EVANSTON, Ill. — Flashpoint Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech company pioneering precision-engineered structural nanomedicines, has appointed industry veteran Barry Labinger as its new Chief Executive Officer. The leadership transition comes as the company prepares for key clinical milestones in its development pipeline.
Labinger brings over 30 years of executive leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with a strong track record of steering companies through critical phases of growth, product development, and commercialization. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of Gilboa Therapeutics, where he led efforts to advance a novel engineered T-cell platform for treating solid tumors. Before that, he was CEO of Checkmate Pharmaceuticals, guiding the company through an IPO and the advancement of its lead cancer immunotherapy into registrational trials.
“We are delighted to welcome Barry Labinger to Flashpoint,” said Dr. Chad Mirkin, Co-Founder and Board Member of Flashpoint Therapeutics. “His track record and deep experience in the strategic, scientific, clinical, and commercial aspects of innovative therapeutics companies make him the ideal CEO to lead the next stage of growth for our company and the application of our technology to address major patient needs.”
Labinger’s career also includes senior roles at Human Genome Sciences, Bristol Myers Squibb, Abbott Laboratories, Immunex, 3M Pharmaceuticals, and Emergent BioSolutions. Throughout his career, he has helped bring transformative therapies to market and built collaborations with major industry players.
“I am thrilled to join Flashpoint Therapeutics at this critical juncture,” said Labinger. “Its structural nanomedicine platform is built upon extraordinary science developed at the laboratories of Dr. Chad Mirkin at Northwestern University, and I am confident it will result in groundbreaking new therapies that will make a profound impact on patients’ lives.”
Labinger earned both his MBA and BA from Northwestern University, with concentrations in marketing, finance, and economics. He takes the reins from Dr. Adam Margolin, the company’s founding CEO, who played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for Flashpoint’s scientific and organizational progress.
As Flashpoint advances its nanomedicine platform, Labinger is expected to drive the company’s strategic direction and foster innovation aimed at tackling unmet medical needs in cancer and other serious diseases.
