pharmaceutical on key disease biology areas of high medical need and in-depth understanding of molecular pathology of disease. He served as the Head of the recombinant DNA group at the Biotechnical Laboratory, VTT from 1980 to 1986 and Head of Molecular Biology from 1986 to 1989 and was responsible for all preclinical research. Prior to Roche, he served as the Director of Research for Glaxo Wellcome Europe from 1995 to 1997 and served as the Director of the Geneva Institute of Glaxo from 1989 to 1995. He served as a Member of the Board of Management of EuropaBio from 1999 to 2002. He has been an Executive Chairman of Immunocore Limited since November 2013. He serves as the Chairman of Scientific Advisory Board at Herantis Pharma Oyj. He served as the Chairman of The Board at Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc from November 2013 to December 31, 2016. He served as the Chairman of the Hever Group. He served as the Chairman of the Research Directors' Group of EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations) for five years. He was instrumental in creating the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and was the First Chairman of the Board of IMI. He has been Vice Chairman of Caris Life Sciences, Inc. (Caris Life Science Ltd) since January 1, 2010 and as its Board Member since September 1, 2009. He has been Vice Chairman of Miraca Life Sciences, Inc., since January 1, 2010 and has been its Board Member since September 1, 2009. He has been a Non-Executive Director at Faron Pharmaceuticals Oy since September 15, 2015. He serves as a Member of Scientific Advisory Board at Caris Life Sciences, Inc. He has been a Director of Immunocore Limited since 2010. He serves as a Director of Oncos Therapeutics Ltd., Affibody Medical AB (publ), Singapore Economic Development Board, Lundbeck, Lonza Group Ltd. and Affibody Holding AB. He is a Trustee of Cancer Research UK, one of the world’s leading cancer research organizations. Dr. Knowles served as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc from July 2011 to December 31, 2016. He served as a Director of Herantis Pharma Oyj (formerly, Herantis Pharma plc) since 2009. He served as a Director of Agency for Science, Technology and Research since February 1, 2013. He served as a Director of Ukko Partners. He served as a Director of Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. for seven years. He served as a Director of the Glaxo Institute for Molecular Biology from 1989 to 1997 and Genentech, Inc., since February 1998 (for 12 years). He served as Member of Advisory Board at Immunovia AB (publ) until June 22, 2017. He served on Scientific Advisory Board of Labsystems until 1989. He has been a Member of Review Board since 1992. He has been a Member of Review for the Medical and Technological Laboratory, TNO since 1993, Protein Structure Lab Cambridge since 1995 and Technology foundation Stockholm since 1996 and Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation, since 1998. He has been a Member of the Scientific Board at the Institute of Biotechnology since 2001 and Member of the Singapore National Science and Technology Board since 2001. He is a Member of EMBO and a Member of the Board of A*Star in Singapore. He is a Professor Emeritus at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, a Distinguished Professor, Personalized Health Care, Finnish Institute for Molecular Medicine, University of Helsinki, holds a visiting chair at the University of Oxford and is a visiting scholar of Pembroke College, Cambridge. He has been an Honorary Professor at the University of Basel since 2001. He has been the Visiting Assistant Professor of Albert Einstein College of Medicine since 1979. Dr. Knowles is a Finland Distinguished Professor at FIMM. He was Research Professor at the Biotechnical Laboratory, VTT, from 1986 to 1989. In 2010, Dr. Knowles was awarded the Scrip's Lifetime Achievement Award for his long academic and commercial career distinguished by his passion for personalized medicine. Dr. Knowles studied at Magdalen College School, Oxford and received a B Sc (honours)Degree in Molecular Genetics from the University of East Anglia, England in 1969 and also received a Ph.D. in Genetics of Mitochondria from University of Edinburgh, Scotland in 1973.

Research Interest

 Molecular Genetics