Welcome to Partnology’s Biotech Leader Spotlight Series, where we highlight the remarkable accomplishments and visionary leadership of biotech industry pioneers. This series is about showcasing the groundbreaking strides made by exceptional leaders who have transformed scientific possibilities into tangible realities. Through insightful interviews, we invite you to join us in following the inspiring journeys of these executives who continue to shape the landscape of the biotech industry.
Jill Hopkins is the Chief Medical Officer and President of Research & Development at Aura Biosciences. Before joining Aura, Jill served as Senior Vice President, Global Head of Ophthalmology and Exploratory Development at Novartis, and Chief Executive Officer of Gyroscope Therapeutics, a Novartis company, where she was responsible for the global ophthalmic pipeline and portfolio of medicines, gene therapy, devices and digital solutions to impact eye disease and reduce visual impairment globally. Previously, Dr. Hopkins spent over a decade at Roche-Genentech in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as Global Head of Ophthalmology Personalized Health Care. Before Roche-Genentech, she spent over 20 years in clinical retinal research and academic practice at the University of Toronto, University of Southern California, and Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group. Jill brings over 30 years of cross-sector experience in ophthalmology, spanning clinical care, academia, education, industry, advocacy, and innovation. Dr. Hopkins received her M.D. from McMaster University and completed her Ophthalmology residency at the University of Toronto. She has completed fellowships in Retinal Disease from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London UK and in Visual Electrophysiology from the Universities of Toronto and Ottawa. Dr. Hopkins is board certified in Ophthalmology from the American Board of Ophthalmology and the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada.
Walk me through your career, highlighting the most pivotal moments or decisions throughout:
I believe pivotal moments in life often stem from important conversations with individuals who leave a lasting impact. Growing up, I thought I was going to be a journalist. However, when I attended the University of Toronto, I pursued a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and quickly developed a passion for science and neuroscience. I initially planned to pursue a PhD in psychology, but one of my professors suggested that if I was pursuing that route, I should consider obtaining an MD first. With an MD, I could then explore neuroscience, psychiatry, or other related fields, offering me greater flexibility in my career. At first, I thought that was a far-fetched idea, as I had never considered medical school, but as my career has progressed, I’ve learned that sometimes the ideas that seem the most unconventional can be the most compelling. My advice is always to explore those seemingly wild ideas.
I was successful at getting into medical school and initially planned to follow the neuroscience path. However, I fell in love with ophthalmology. I’d be happy to elaborate on why that was, but I believe this story reflects a recurring theme in my career: the importance of staying open to opportunities that you might not have anticipated. By doing so, you may discover a path that you never thought possible.
You’ve had a remarkable career spanning academia, clinical practice, and industry leadership. What initially drew you to ophthalmology, and how did you transition into drug development?
I attended McMaster University in Canada, where the medical program was highly innovative and placed students in the clinic from day one. This hands-on experience exposed me early on to clinicians, surgeons, and various specialties. I became captivated by ophthalmology for a few key reasons. First, the field’s impact on quality of life is profound. Vision affects everything we do every day and the ability to impact that was incredibly appealing to me. What also appealed to me was the intersection of medicine, systemic disease, surgery, innovation, and technology in ophthalmology. It’s a field where these elements converge to create meaningful impact. I was also inspired by the ophthalmologists I worked with, many of whom had high levels of job satisfaction, were deeply innovative, and had great faith in the future of the field—whether through treating macular degeneration with new innovative treatments, or addressing hereditary diseases through the promise of gene therapy. It’s a forward-thinking, dynamic community, and that was incredibly attractive to me. I fell in love with the field and never looked back.
I transitioned into drug development because I had a really interesting conversation that shifted my perspective. At the time, I had spent 20 years in clinical practice across some incredible places—London, England, Canada, the University of Toronto, and the University of Southern California. I also worked in a unique private practice in LA, led by Dr. David Boyer. Over those two decades, I was deeply involved in research and experienced the intersection of technology, innovation, new devices, and novel approaches for patients. I was truly content in my clinical work.
However, I received a call from a colleague who had recently transitioned to Genentech. He suggested that I consider a role at the company, thinking it would be a great fit for me and an exciting opportunity. At first, I thought, “No, I’m very happy where I am. I never imagined a career in industry.” But I decided to explore it, and I’m so glad I did. When I visited Genentech, I was incredibly impressed by the focus on science, the patient at the center of the work, the people, the drive for innovation, and the scale at which they were impacting the world through clinical research.
I worked in a hybrid role for a while—continuing a couple of days a week in the clinic and the rest at Genentech. I fell in love with the scalability of the work and the cross-functional collaboration. At a company like Genentech, you encounter deep expertise in areas like regulatory affairs, manufacturing, devices, and drugs—all of which need to come together in a high-functioning team environment. It was different from clinical medicine, where you’re often working individually with patients, and I enjoyed the team approach.
From there, I spent over a decade at Genentech, embracing leadership opportunities, growing professionally, and developing in new ways.
Tell me more about the work you are doing at Aura Biosciences – how does Aura’s approach differ from other biotech companies in the oncology space?
Aura is developing an entirely new class of drugs called virus-like drug conjugates (VDCs), which is incredibly exciting technology. VDCs differ from standard oncology approaches in several key ways. First, we have a unique dual mechanism of action. When we say “virus-like drug conjugates,” we mean that we’ve taken human papillomavirus (HPV) and removed any active virus. We use the empty capsid as a drug delivery mechanism, which is conjugated to a light-activatable dye. This allows us to deliver a powerful, localized treatment to early cancers with a “double-shot” effect.
We inject the drug directly into and around the tumor. The first mechanism of action involves very selective binding to modified heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) on the surface of tumors. Interestingly, our preclinical data show this is tumor-agnostic, meaning it doesn’t require a specific genetic subtype or tumor modification. These modified HSPGs appear on the surface of solid tumors as an early marker of malignant transformation, and our drug binds specifically to those markers, without attaching to normal tissue nearby.
Once the drug is bound, we activate it using infrared laser light, which triggers the first mechanism: necrosis. This results in the immediate release of reactive oxygen species and a range of tumor neoantigens specific to that tumor. The selectivity of the drug is crucial here—it is only activated where we apply the laser light.
This dual selectivity is key to our goal: to treat early cancers, preserve function, and save organs for patients. The second part of the mechanism is equally important for the opportunity for long-term durability and impact on patients. After activation, specific anti-tumor immunity is triggered, with CD4+ and CD8+ T cells coming in to build immune surveillance. These cells “scavenge,” identifying and targeting remaining tumor cells.
It’s been incredibly rewarding to see the translation of the foundational science, which originally comes from NIH. Eli de los Pinos, who is our CEO and scientific founder, and John Schiller, who continues his work at NIH, demonstrated the impact of this dual mechanism and the ability to deliver it across numerous cancer cell lines and many different animal tumor models. These studies showed tumor necrosis, immune cell activation, and long-term survival in animals free of tumors. Re-challenge experiments have shown that the tumors do not regrow in these animals, supportive of a long-term, immune-specific activation. We believe this has significant potential for treating patients across a wide range of tumors.
Our unique mechanism of action gives us hope that we can transform early cancer care with a safe and effective drug. We are currently in the clinic in two very different therapeutic areas. First, we’re in a phase 3 trial globally for primary choroidal melanoma—primary intraocular melanomas that affect the back of the eye. Our completed phase 2 study showed impressive results, with 80% tumor control and 90% preservation of vision in phase 3-eligible patients, as well as a highly favorable safety profile.
We’re also working in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, where some of our early phase 1 data has demonstrated, in human histopathologic tissue, the dual mechanism we’ve discussed—showing both tumor necrosis and immune surveillance. What’s particularly encouraging about these data is that we’ve observed immune cell infiltration not only in lesions treated directly in the bladder but also in untreated or off-target lesions, where we still saw an immune response. This compelling data is supportive of further clinical development in this indication. While these indications involve seemingly different tumor types, the results are not unexpected given what we understand about our science. It’s exciting to see the clinical stages we’re at and how we’re translating this science into meaningful results for patients.
You’ve been involved in the development of several life-changing therapies throughout your career. What are some of the key factors that make or break a successful drug development program?
I think the most important thing is perseverance. You have to be prepared for anything. Strong, foundational science that you believe in wholeheartedly and can demonstrate is crucial, but you also need to be ready for setbacks—one step forward and two steps back. Sometimes, we have this misconception that innovation happens quickly, but in reality, it often takes longer than expected. Stay the course.
As I mentioned earlier, what I loved about moving into industry research was the opportunity to work with cross-functional teams. It’s essential to surround yourself with the best people—those with the right experience and knowledge—and ensure these teams have the resources and support to drive progress across all areas.
As someone who has held leadership positions at Genentech, Novartis, Gyroscope, and now Aura Biosciences, what have been the biggest leadership lessons you’ve learned along the way?
Coming from 20 years in clinical practice, where, as an individual physician, you make many decisions on your own, in collaboration with your individual patients, transitioning into a team leadership role requires a shift in mindset. While you do work with teams in clinical settings, the decision-making process is often more autonomous.
At Genentech, where leadership development was highly valued, I realized that embracing leadership as a discipline in and of itself was essential. I made a conscious effort to read, take courses, and explore different leadership styles to identify what resonated most with me. I also learned the importance of situational leadership—understanding that different situations require different approaches at different times. Developing that flexibility and the ability to pivot my leadership style as needed was critical.
I’ve also been deeply influenced by the recent emphasis on authentic and vulnerable leadership, which resonates with me. But like any area of study, leadership is constantly evolving—ideas, directions, and best practices shift over time. Staying informed and continuously learning has been key to my growth as a leader.
What advice would you give to physicians or academics looking to transition into leadership roles in biotech and drug development?
Embrace the cross-functional environment. For me, that was tough at first. When I transitioned into industry, it felt like learning an entirely new language. During those first few months, I remember thinking, “I have no idea what these acronyms mean.” Coming from a world where I had spent 20 years feeling confident and in control of my subject matter, stepping into industry was a humbling experience because there was suddenly so much more to consider.
The key was becoming comfortable with that steep learning curve—figuring out how I could contribute best while also learning from cross-functional experts. It required leaving my ego at the door and being willing, for example, to call the regulatory expert and admit that I didn’t understand certain concepts, or reaching out to the manufacturing team to grasp all the different stages. But over time, you become fluent and comfortable in that new environment. You absorb the knowledge and build the skills needed to have a meaningful seat at the table and contribute at the highest level.
Another important lesson was learning to delegate effectively as I took on increasing leadership roles. It starts with trust—knowing when to step in and roll up your sleeves and when to step back and let the team run with it, only calling on you when needed. Striking that balance is key.
For many of us who have spent years practicing as MDs, that transition can be an adjustment. But the beauty of it is the team spirit—the knowledge that everyone is working toward something meaningful, with the ultimate goal of changing lives for patients. It’s a truly rewarding environment.
