CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Insilico Medicine ("Insilico") (3696.HK), a clinical-stage biotechnology company powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI), today announced the appointment of Halle Zhang, PhD (Med), as Vice President, Clinical Development - Oncology. Dr. Zhang will report to Feng Ren, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer of Insilico Medicine, and will be based in the company's Cambridge, Massachusetts office.
In this role, Dr. Zhang will lead the global clinical development strategy and execution for Insilico's oncology portfolio, guiding both early- and late-stage programs across multiple tumor types. She will also contribute to broader portfolio planning and the company's growth strategy, partnering closely with discovery, translational, biomarker, regulatory, and clinical operations teams to accelerate development timelines and deliver differentiated, patient-centered therapies.
Dr. Zhang is a strategic leader in oncology clinical development with more than 20 years of experience spanning academia, biotechnology, and the pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, she served as Global Clinical Development Program Leader for late-stage oncology and Global Program Leader for early oncology at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she was accountable for global development strategy and execution across multiple solid tumor indications, including lung, breast, melanoma, gastric, colorectal, bladder, and head and neck cancers. Her experience spans diverse therapeutic modalities, including immuno-oncology-based approaches, targeted small-molecule therapies, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), leading programs from first-in-human studies through registrational trials.
She worked closely with global regulatory authorities to shape development strategies, optimize study design, and support regulatory submissions, while integrating translational science and biomarker strategies into clinical plans. Over the course of her career, she has built and scaled high-performing clinical development organizations and is recognized for fostering a culture of scientific rigor, accountability, and collaboration.
Earlier, Dr. Zhang held senior clinical development leadership roles at Infinity Pharmaceuticals and BioMed Valley Discoveries and began her career in academic research and clinical operations at Harvard Medical School, where she led NIH-sponsored clinical trials. She holds a PhD in Medicine and an MSc in Immunology and Microbiology from University of Birmingham, and a BSc in Nursing from University of Portsmouth.
"Halle brings exceptional scientific depth, strategic judgment, and operational excellence to Insilico's oncology programs," said Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, Founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine. "Her proven leadership across global oncology development will be instrumental as we continue to expand our AI-driven pipeline and translate innovative science into meaningful clinical outcomes for patients."
"I am excited to join Insilico Medicine at such an important stage of growth," said Dr. Zhang. "Insilico's unique AI-driven platform, combined with a bold, science-first culture, creates a powerful opportunity to rethink how oncology medicines are discovered and developed. I look forward to partnering with this talented team to advance therapies that address significant unmet needs for patients."
Over the past year, Insilico Medicine's oncology pipelines have been moving forward with high efficiency. Several innovative pipelines designed and optimized with the help of Chemistry42 have progressed to Phase I clinical trials. In January 2025, ISM6331, a pan-TEAD inhibitor with an innovative structure, was announced to have completed first patient dosing in a global, multicenter Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of mesothelioma and other solid tumors. In June 2025, ISM3412, a potential "best-in-class" inhibitor targeting MAT2A, was announced to have completed first patient dosing in patients with locally advanced and metastatic solid tumors, aiming to evaluate safety, tolerability, PK/PD characteristics, and preliminary efficacy.
In addition to advancing its internal pipeline, Insilico Medicine and its global partners have achieved multiple milestones across collaborative oncology programs. The company entered a multi-program discovery and development collaboration with Servier valued at up to USD $888 million to leverage Insilico's AI platform to generate first-in-class small-molecule cancer therapies. Under its collaboration totaling up to USD $550 million with Menarini Group, Insilico received a USD $3 million development and regulatory milestone payment in July 2025, followed by a USD $5 million milestone upon dosing the first patient in the Phase I clinical trial of MEN2501 (ISM9682), a highly differentiated KIF18A small-molecule inhibitor.
Harnessing state-of-the-art AI and automation technologies, Insilico has significantly improved the efficiency of preclinical drug development. While traditional early-stage drug discovery typically requires 3 to 6 years, from 2021 to 2024 Insilico nominated 20 preclinical candidates, achieving an average turnaround - from project initiation to preclinical candidate (PCC) nomination - of just 12 to 18 months per program, with only 60 to 200 molecules synthesized and tested in each program.
About Insilico Medicine
Insilico Medicine, a leading and global AI-driven biotech company, utilizes its proprietary Pharma.AI platform and cutting-stage automated laboratory to accelerate drug discovery and advance innovations in life sciences research. By integrating AI and automation technologies and deep in-house drug discovery capabilities, Insilico is delivering innovative drug solutions for unmet needs including fibrosis, oncology, immunology, pain, and obesity and metabolic disorders. Additionally, Insilico extends the reach of Pharma.AI across diverse industries, such as advanced materials, agriculture, nutritional products and veterinary medicine. For more information, please visit www.insilico.com.
SOURCE Insilico Medicine
