X Chem Transitions Executives into New Roles, Appoints New Chief Executive Officer

WALTHAM, Mass.; Jan. 4, 2024 (Business Wire) – X-Chem, the leading provider of innovative solutions in early-stage drug discovery, today announced executive management team changes aimed at expanding its position as a premium provider of integrated services to drug hunters.

Karen Lackey, currently Chief Scientific Officer, will transition to the role of Chief Executive Officer. Karen’s extensive drug discovery experience in both pharma and service organizations makes her the ideal leader to guide X-Chem into the next phase of its evolution. Under Karen’s leadership, X-Chem will continue innovating in data-accelerated drug discovery utilizing a unique combination of computational science and experimental data generation to catalyze a small molecule drug discovery revolution.

Current X-Chem Chief Executive Officer Matthew Clark will transition to the role of President and Chief Scientific Officer. In this role, Matt will focus on maintaining X-Chem’s edge in novel drug discovery technologies, ensuring X-Chem’s clients access a full range of innovative services to advance their pipelines. A drug discovery technology thought leader, Matt will continue to have a crucial role aligning X-Chem’s scientific capabilities to its corporate mission and clients’ needs.

“I’m very proud of what the team has accomplished over the past four years, transitioning X-Chem from a boutique DNA-encoded library (DEL) shop to a global, integrated service provider,” said newly appointed X-Chem President and CSO Matt Clark. “Now, under Karen’s visionary leadership, I am incredibly excited to participate in the next stage of our journey. X-Chem has the potential to transform the way small molecule drugs are discovered.”

“I am so excited about the future of small molecule drug discovery and X-Chem’s role in that future,” said incoming CEO Karen Lackey. “In my first six months at X-Chem, I have seen top-tier science and met many amazingly talented scientists. Together, we can continue to bring incredible innovation to drug discovery, unlocking the biological problems of the future to the benefit of patients.”

About X-Chem
X-Chem is the leader in small molecule discovery science, providing pharmaceutical and biotech companies a complete, seamless solution for screening, hit validation and lead optimization. As pioneers of DNA-encoded chemical library (DEL) technology, the company leverages its market-leading DEL platform to discover novel small molecule leads against challenging, high-value therapeutic targets. In-house lead optimization services enable clients to progress their compounds directly for even higher quality outputs. Our expertise in medicinal chemistry, custom synthesis and scale-up process chemistry enables us to support all aspects of drug discovery, supporting lead optimization through candidate identification.