Chris LeMasters is the Executive Chairman of Khartis Therapeutics.  Most recently, he was the CEO of XinThera, a small molecule discovery biotech which was successfully sold to Gilead in 2023, and the COO of Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, where he led strategic efforts that resulted in the company’s acquisition by Pfizer in April 2021.  Chris was previously CBO of Mirati Therapeutics (acquired by BMS) and the CEO of Promosome, a privately held mRNA re-engineering company co-founded by Nobel Laureate Dr. Gerald Edelman.  Over his 30+ year career, Chris has co-founded and served as an executive team member for multiple biotechnology companies, including Cabrellis Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pharmion), Conforma Therapeutics (acquired by Biogen IDEC), Tragara Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Cothera), and Aarden Pharmaceuticals. He began his career in the corporate business development group at Eli Lilly & Company and as a management consultant with Coopers & Lybrand and Owens-Corning.

Currently, Chris is active as a strategic consultant and most recently led the efforts at Chimagen Biosciences that resulted in the sale of the company’s preclinical TCE program to GSK for $850 million in December 2024. He is also Chairman of MBrace Therapeutics, a clinical stage ADC company, and a board member of the Hoosier Cancer Research Network and Big 10 Cancer Consortium, both clinical research organizations. He received his MBA from the University of Chicago and BS from Indiana University.