Dr. Chengzao Sun is a biopharmaceutical executive, researcher, and peptide drug discovery expert currently serving as Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Pinnacle Medicines. He leads scientific strategy and research initiatives focused on advancing peptide and macrocyclic therapeutics, with a particular emphasis on developing oral peptide modalities.

Dr. Sun brings over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical research and development, having held key leadership positions at major global companies including Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Amylin Pharmaceuticals. At Johnson & Johnson, he served as Head of the Peptide Platform and Early Portfolio, where he directed strategy and execution across multiple peptide-based drug programs from early discovery through clinical development.

His scientific expertise encompasses peptide chemistry, macrocyclic drug design, and translational research across diverse therapeutic areas, including cardiometabolic disease, oncology, neuroscience, and immunology. He has played a central role in advancing drug candidates from lead identification through Phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials.

Dr. Sun is listed as an inventor on multiple patents related to peptide therapeutics, including innovations in cyclic and macrocyclic peptide design targeting biologically relevant receptors. His work contributes to the development of next-generation therapeutics with improved stability, specificity, and delivery.

In addition to his industry contributions, Dr. Sun is an active member of the scientific community. He has participated as a speaker and moderator at leading peptide science conferences, including the Boulder Peptide Symposium, and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in medicinal and computational chemistry.

He earned his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Brown University, where he developed foundational expertise in synthetic and peptide chemistry that continues to inform his work in drug discovery.