SVP, CSO
John R. Desjarlais, Ph.D. is the Executive Vice President, Research and Chief Scientific Officer (SVP, CSO) at Xencor, Inc. (XNCR), a Pasadena-based biotechnology company focused on developing engineered antibodies for cancer, autoimmune diseases, and other indications.[[1]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJGeGxnAL0I)[[2]](https://pasedfoundation.org/team/sierra-madre-middle-dr-john-desjarlais/)[[4]](https://www.antibodysociety.org/john-desjarlais-ph-d/)[[5]](https://www.bioeng.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/bioeng/Seminar-Flyer-20.pdf) Since joining Xencor in 2001, he has overseen all aspects of discovery, research, engineering, and preclinical development, leading the creation of innovative platforms such as Fc engineering technologies, bispecific antibodies (including CD3, CD28, and checkpoint bispecifics), and half-life extension technologies like Xtend Fc, which are incorporated in approved drugs such as Alexion’s Ultomiris and partnerships with Amgen, Janssen, and Genentech.[[1]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJGeGxnAL0I)[[3]](https://informaconnect.com/antibody-engineering-therapeutics-on-demand/speakers/john-desjarlais-phd/)[[4]](https://www.antibodysociety.org/john-desjarlais-ph-d/)[[5]](https://www.bioeng.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/bioeng/Seminar-Flyer-20.pdf)[[6]](https://xencor.com/about-us/)
Prior to Xencor, Dr. Desjarlais served as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Penn State University (1997-2001), where he developed computational methods for de novo protein design similar to Xencor’s platforms.[[1]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJGeGxnAL0I)[[2]](https://pasedfoundation.org/team/sierra-madre-middle-dr-john-desjarlais/)[[3]](https://informaconnect.com/antibody-engineering-therapeutics-on-demand/speakers/john-desjarlais-phd/)[[4]](https://www.antibodysociety.org/john-desjarlais-ph-d/)[[5]](https://www.bioeng.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/bioeng/Seminar-Flyer-20.pdf) He earned a B.S. in Physics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a Ph.D. in Biophysics from Johns Hopkins University, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley.[[1]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJGeGxnAL0I)[[2]](https://pasedfoundation.org/team/sierra-madre-middle-dr-john-desjarlais/)[[3]](https://informaconnect.com/antibody-engineering-therapeutics-on-demand/speakers/john-desjarlais-phd/)[[5]](https://www.bioeng.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/bioeng/Seminar-Flyer-20.pdf) His leadership has driven multiple clinical-stage programs, including bispecific antibodies advancing to Phase 2 trials.[[1]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJGeGxnAL0I)[[4]](https://www.antibodysociety.org/john-desjarlais-ph-d/)
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