Ted J. Torphy, PhD
Chairman Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Ted Torphy is the Chairman of EDI’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). He is an accomplished pharmaceutical R&D researcher and executive with over 35 years of success in product discovery and early development, organizational leadership, transformational R&D business models, and for-profit / non-profit partnership models.
Ted served as CSO of BioMotiv, the for-profit drug accelerator arm of The Harrington Project, from 2014 to 2020, and CEO from 2019-2020. During this period Ted oversaw the creation of a broad portfolio of early-stage companies focused on the discovery and development of both small- and large-molecule therapeutics, as well as vaccines.
Prior to joining BioMotiv, Ted was with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, New Brunswick, NJ, for 12 years. His
roles included heading External Innovation for the small-molecule discovery organization, Vice President and Head of External Research and Early Development, and Corporate Vice President and Head of Johnson & Johnson’s Corporate Office of Science & Technology.
Preceding his tenure with Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals, Ted spent four years at Centocor, the biopharmaceutical arm of Johnson & Johnson, as Senior Vice President for Discovery and Preclinical Development. During this period SIMPONI®, STELERA® and SYLVANT® entered the discovery portfolio. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson and Centocor, he spent 17 years with Glaxo SmithKline, most recently as Vice President of Research for Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, Renal and Metabolic Diseases.
Ted is vice chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Board of Trustees and chaired the Board of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics, Inc. from 2004 to 2019. During his tenure, the Foundation launched its pioneering venture philanthropy drug discovery program. This program ultimately led to Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ development and launch of KALYDECO™ and ORKAMBI™, the first treatments that corrects a fundamental defect causing Cystic Fibrosis. Additional important therapeutic partly funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation during this period included TOBI® and Cayston®.
Ted holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin, a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from West Virginia University, and completed his postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of more than 120 journal articles, review articles, book chapters and patents. In addition to his role on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Board of Trustees, Ted currently serves on the boards of numerous non-profit and for-profit organizations in the healthcare field.
