Cholpon Tilegenova, PhD

Senior Principal Scientist, Biologics Discovery at Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine

Speaker

Cholpon Tilegenova is a Senior Manager in Biologics Engineering & Function department at J&J Innovative Medicine. She holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biophysics from Dr. Luis Cuello lab Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, where she studied potassium channel’s structure and dynamics. She then completed postdoctoral training in Dr. Paul Carter’s laboratory at Genentech, where she investigated molecular determinants of antibody self-association and viscosity for high-concentration antibodies.

At J&J Innovative Medicine, Cholpon works in Dr. Adam Zwolak’s Multispecific Engineering team, where she leads a subteam focused on next-generation multispecific antibody platforms and supports portfolio programs. She co-invented ProAla, a technology that leverages natural antibody folding mechanisms to produce correctly paired IgG-like bispecific antibodies. This innovation was recognized with the 2025 J&J Innovative Medicine Sirius Award. In addition, she contributed to the engineering of multiple T-cell engager programs, which advanced into Phase 1 clinical studies.