First Wave Discovery is a scientific consulting practice focused on target identification, translational biology, and early drug discovery.
Matthew Guenther, Ph.D., is a biotechnology scientist and consultant with 12 years of industry experience leading target identification, functional genomics, translational biology, and early drug discovery programs. His career has spanned the Whitehead Institute/MIT, Bristol Myers Squibb, Syros Pharmaceuticals, and Marlinspike Therapeutics, where he has helped discover therapeutic targets, build genomics and functional genomics platforms, and advance precision oncology and rare disease programs from biological hypothesis through preclinical development.
Today, we partner with biotechnology companies, investors, and emerging startups to evaluate therapeutic opportunities, strengthen scientific strategy, and reduce development risk. Our consulting focuses on target identification and validation, scientific due diligence, translational biology, biomarker strategy, drug discovery platform development, small-molecule discovery, and helping organizations generate the decision-quality data needed to make confident portfolio and investment decisions.
Building successful biotechnology companies begins by linking disease biology, target selection, and predicted patient outcomes using biologically relevant models, while maintaining clear communication and alignment across scientific teams, CROs, and key stakeholders. Equally important is generating the decision-quality data and scientific narrative needed to support executive decision-making, strategic partnerships, and investor confidence.