CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Delphia Therapeutics Inc. has appointed David P. Kerstein, M.D., as chief medical officer, adding an oncology drug-development veteran as the company advances its cancer biology platform.
Delphia is a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments based on activation lethality, an approach that targets cancer’s vulnerability to oncogene overactivation. The company said Kerstein brings experience across early- and late-stage precision oncology programs.
“David is an accomplished physician-scientist and biotechnology leader with a strong track record of advancing innovative precision oncology therapies through clinical development,” said Kevin Marks, Ph.D., co-founder, president and CEO of Delphia. “As we continue to advance activation lethality as a novel therapeutic approach, David’s leadership will be instrumental in shaping our clinical strategy and accelerating the development of potentially transformative therapies for patients with cancer.”
Kerstein most recently served as chief medical officer of IDRx, a clinical-stage precision oncology company that was acquired by GSK in 2025. He previously was chief medical officer of Theseus Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Anchiano Therapeutics Ltd.
Earlier in his career, Kerstein held oncology clinical research and strategy roles at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and ARIAD Pharmaceuticals Inc., which Takeda acquired in 2017. At ARIAD, he led the clinical development of ALUNBRIG. He also served as director of clinical development and regulatory affairs at Boston Biomedical Inc., a subsidiary of Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co. Ltd.
“The biology underlying activation lethality represents an exciting, novel and differentiated opportunity in oncology with the potential to address significant unmet patient needs,” Kerstein said. “I am excited to join Delphia at this important stage of growth and help advance a pipeline designed to exploit cancer-specific vulnerabilities in entirely new ways.”
Kerstein holds an M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Tufts University.
