Palo Alto-based Surf Bio announced today the appointment of Doug Hecker as Head of Technical Operations, a strategic move to accelerate the development of its innovative SnapShot™ platform for high-concentration biologic delivery. Hecker brings more than three decades of specialized experience in chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) to the biopharmaceutical company.
The appointment comes at a pivotal time as Surf Bio works to transform the delivery of antibodies and biologics through its proprietary technology that enables subcutaneous administration of high-dose biologics—a significant advancement in patient convenience and accessibility.
Strategic Expertise in Drug Delivery Manufacturing
Hecker's extensive background includes critical roles in developing and commercializing novel excipients, spray-dried formulations, and commercial-scale drug product manufacturing. His career highlights include bringing Captisol® to market, a novel excipient now widely used in advanced drug formulations, and leading strategic growth initiatives at Hovione that established the company as a global leader in pharmaceutical spray drying.
Most recently, Hecker served as Vice President of Drug Delivery Technologies at Davos Pharma, where he oversaw technical business development, technology transfer, and commercialization strategies—experience directly applicable to Surf Bio's commercialization roadmap.
"Doug's expertise in excipient development, spray drying, and large-scale drug product manufacturing makes him an invaluable addition to the Surf Bio team," said Bryan Mazlish, CEO of Surf Bio. "His leadership will be instrumental in scaling the SnapShot platform, accelerating our path to clinical studies, and deepening commercial collaborations with leading biopharmaceutical companies."
Addressing the Growing Need for Subcutaneous Biologics
The appointment addresses a critical industry challenge: as biologics continue to dominate pharmaceutical development, the need for convenient administration methods becomes increasingly important. Many biologics require high doses that traditionally necessitate intravenous administration or multiple injections, creating barriers to patient adherence and quality of life.
Surf Bio's SnapShot™ technology platform aims to solve this problem through its proprietary polymer that enables ultra-high concentration formulations of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and other biologics. These formulations can be administered using a single, standard autoinjector shot—potentially transforming treatment paradigms for conditions requiring high-dose biologic therapies.
"The rapid growth of biologics is creating an urgent need for scalable, high-dose, subcutaneous delivery solutions," said Hecker regarding his new role. "I'm excited to leverage my expertise to advance the company's manufacturing capabilities and support its efforts to transform biologic drug delivery."
Technical Operations Roadmap
Hecker's responsibilities will include overseeing the scale-up of manufacturing processes for the SnapShot platform, ensuring cGMP compliance, and managing technology transfer to commercial partners. His experience with FDA regulatory requirements will be particularly valuable as Surf Bio progresses toward clinical studies.
The company has already demonstrated promising results, with in-vitro and in-vivo safety and efficacy data showing that SnapShot enables the development of very high concentration, subcutaneous formulations of novel mAbs and biologics.
Stanford University Origins
Surf Bio's technology has impressive academic credentials, having been developed in the Appel lab at Stanford University before being commercialized by the founders of Bigfoot Biomedical and AGC. This foundation in rigorous academic research, combined with experienced industry leadership, positions the company to potentially deliver significant innovations in biologic drug delivery.
As biologics continue to represent a growing segment of the pharmaceutical market, Surf Bio's technology could address a substantial unmet need for more convenient administration methods. The addition of Hecker to the leadership team represents a significant step toward bringing this technology to market and potentially improving treatment options for patients requiring biologic therapies.
