Boston-based Nimbus Therapeutics announced today that Abbas Kazimi, MS, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Kazimi succeeds Jeb Keiper, who is stepping down after serving as CEO since 2018 in what the company describes as a planned leadership transition.
Kazimi joined Nimbus in 2014 and has served as Chief Business Officer since 2020. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in orchestrating key transactions that generated over $7 billion in upfront and milestone capital from pharmaceutical partners, most notably the $4 billion sale of the company's TYK2 inhibitor program to Takeda in 2022.
"I am honored to lead Nimbus at this pivotal time in the company's evolution," said Kazimi. "Our robust pipeline, anchored by promising programs like our WRN and SIK inhibitors, and our ongoing collaboration with Lilly, continues to validate our approach and strengthen our position in the industry."
A Decade of Strategic Growth
Nimbus Therapeutics has established itself as one of biotech's more successful privately held companies since its founding in 2009. The company was initially structured as a limited liability company during the Great Recession, with a unique "hub-and-spoke" approach where subsidiaries owned separate programs. This innovative business model allowed Nimbus to advance drug candidates, increase their value, and ultimately sell them at a premium.
Bruce Booth, D.Phil., Nimbus' Chairman of the Board and co-founder, expressed confidence in the new leadership: "The board is unanimous in its support of Abbas, who has been a critical leader in the last decade of success at Nimbus. With the recent appointment of Peter Tummino, Ph.D., as President of R&D and the strong leadership team in place, we are confident Abbas will continue to deliver on the company's mission to bring breakthrough medicines to patients."
Outgoing CEO Jeb Keiper, who joined Nimbus 11 years ago, reflected on his time with the company: "After spending over a decade at Nimbus, I couldn't be more proud of the incredible team we've built and our evolution into a world-class small molecule discovery and early development powerhouse." Keiper will remain a committed investor in the company while pursuing time with his family, biotech boards, and philanthropies.
Computational Drug Discovery Engine
A key differentiator for Nimbus has been its computational drug discovery platform, which Kazimi has helped expand through strategic technology alliances that complement the company's expertise in structure-based drug discovery and medicinal chemistry. This approach has enabled Nimbus to identify novel drug candidates with potentially greater precision and efficiency than traditional methods.
The company's computational capabilities were initially developed through access to computing tools from drug discovery specialist Schrödinger, creating a foundation for Nimbus' subsequent success in designing breakthrough medicines.
Advancing Pipeline and Future Direction
Under Kazimi's leadership, Nimbus will continue advancing its pipeline of innovative therapeutics. The company currently has one cancer drug candidate that recently completed early-stage clinical testing and another headed for human trials this year. Two additional programs are in earlier stages of development, alongside metabolic disease research conducted through a partnership with Eli Lilly.
This leadership transition comes at a strategic moment for Nimbus, which has successfully navigated the challenging biotech funding landscape by generating substantial returns through program sales rather than pursuing public markets. The company's approach has enabled it to build a significant financial foundation during periods when capital access has been difficult for many drug startups.
"This is the perfect time for a transition; the company is on solid ground with an excellent pipeline and the right team in place to deliver on the next wave of breakthrough medicines for patients," Keiper noted in a LinkedIn post announcing the change.
As Kazimi takes the helm, industry observers will be watching to see how Nimbus continues to leverage its computational platform and business model to advance its mission of developing breakthrough medicines for patients with significant unmet medical needs.
