Christopher Bowden
About Christopher Bowden
Christopher Bowden, M.D. (age 64) is an independent Class II director of Bicara Therapeutics Inc., serving since August 2024 with his current term expiring at the 2026 annual meeting. He is Chief Medical Officer at Remix Therapeutics (since March 2023), previously CMO at Agios Pharmaceuticals (2014–2021), and is board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology; he earned his M.D. at Hahnemann University and completed oncology fellowship at the National Cancer Institute Medicine Branch .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Chief Medical Officer | May 2014 – Sep 2021 | Led clinical development |
| Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | Strategic Advisor | Sep 2021 – Mar 2023 | Advisory role post-CMO |
| Rivus Pharmaceutics, Inc. | Clinical Consultant | Oct 2021 – Feb 2023 | Consulting assignments |
| Pyramid Biosciences, Inc. | Clinical Consultant | Dec 2021 – Jul 2022 | Consulting assignments |
| Remix Therapeutics, Inc. | Clinical Consultant | Mar 2022 – Mar 2023 | Consulting prior to CMO role |
| Remix Therapeutics, Inc. | Chief Medical Officer | Mar 2023 – present | Current operating role |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaunos Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: TCRT) | Director | Oct 2019 – Mar 2023 | Not specified |
| Miragen Therapeutics, Inc. (now Viridian Therapeutics, Inc., NASDAQ: VRDN) | Director | Aug 2017 – Oct 2020 | Not specified |
| Various private companies | Director | Ongoing | Not specified |
Board Governance
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Board class/term | Class II; term expires at the 2026 annual meeting |
| Director since | August 2024 |
| Independence | Independent (all directors except the CEO and President/COO are independent) |
| Committees | Compensation Committee member |
| Committee chair roles | None (Compensation Committee chaired by Michael Powell) |
| 2024 attendance | Board met 6 times; all directors except Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw attended ≥75% of aggregate board and committee meetings (Bowden met the ≥75% threshold) |
Fixed Compensation
| Year | Cash Fees ($) | Equity Option Grant Fair Value ($) | Total ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 18,098 | 421,685 | 439,783 |
Director cash retainer schedule (effective at IPO):
| Item | Annual Retainer ($) |
|---|---|
| Board member | 40,000 |
| Non-executive chair | 30,000 |
| Lead independent director | 20,000 |
| Audit committee member | 7,500 |
| Audit committee chair | 15,000 |
| Compensation committee member | 5,000 |
| Compensation committee chair | 10,000 |
| Nominating & Governance member | 4,000 |
| Nominating & Governance chair | 8,000 |
Performance Compensation
Director equity award structure:
| Award Type | Shares | Vesting | Expiration | Acceleration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Award | 47,492 | 1/3 at first anniversary; remaining in equal monthly installments thereafter; service-based | 10 years | Full acceleration upon sale of Company |
| Annual Award | 23,746 | Earlier of one-year anniversary or next annual meeting; service-based | 10 years | Full acceleration upon sale of Company |
Bowden-specific options:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Options outstanding (Dec 31, 2024) | 59,501 |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Status |
|---|---|
| Alaunos Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: TCRT) – former director | Past public company board |
| Miragen Therapeutics, Inc. / Viridian Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRDN) – former director | Past public company board |
- No related-party transactions disclosed involving Christopher Bowden; related-party sections cover investors/affiliates (e.g., Biocon, RA Capital, TPG) and certain executive agreements, but do not identify Bowden as a related party to any transaction .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Oncology leadership: Former CMO at Agios; current CMO at Remix; extensive clinical development experience in oncology .
- Medical credentials: M.D. (Hahnemann University), internal medicine training (Roger Williams Medical Center/Providence VA), oncology fellowship (NCI Medicine Branch), board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (shares) | 11,157 |
| Options outstanding | 59,501 |
| Pledging/Hedging | Company policy addresses pledge/margin risk and prohibits derivative transactions by directors |
| Ownership guidelines | Not disclosed for directors in proxy |
Governance Assessment
- Independence and committee role: Bowden is independent and serves on the Compensation Committee, offering relevant operating-clinical oversight in pay design for R&D-heavy goals while maintaining independence per Nasdaq and SEC rules .
- Attendance and engagement: Met the company’s ≥75% attendance threshold in 2024, indicating adequate engagement; the board met six times in 2024 .
- Alignment via equity: 2024 director compensation was predominantly equity-based (option grant fair value $421,685 vs. cash $18,098), with standard director vesting and 10-year terms; note the policy’s full acceleration upon sale of the Company, which can front-load value at change-in-control events and may reduce post-transaction retention incentives .
- Ownership “skin-in-the-game”: Beneficial ownership is modest at 11,157 shares with 59,501 options outstanding, providing some alignment but limited direct share exposure relative to total shares outstanding .
- Conflicts and related-party exposure: No Bowden-specific related-party transactions disclosed; current external role (CMO at Remix) is not identified as a counterparty to Bicara; the proxy’s related-party section centers on investor affiliates (Biocon, RA Capital, TPG) and executive arrangements, not Bowden .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed for Bowden specifically (no related-party transactions, no attendance issues, no hedging/pledging disclosures tied to him). Keep watch on equity award acceleration upon sale (common, but a structural consideration for alignment) .