Jonathan Steckbeck

Jonathan Steckbeck, PhD, MBA, is an entrepreneur and the Founder, President, and CEO of Peptilogics, a clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of best-in-class novel peptide therapeutics. Jonathan founded Peptilogics to research, develop, and commercialize novel peptide therapeutics by addressing the growing inefficiencies in drug discovery and development. Peptilogics’ lead clinical molecule, PLG0206/zaloganan, is being developed as a transformative treatment for orthopedic infections, starting with periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), a disease that has a higher 5-year mortality rate than breast, prostate, or colon cancer. Jonathan directly led nonclinical and early clinical development, successfully advancing PLG0206 through a Phase 1 safety trial, establishing PLG0206 as the first molecule in its class to be administered safely intravenously. More recently, Jonathan led the team that successfully negotiated a regulatory pathway with the US FDA for a single Phase 2/3 adaptive pivotal trial in PJI, an indication with little/no established regulatory precedent.

Under his leadership, Peptilogics has developed a computational drug discovery platform, Nautilus, to transform random discovery and bespoke science into a rapid, programmable, and predictable process. Nautilus unites modern machine learning and artificial intelligence with custom in-house supercomputing to learn the principles underlying biology and apply that understanding to design new drugs that are more likely to succeed and help patients live better lives.

To advance the company’s mission, Jonathan has recruited a diverse and integrated team of experts in drug discovery, development and commercialization, and computational sciences. Jonathan’s team has previously launched 25 successful drugs, nine of which are commercial blockbusters (>$1 billion in annual revenue), and been a part of >$10 billion in successful exits. Jonathan has raised $100 million in equity and non-dilutive financing from top investors and institutions including Peter Thiel, Founders Fund, PreSight Capital, AlphaWave Global, Point72, and CARB-X.