Former CEO; also formerly CEO, OncoSec Medical, Ambrx, Johnson & Johnson
Search every verified Dan O'Connor interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Dan O'Connor, a former U.S. Marine Corps captain who served in Operation Desert Shield, has held CEO and senior leadership roles at multiple biopharmaceutical companies, including OncoSec Medical and Ambrx. In a May 2023 podcast appearance, he discussed his tenure at Ambrx, which began in late 2022, noting that the company's stock rallied following the revival of a previously shelved anti-HER2 antibody-drug conjugate and that the firm raised $78 million through an at-the-market offering. He described the offering as a useful capital-raising tool in appropriate circumstances, citing lower fees compared to traditional raises, while acknowledging that it does not always provide clarity on shareholder identity. He also commented on challenges in the broader biotech market, stating that a seized capital-raising environment could hinder the development of innovative drugs. In an earlier June 2021 appearance, while CEO of OncoSec Medical, O'Connor discussed the company's work on technologies for direct delivery of immunotherapeutic candidates into tumors, combining biotherapeutics with medical devices. He described the approach as using small amounts of electrical energy to keep cancer cells alive while delivering DNA-based therapies, aiming to reduce side effects compared to chemotherapy. He also referenced a clinical study involving the drug Keytruda, noting that while it is effective in about 30 percent of solid tumor cases, the trial sought to address patients who did not respond to that treatment. Throughout both appearances, he attributed much of his leadership style and resilience to his military service.
With a combined deal value of $29bn under their belts this year, four CEOs reflect on what they’ve learned from their successes – and failures. Roberto Bellini (who sold BELLUS Health), Mark McKenna (Prometheus), Bill Meury (Karuna Therapeutics) and Dan O’Connor (Ambrx Biopharma) also consider the current market for biopharma M&A and what buyers are seeking today.
Since Dan O'Connor stepped in as CEO at Ambrx late last year, the company's stock has rallied on the revival of a previously-shelved anti-HER2 ADC. It also raised $78 million and completed its ATM (at-the-market) offering. O'Connor is no stranger to overcoming adversity. A former marine captain, he was among the first deployed to the Persian Gulf to fight in Operation Desert Shield. While his leadership at Ambrx is anything but militaristic, he ascribes much of his style, and certainly his approach to adverse conditions, to his military time. On this episode of the Business of Biotech, we welc…
OncoSec CEO & Director Dan O'Connor, J.D. joins the Business of Biotech to discuss his company's development of proprietary application and injection technologies for direct delivery of its pipeline of immunotherapeutic candidates and combination therapies into the tumor environment. O'Connor shares leadership lessons gleaned from his service as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps during Operation Desert Shield, and how he's applied those lessons as his company charts the manufacturing and regulatory challenges along its unique development timeline. #businessofbiotech #biopharma #biot…
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