Dr. Hughes has more than 25 years of industry experience in the development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products and an extensive knowledge of the obesity and metabolic disease industry. Leading Zafgen since 2008 as CEO, Dr. Hughes currently serves as President, Chief Scientific Officer and a member of the company’s Board of Directors. From 1987 to 2008, Dr. Hughes held several positions at Novartis AG (and formerly Sandoz Pharmaceuticals) including Vice President and Global Head of the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Therapeutic area at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research in Cambridge, MA. In these roles, he oversaw many drug discovery and development projects targeting obesity, diabetes and heart disease. As a scientist, Dr. Hughes led Novartis’ efforts to discover and develop its dipeptidyl peptidase IV inhibitor vildagliptin (Galvus®/Eucreas®), a drug used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, currently approved in 70 countries.

Dr. Hughes is the author of over 40 peer-reviewed publications and is an inventor on numerous issued and pending patents related to the treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of miRagen Therapeutics, Inc., and is a member of several scientific and strategic advisory boards, including Broadview Ventures and Nimbus Therapeutics. Dr. Hughes holds a Ph.D. in nutritional biochemistry from Tufts University, an M.S. in Zoology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University and a B.A. in biology from Franklin and Marshall College.