Trailhead Biosystems Announces David Llewellyn, PhD, MBA, as Chief Executive Officer
BEACHWOOD, Ohio, May 20, 2025 /CNW/ -- Trailhead Biosystems Inc. (TrailBio.com), a biotechnology company pioneering the creation of iPSC-derived human cells at scale for drug discovery and cell therapy, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Llewellyn, PhD, MBA as its new Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of its Board of Directors. Dr. Llewellyn succeeds Jan Jensen, PhD, who has led the company as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer since its founding. Dr. Jensen will continue with Trailhead Biosystems as Chief Scientific Officer and Board member.
"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Llewellyn to the company," said Michael Kaufman, Chairman of the Board of Trailhead Biosystems. "David brings with him over 20 years of experience commercializing life science products. His strong scientific and business acumen will be invaluable as Trailhead continues to innovate and expand."
Dr. Jensen reflected on the transition, stating, "Trailhead Biosystems has reached an exciting inflection point, and bringing David Llewellyn on to the executive team marks the start of an ambitious new chapter. His expertise in life sciences and business strategy makes him the right leader to propel us onward, and I look forward to working alongside him to accelerate the commercialization of our groundbreaking technologies."
Dr. Llewellyn began his career at MethylGene Inc. as a Medicinal Chemist where he developed a wide range of novel DNA methyltransferase inhibitors to treat cancer. He later joined Aquinox Pharmaceuticals, where he was involved in a variety of different activities including business development, financing and operations. Most recently, Dr. Llewellyn worked with STEMCELL Technologies Inc., where he held several top executive roles including Senior Vice President of Business Operations, Chief Commercial Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer. David holds a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Northern British Columbia, a PhD in Organic Chemistry from McGill University, and an MBA in Strategic Management from the University of British Columbia.
"I am honored to step into the role of CEO and join the Board of Trailhead Biosystems," said Dr. Llewellyn. "Trailhead's proprietary High-Dimensional Design-of-Experiments Technology (HD-DoE ®) is a groundbreaking approach for making differentiated induced pluripotent stem cells, and there is no question that it's going to play an important role advancing stem cell research."
Trailhead Biosystems is dedicated to revolutionizing medical research and the field of regenerative medicine by developing specialized, high-quality iPSC-derived human cells for drug discovery and cell-based therapies. Under Dr. Llewellyn's leadership, Trailhead plans to expand on its mission of advancing healthcare through scientific innovation with a strong commitment to commercial and scientific excellence.
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