Feature on Cortex District Member Wugen: Turning an Idea into a Lifesaving Therapy

Matthew Cooper, PhD, is the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Wugen. In just a few years—starting with an idea in 2018—he assembled a team, raised over $200 million in venture capital and scaled a breakthrough cancer treatment. Now Wugen’s groundbreaking T-cell manufacturing is in a pivotal clinical trial. 

Matt came to St. Louis to do post-doctoral work at Washington University. He planned to stay just two years before returning to southwest England. Fourteen years later, he’s married, raising a young family, and reflecting on the pivotal moment that changed the course of his life and career.

“Dr. John F. DiPersio, the then chief of oncology, is one of the most compassionate doctors I’ve ever met. One day, he came into our lab meeting clearly upset. He had just seen a patient with a severe form of leukemia called T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). This patient had run out of treatment options, and the doctor was devastated. He sat down at the table, put his head in his hands, and said, ‘We’ve got to find a way to help patients like this.’”