insitro appoints Stephen Hitchcock and Vijay Pande as scientific advisors
Esme Needham | December 9, 2025 | Appointment | | insitro, scientific advisor
insitro, an AI therapeutics company, has announced the appointment of Stephen Hitchcock and Vijay Pande as scientific advisors.
Hitchcock brings more than 30 years of pharmaceutical experience to the role, having previously held positions at companies including Takeda, Eli Lilly and Amgen. During his time as Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Global Research at Takeda, he led global research teams responsible for targeting previously intractable drug targets.
Pande spent 16 years as a faculty member at Stanford University, including as the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Chemistry, Structural Biology, and Computer Science. As well as pioneering the use of computational methods in biology and chemistry, he has founded projects and organisations including Folding@home, Andreessen Horowitz’s Bio + Health fund, and VZVC.
In their new roles, Hitchcock and Pande will advise on the development of insitro’s AI-based ChemML platform, which has the potential to translate compelling targets into medicinal chemistry and preclinical development stages.
“The ChemML platform distinguishes itself by moving beyond binding affinity to solve for the multiparametric pharmacological profile that drives safety and efficacy,” Hitchcock said. “I believe this technology will enable scientists to drug targets that would otherwise remain intractable, particularly in areas like central nervous system disorders where pharmacological complexity has historically limited progress.”
“Steve brings deep experience navigating the complexities of drug development, while Vijay has been a pioneer in the use of machine learning for biology and chemistry,” Daphne Koller, founder and CEO of insitro, said. “Their combined perspective – spanning traditional research and development rigour and computational strategy – is critical as we advance our internal pipeline in metabolic disease and neuroscience, and work with strategic partners such as BMS and Lilly.”
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