Taran Khanam is a Therapeutic Translation Lead at Cancer Research Horizons, where she works closely with academic researchers, clinicians and industry scientists to identify, evaluate and advance breakthrough cancer research into cancer therapeutics. With over 15 years of experience spanning academia and industry, Taran has a track record of advancing drug discovery programmes across precision oncology, DNA damage response biology and synthetic lethality. As a Programme Lead Biologist, she has overseen the full drug discovery life cycle from target ID/validation through to hit discovery, candidate nomination and IND-enabling development. She has established translational biology and target validation capabilities at MRC-PPU, Artios Pharma and STORM Therapeutics, advancing multiple first- and best-in-class targets into discovery.
Taran’s expertise centres on shaping early biological ideas into discovery-ready therapeutic opportunities. By integrating mechanistic biology, biomarker and patient-selection strategies with rigorous assessment of translational feasibility, she helps define therapeutic hypotheses and discovery strategies. She has led cross-functional efforts spanning biology, chemistry and translational sciences, guiding portfolio prioritisation and delivering integrated discovery and translational plans.