Jean-Marie Cuillerot

Dr Jean-Marie Cuillerot, M.D., is Chief Medical Officer at Kainova Therapeutics. Based in Boston, he oversees clinical strategy, translational development, and medical affairs to advance the company’s pipeline of GPCR-targeting therapies with highly differentiated profiles. With a career spanning both biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, Dr Cuillerot brings extensive expertise and a proven track record in leading innovative therapies through successful clinical development and regulatory approval, driving meaningful impact for patients and value-creating milestones for organizations.

Before joining Kainova, Dr Cuillerot served as CMO at Acrivon Therapeutics, following CMO roles at Dragonfly Therapeutics, where he built and led the clinical team advancing multiple first-in-class assets into the clinic, and at Agenus, where he oversaw the development of five investigational therapies.

At EMD Serono (Merck Serono), Dr Cuillerot held senior leadership roles in immuno-oncology including Global Head of Clinical Development and Vice President of Clinical Immunotherapy / Immuno-Oncology. He led the development of avelumab from pre-IND through global submissions in record time, an achievement recognized with the prestigious Merck CEO Award.

Earlier in his career, at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr Cuillerot was medical lead for the lifecycle management of ipilimumab, the first approved immune checkpoint inhibitor for cancer. He designed and led pivotal Phase II and III trials across multiple indications and supported regulatory filings in both the United States and Europe. His experience also includes roles at Novartis and Pierre-Fabre, as well as academic appointment at Strasbourg University Hospitals.

Dr Cuillerot holds an M.D. from Strasbourg University in France.