Harry Gruber

Harry Gruber, M.D., is the CEO and co-founder of Tocagen, a privately funded, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pursuing the discovery, development and commercialization of gene therapy products for the selective treatment of cancer. Tocagen’s lead investigational product, Toca 511 & Toca FC, is being evaluated in three clinical trials in patients with recurrent high grade glioma, including glioblastoma (GBM), and is designed to selectively infect and kill cancer cells via a proposed dual mechanism of action: first, selectively infecting cancer cells and second, activating the immune system against the tumor. Dr. Gruber is a founder and/or an inventor of the underlying technology for the following public companies, which achieved a combined value over $7 billion: Viagene, Inc. (gene therapy company ultimately acquired by Novartis Pharmaceuticals), Gensia Inc. (acquired by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd.), INTERVU Inc. (acquired by Akamai Technologies, Inc.), Kintera Inc. (acquired by Blackbaud) and Metabasis, Inc. (acquired by Ligand Pharmaceuticals). Prior to founding Gensia, he was on the faculty at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. He is the author of over 100 original scientific articles and an inventor on over 33 issued and numerous pending patents. Dr. Gruber holds a medical degree and bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.