Tim Acker

Tim is an accomplished drug hunter and innovator with deep expertise spanning small molecule chemistry, protein engineering, and translational pharmacology. He has over 15 years of experience driving therapeutic discovery across diverse modalities, from biophysical characterization and antibody engineering to PK/PD modeling and emerging therapeutics. As a collaborative and group-oriented scientist, Tim has been instrumental in advancing multiple therapeutic candidates from early discovery through IND-enabling studies, including monoclonal antibodies, bispecific T cell engagers, antibody-drug conjugates, and novel peptide-polymer conjugates. Most recently at Amgen, Tim invented a peptide-polymer conjugate that delivered a pipeline project, working with cross-functional teams through IND readiness while serving as the department's subject matter expert in biophysical assay development. His collaborative approach and innovative problem-solving have consistently delivered decision-enabling data across numerous modalities and project teams. Prior to Amgen, Tim co-led protein biosciences efforts at Eureka Therapeutics, developing clinical biomarker assays and HLA peptide and antibody discovery workstreams. Tim holds a PhD in Molecular and Systems Pharmacology with an emphasis in Chemical Biology from Emory University with Professor Dennis C. Liotta and conducted postdoctoral research in viral protease inhibition via protein-protein interaction disruption at the University of California San Francisco with Professor Charles Craik.