Early Stage Development Team

Rimma L. Steinhertz, PhD, PMP

Oncology Program Leader

Dr. Steinhertz received PhD in Medicinal/Organic Chemistry and rationale drug design from Boston College followed by postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University where she studied synthesis and structure-activity relationship of novel antibiotics, oncology and cardiovascular drug candidates. After Harvard, Rimma joined Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development where she led 9 preclinical/early development projects in Inflammation, Endocrine and Metabolic disorders, CNS and Oncology. She also led alliances with other pharmaceutical companies that resulted in licensing agreement of early development candidates and company acquisition. In 2006, Rimma transitioned to Eisai Inc. Global Clinical Development where she led several IND and CTA submissions, initiated and ran over 25 Phase 1 and 1b/2 studies in Oncology involving over 12 assets. She also worked on 6 commercial drugs and led teams to successful sBLA, sNDA and MAA submissions. At Eisai, Rimma was also responsible for developing and leading partnership relationships with a diverse set of pharmaceutical, research and biotechnology companies. Rimma also played a key role in successfully closing several out-licensing agreements. After the dissolution of Eisai’s Oncology Business Unit in 2015 Rimma moved to Merck & Co’s Keytruda franchise, where she built a high-performing team of 35 people that managed 250 combination studies from Phase 1 to Phase 3 in External Collaborations (driving collaborations with big Pharma, small Biotech companies, Academic Institutions and US Government). After Merck Rimma joined two Biotech startups where she continued to lead Oncology assets and to build PM, AM, BD, Clinical and Operations departments from the ground up. She brings 20+ years of hands-on expertise in research and drug/biologic development from preclinical to Phase 1-4, and extensive professional experience in team leadership, development of project strategy and implementation, resource and budget management, portfolio and risk management.