Christopher Arendt oversees Takeda’s global research laboratories in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Shonan, Japan. Since joining Takeda nearly a decade ago, he has played a pivotal role in strengthening the company’s R&D capabilities across its core therapeutic areas: Oncology, Neuroscience, and Gastrointestinal and Inflammation. Chris began his tenure at Takeda as the Head of the Immunology Drug Discovery Unit, later expanding his leadership to include the Oncology Drug Discovery Unit and subsequently the Oncology Therapeutic Area Unit. In these roles, he guided the advancement of promising novel mechanisms of action (MOAs) to the clinic, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), T cell engagers, and immunotherapies. These approaches were developed both in Takeda’s labs and in collaboration with cutting-edge teams around the world. As Takeda’s CSO and Head of Research, Chris is driving the digital transformation of Takeda Research, enabling advanced data and artificial intelligence capabilities across discovery functions, and is also supporting the growth of the company’s innovative pipeline. Prior to Takeda, Chris spent over 13 years at Sanofi. After receiving his PhD in Immunology, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab of Dr. Dan Littman at the Skirball Institute for Biomedical Research at New York University Medical Center.