Bioptimus Strengthens Commercial and Scientific Leadership with Key Hires

Ketan Patel and Tokuwa Kanno bring deep user, product, and scientific expertise to accelerate real-world applications of Bioptimus’ foundation model for biology

Paris, France - August 7, 2025 — Bioptimus, the company building the world’s first universal AI foundation model for biology, is thrilled to announce the addition of two exceptional leaders to its team: Ketan Patel joins as Head of Product, and Tokuwa Kanno as Head of Computational Biology.

These hires mark a new chapter in Bioptimus’ mission to place users and biological insight at the center of foundation model development. Following the arrival of Chief Commercial Officer, Julie Gerardi, these strategic additions further accelerate the company’s push to deliver real-world value to researchers, clinicians, and innovators around the globe.

Ketan Patel brings over two decades of experience driving innovation at the intersection of data, AI, and life sciences. Most recently, Ketan served as VP of Product Strategy at Clarivate, where he shaped solutions for pharmaceutical R&D and evidence-based decision-making. Prior to Clarivate, he held senior product leadership roles at AstraZeneca, Oracle, Pfizer, and Eli Lilly, where he led the development of digital tools and platforms to accelerate drug discovery and development.

“Biology is undergoing a data revolution, and Bioptimus is at the frontier of turning that data into understanding,” said Ketan Patel. “Joining this team is a rare chance to rethink how we model biology itself — and bring powerful tools to the scientific community.”

Tokuwa Kanno is an accomplished leader in computational biology and AI-driven drug discovery. He joins from GSK, where he led a team of computational biologists focused on leveraging large-scale biological data and AI to advance oncology pre-clinical and translational research . Previously, he held pivotal roles at Sanofi and Johnson & Johnson, where his research focussed on unlocking new insights into disease biology, drug mechanisms of action and drug-resistance biomarkers..

“The opportunity to build a foundation model that can transform how we model and interpret biology is incredibly exciting,” said Tokuwa Kanno. “Bioptimus is uniquely positioned to bridge scientific depth with real-world utility, and I’m thrilled to help shape a product that will empower the next generation of researchers and innovators.”

“We’re assembling a world-class team to take on one of the most ambitious challenges in science,” said Jean-Philippe Vert, CEO of Bioptimus. “With Ketan and Tokuwa on board, we’re reinforcing our commitment to user impact and scientific excellence at every level of the company.”

Bioptimus continues to attract global talent united by a shared vision: to unlock the complexity of life with AI and build models that transform biology.

About Bioptimus

Bioptimus is building the world’s first multi-scale foundation model for biology, combining large-scale AI with unique biological data assets to capture the complexity of life and fuel biomedical breakthroughs. Founded in 2023 by a team of world-class experts from Google DeepMind, Owkin and Novartis, Bioptimus is headquartered in Paris and backed by leading investors in AI and biotech. Learn more at www.bioptimus.com.