Cracking the Capsid: Lenacapavir and the Next Chapter in HIV Treatment and Prevention

Tomas Cihlar, PhD is a Senior Vice President of Research at Gilead overseeing drug discovery and preclinical research in virology. He joined Gilead three decades ago after obtaining his PhD in biochemistry from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Prague, Czech Republic. Over the years, Dr Cihlar has contributed to the discovery, development and regulatory approval of multiple antiviral products including an extensive portfolio of Gilead’s innovative HIV drugs and their combinations. Together with his colleagues at Gilead he established broad research programs focused on novel long-acting drugs for treatment and prevention of HIV, new approaches for the cure of HIV and viral hepatitis, as well as treatment of respiratory and emerging viral infections. Dr Cihlar played key roles in the discovery and development of lenacapavir, the first long-acting HIV capsid inhibitor, and remdesivir that was approved by US FDA as the first antiviral drug for the treatment of COVID-19. Dr Cihlar is serving on boards of directors of several organizations including the Intrepid Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness, Global Virus Network, and Assembly Biosciences.

John O. Link, PhD, was Vice President, Medicinal Chemistry at Gilead Sciences from 2006-2020, where he led a group of research chemists working in antiviral and anti-inflammatory programs.

Dr. Link is a co-inventor of four approved drugs discovered in his research group: the curative hepatitis C drugs ledipasvir (NS5A inhibitor), velpatasvir (pan-genotypic NS5A inhibitor), and voxilaprevir (pan-genotypic NS3/4A protease inhibitor), which are components in Harvoni^®, Epclusa^® and Vosevi^®, and the HIV capsid inhibitor lenacapavir (Sunlenca^®). He was the discovery-stage and Phase 1 development project leader for the ledipasvir and velpatasvir programs and an early research project leader for the lenacapavir program. Harvoni^® was the first approved interferon-free regimen to cure the most prevalent HCV genotype. Millions of individuals worldwide have been cured with these HCV medications. Lenacapavir, a new antiviral modality, is the only approved drug targeting a viral capsid. Further, lenacapavir is the only twice-yearly dosed medication for HIV treatment and, if approved, for HIV prevention. Prior to Gilead, Dr. Link was a chemist with increasing leadership roles at Syntex/Roche and Arris/Celera and is presently a Scientific Advisor at Actio Biosciences and SAB member at Terremoto Biosciences. Throughout John’s career he has sought to discover ultrapotent medications with extremely high levels of resilience to metabolism in the liver while fostering a collaborative environment where all voices are heard, and where each chemist and team member is empowered to contribute creatively.

John attended public elementary and high-school, received his BA in chemistry from the University of Minnesota, and his PhD in Organic Chemistry working in the laboratory of Professor EJ Corey at Harvard University where they co-discovered the Corey-Link Reaction.

Dr. Link was awarded the American Chemical Society’s 2015 Heroes of Chemistry for his contributions to the discovery of Harvoni^®, the 2017 inaugural Male Ally Award from the Women at Gilead employee resource group, and the Chinese American Biopharmaceutical Society’s 2021 K. Fong Award in Life Sciences and is an author on over 30 publications and an inventor on over 70 patents.

Wes Sundquist is the Samuels Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Utah Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. He received a BA in chemistry from Carleton College, a PhD in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and did postdoctoral research with Sir Aaron Klug at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England. His research interests stem from the lab’s work on HIV assembly and replication. He and his collaborators defined the architecture and functions of the HIV capsid and demonstrated that the capsid could be a druggable target, supporting the development of Lenacapavir by Gilead Sciences. His lab also studies the virology, biochemistry and cell biology of the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) pathway, and they showed that HIV usurps this host pathway to bud from cells. His awards and honors include the Horwitz Prize for Biochemistry (Columbia University), the TIME100 2025 list of most influential people, the Bhaumik Breakthrough of the Year Prize (Science Magazine), and the World Laureate Association Prize for Life Sciences (WLA Foundation). He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. Wes and his wife Nola have two adult children, Chris and Nola.