Ping Cao, Ph.D. Co-Founder & CEO, BridGene Biosciences
Ping Cao, Ph.D., spent more than two decades at the forefront of biopharma research—at companies including Tularik and Amgen—before co-founding BridGene Biosciences with a conviction that the field’s most important targets didn’t have to stay out of reach. BridGene’s IMTAC™ live-cell chemoproteomics platform is designed to do what conventional small-molecule discovery cannot: engage “undruggable” proteins by studying how covalent compounds interact with many targets simultaneously in their native cellular environment. The company’s lead program, BGC-515, a TEAD inhibitor for solid tumors, is now in the clinical validation of both the platform and the approach.
In this Q&A, Ping discusses what drove him to start BridGene, how the IMTAC™ platform works and why it matters, the challenge of proving that one clinical success can become many, and what it takes to build a durable drug discovery engine in an industry that doesn’t always reward bold science early enough.
June 22, 2026
Your Story
Q1. What was the defining insight that led you to start BridGene?
After more than 20 years in biotech, I had seen firsthand both the power and the limitations of traditional small-molecule drug discovery. Conventional approaches are largely target-centric—teams typically work on one protein at a time, which inherently limits how many targets can be explored. Time and again, some of the most important disease-driving proteins were labeled “undruggable,” not because they didn’t matter, but because the tools and throughput to engage them simply didn’t exist. That gap felt like one of the biggest unmet needs in the field.
What led me to start BridGene was the conviction that chemoproteomics and mass spectrometry could change that. Our IMTAC™ platform allows us to measure covalent small-molecule interactions across many hard-to-drug targets in parallel, in their native cellular context, and build a large-scale experimental database of protein–small molecule interactions. The opportunity to turn biology that was once out of reach into actionable therapeutic programs—and to expand what small molecules can do for patients—was something I could not walk away from.
Q2. In plain terms, what does BridGene do—and why does it matter for patients?
BridGene discovers small-molecule medicines for proteins that have historically been considered hard to drug. Our IMTAC™ platform lets us study how covalent small molecules interact with many proteins in their native cellular environment at the same time, uncovering druggable opportunities that conventional methods often miss. By exploring multiple targets in parallel, we increase both the efficiency and the throughput of drug discovery.
For patients, this matters because many serious diseases are driven by targets that have remained out of reach for traditional medicines. By expanding the range of proteins we can address and accelerating discovery, we create the potential for new therapies in diseases where options are limited—or don’t yet exist.
The Science & The Strategy
Q3. What sets BridGene apart from others working in this space?
What sets us apart is that we built an integrated discovery engine, not just a screening platform. Our IMTAC™ live-cell chemoproteomics platform lets us observe covalent small-molecule interactions directly in native cellular systems, which helps us find binding opportunities that conventional approaches often miss.
One important technical advantage is that we go beyond cysteine and can target non-cysteine residues, which significantly expands proteome coverage. Our paired probe-and-competitor design also gives us a more direct, accurate, and reproducible readout of target engagement. Combined with our covalent chemistry capabilities and growing pipeline, that gives us a differentiated way to turn hard-to-drug biology into real drug programs.
Q4. What has been your most important milestone, and what’s next?
Advancing BGC-515, our TEAD inhibitor, from discovery through our IMTAC™ platform into the clinic. For us, this was more than a pipeline milestone—it was a platform-validation moment. BGC-515 was identified through our chemoproteomics approach, and its clinical progress has demonstrated that our platform can translate hard-to-drug biology into real therapeutic candidates. Its encouraging clinical safety profile is also consistent with the high proteome-wide selectivity we observed preclinically, which gives us added confidence in the underlying approach.
The next milestone is demonstrating that this is not a one-program story. We have a second platform-derived program at the preclinical candidate stage, and our goal is to continue advancing additional hard-to-drug targets through the pipeline. If BGC-515 was the first proof point, the next inflection is showing that our discovery engine is repeatable and scalable—that we can systematically generate multiple high-quality programs from the same platform. We have also stated publicly that financing proceeds are intended to support ongoing clinical development of BGC-515 toward Phase 2 and to help prepare a second program for clinical entry in 2027.
Q5. What is the biggest challenge you’re facing right now?
The biggest challenge is to turn platform potential into repeatable pipeline and clinical success. It is not enough to show that the platform works once—we need to show that it can repeatedly generate strong programs, advance them, and create real value for patients and partners.
We are addressing that in a focused way. Scientifically, we are continuing to prove that our chemoproteomics approach can uncover high-quality opportunities on hard-to-drug targets and convert them into selective drug candidates. On the business side, we are being disciplined about where we invest, concentrating on programs where our platform gives us a genuine edge. Ultimately, our job is to demonstrate that BridGene is not just a company with interesting technology—but a repeatable engine for building medicines.
Leadership & Ecosystem
Q6. What has surprised you most about being a CEO in life sciences?
That being a CEO in life sciences is not just about leading people or raising capital—it is also about making the right scientific bets. I came to appreciate that target selection is incredibly important: choose the right target, and you have already created a strong foundation for success.
The second thing I learned is that once you’ve made the right choice, drug discovery and development become much more about disciplined execution—a step-by-step process of optimization, problem-solving, and risk management. That broader shift in perspective, from solving individual scientific problems to making the right strategic choices for the company, is something I did not fully appreciate until I was in the role.
Q7. How would you describe the culture you’re building at BridGene?
We are building a culture of ambition, rigor, and curiosity. We summarize it internally with the word BRIDGE: Better, Reliable, Innovation, Diversity, Gratitude, and Exploration. Those values matter because in drug discovery, culture is not separate from science—it shapes how teams think, collaborate, and execute.
Good science requires more than innovation. It also requires reliability, openness to different perspectives, respect for data, and the resilience to keep learning through setbacks. That is the environment we are trying to build, because ultimately the quality of the culture shows up in the quality of the science.
Q8. What role does the Bay Area ecosystem play in BridGene’s growth?
The Bay Area has been an ideal home base because it gives us access to everything that matters for a biotech company’s growth: talent, capital, scientific collaboration, and business development opportunities. It is a region that values innovation and is comfortable with platform-driven companies, which has been important for us as we build a differentiated discovery engine.
For BridGene specifically, the Bay Area also strengthens our hybrid model. We anchor strategy, partnerships, and innovation here, while leveraging strong scientific execution from our China organization. That combination has helped us move faster, think bigger, and build the company in a way that is both globally connected and highly efficient.
Looking Ahead
Q9. What would you change about the life sciences industry—and what gives you optimism?
I would make the industry more willing to back bold science earlier. In biotech, especially when markets are difficult, people naturally become more cautious. But that caution can make it harder for truly innovative ideas and new target spaces to get the support they deserve.
What makes me optimistic is that we now have far better tools than ever before—including AI. But in drug discovery, AI will only be truly powerful if it is trained on the right experimental data. I believe real wet-lab data on small molecule–protein interactions is one of the keys to building useful AI and machine learning models. That is where BridGene can contribute in a meaningful way, because our platform generates this kind of data directly in live cells and native systems. When you combine strong biology, high-quality experimental data, and AI, you have a much better chance of finding better medicines faster.
About The Big4Bio CEO Weekly Q&A
Every Monday, Big4Bio spotlights a life sciences CEO from one of our eight coverage regions — Boston, San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, Philadelphia, New York City, the Capital Region, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Each feature is promoted across all eight Big4Bio daily newsletters, reaching 30,000+ life sciences professionals. CEO participation is complimentary and editorial — every CEO approves the final Q&A before publication.
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