John D. Orr, PhD

John D. Orr, PhD, oversees drug product formulation development, analytical development, and quality control, driving the progress of Elicio’s innovative immunotherapy programs. John has over 30 years of experience in analytical and process development for both small and large molecules in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries.

Before joining Elicio, John worked as a pharmaceutical development consultant, leading method validation and specification development strategies and authoring CMC regulatory filings for clients. Earlier in his career at Eisai Inc., he established the Analytical and Physical Chemistry Group and contributed to numerous IND and NDA submissions. His contributions to Halaven^® included managing structural and physicochemical characterization, analytical development, validation, and transfer, supporting the journey from pre-IND through successful FDA pre-approval inspection and commercialization. John has served as Chair of the Analytical Leadership Group, and as a Board of Directors Member of both the IQ Consortium and the Allotrope Foundation.

John earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh, an MS and PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Chicago, and completed postdoctoral training in Molecular Biology at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.

When he’s not working, John likes to play hockey and golf, and participate in a book club with his college friends. He and his wife are proud parents of two wonderful daughters and also have a charming cat named Seamus.