Enhanced Genomics has appointed leading biotechnology entrepreneur Dietrich Stephan as chair of its board of directors, strengthening the company’s leadership as it accelerates drug target discovery for common diseases using its proprietary 3D multi-omics platform.

Stephan, a renowned genomics pioneer, will help steer the company’s strategic expansion into autoimmune indications and drive partnerships designed to accelerate the development of precision drugs and patient stratification tools.

With a career spanning leadership roles in more than two dozen biotech firms—several of which reached billion-dollar valuations—Stephan brings deep experience in scaling high-growth life sciences companies and deploying genomic technologies at scale. He has held C-suite and board positions across the sector and was instrumental in shaping the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s neuroscience genomics programs, which helped uncover the genetic underpinnings of hundreds of diseases.

“Until today, most of the common disease-associated genomics data generated over the last two decades has not been translated into causal biology,” said Stephan. “Enhanced Genomics’ 3D single cell-type multi-omics platform is uniquely capable of translating these massive amounts of disease-associated data into actionable insights, to enable the rapid identification of novel therapeutic targets with blockbuster potential. The company is also poised to deliver multi-omics signatures that stratify patients for more effective and efficient trials and, together with its target identification capabilities, is unlocking a new era in drug discovery and development for common diseases.”

Enhanced Genomics claims to be the only biotech able to define causal biology from disease-linked variants on a genome-wide scale. Its platform connects non-coding genetic variants—often found in so-called ‘gene deserts’—to the disease-driving genes that reside in specific cell types. This allows the company to identify new drug targets with strong genetic validation, significantly increasing the chances of success in downstream pharmaceutical development.

The appointment signals a new phase for Enhanced, as it looks to expand its internal pipeline and form strategic alliances with pharmaceutical partners. The company’s technology is positioned to reduce the time and cost of target identification, while generating novel, high-confidence insights into the biology of common conditions.

“We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Stephan as chair for our portfolio company, Enhanced Genomics,” said Joanna Smart, investor director at BGF.

“Enhanced’s 3D multi-omics platform has the potential to build on decades of genomics research to deliver high-value assets. Multi-omics is the next emerging frontier of the genomics revolution, promising to unlock almost two decades of genomics insights from the global community to benefit those suffering from a wide range of prevalent diseases — and Enhanced is leading the way. Dietrich’s expertise in high-throughput genomics, combined with company building experience, will be invaluable as we drive the company forward through this next phase.”

Stephan holds a PhD in human genetics from the University of Pittsburgh, where he received the Legacy Laureate Award, and a BSc in biology from Carnegie Mellon University. He completed his fellowship at the NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute.