Daniel V. Santi

Daniel V. Santi is a Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Pharmacy. He has maintained a distinguished career spanning over five decades with significant contributions to both academia and industry. After receiving his Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from SUNY in 1967 and MD from UCSF in 1981, he joined the UCSF faculty in 1974, serving as Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry until his initial retirement in 2000.

Dr. Santi's research focuses on male reproductive health, peptide therapeutics, and prodrug development. His work spans male infertility treatments, obesity pharmacotherapy, and cancer drug delivery systems. He has pioneered long-acting peptide formulations including anti-obesity medications and IL-15 agonists for cancer immunotherapy. His recent publications (2024-2025) demonstrate continued leadership in developing PLX038A for tumor treatment, exploring FSH therapy for male infertility, and investigating the relationship between metabolic health and reproductive function.

His scientific impact includes over 300 publications and co-invention of more than 40 US patents. He has held significant leadership roles including interim Director of the UCSF CTSI and Director of Translational Research at QB3. Since 2009, he has served as Associate Dean of External Relationships in the School of Pharmacy, managing the Industry Outreach Program. Dr. Santi has founded multiple biotechnology companies including ProLynx LLC (where he currently serves as President), Kosan Biosciences, and Protos Corp.