Pyxis Oncology, Inc. announced that Thomas Civik, a member of Pyxis Oncology?s Board of Directors since the Company?s IPO and a highly experienced biotechnology executive with a proven track record in advancing cancer therapeutics, has been appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately, February 3, 2026. Lara S. Sullivan, M.D., has stepped down from her roles as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer. Mr. Civik most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Five Prime Therapeutics, where he led the company through its acquisition by Amgen for $1.9 billion in April 2021.
Prior to Five Prime Therapeutics, he was Chief Commercial Officer at Foundation Medicine, where he drove significant growth and oversaw the launch of the first FDA-approved pan-cancer comprehensive genomic profiling test. He most recently served as Chairperson of the Board of ImCheck Therapeutics and Repare Therapeutics, providing strategic and governance oversight, including through their respective acquisitions by Ipsen and XOMA. Earlier in his career, Mr. Civik spent 17 years at Genentech, holding leadership roles with responsibility for several cornerstone oncology therapies, including Avastin, Tecentriq, Alecensa, and Tarceva.
He earned a B.A. from St. Norbert College and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University?s Kellogg School of Management.
