Certara Appoints Dr. Chris Bouton as Chief Technology Officer to Advance AI in-silico Drug Discovery and Development Platform

Rhea-AI Summary

Certara (Nasdaq: CERT), a leader in model-informed drug development, has appointed Dr. Christopher Bouton as Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Bouton, founder and former CEO of Vyasa Analytics (acquired by Certara in 2022), will spearhead the development of a next-generation integrated model-informed drug development platform powered by generative AI and biosimulation technology.

Dr. Bouton's background includes founding Entagen (acquired by Thomson Reuters) and experience as a computational biologist at Pfizer. He has already led the development of several Certara AI-based products, including CoAuthor™, a generative AI solution for regulatory and medical writing.

Insights

Technology and AI Expert

Certara's appointment of Dr. Bouton as CTO strengthens their AI capabilities in drug development, positioning them competitively in biosimulation technology.

Certara's appointment of Dr. Chris Bouton as CTO represents a strategic reinforcement of the company's commitment to AI-powered drug development solutions. This isn't merely a personnel change but a calculated move to accelerate their technological evolution in the competitive biosimulation market.

Dr. Bouton brings particularly valuable credentials to this role, having founded Vyasa Analytics (acquired by Certara in 2022) and previously Entagen (acquired by Thomson Reuters). His track record shows a pattern of building and scaling AI solutions specifically for life sciences applications, with recent success developing Certara's CoAuthor™ generative AI product for regulatory writing.

The announcement signals Certara's intensified focus on integrating advanced AI with their existing biosimulation platform. This integration addresses a critical industry pain point – the time and cost inefficiency in traditional drug development. By consolidating their scientific expertise with AI capabilities, Certara is positioning to deliver enhanced value through what they're calling a "next-generation integrated model-informed drug development platform."

The emphasis on using this technology to "speed timelines, reduce costs, and improve success rates" speaks directly to the pharmaceutical industry's most pressing challenges. If successfully executed, this strategy could strengthen Certara's competitive position by offering clients measurable efficiency gains in an industry where development timelines often extend over a decade and costs frequently exceed $1 billion per approved drug.

Strengthening technology innovation and leadership of the Certara AI/ML-enabled biosimulation platform used to speed time to market in drug discovery and development

RADNOR, Pa., July 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Certara, Inc. (Nasdaq: CERT), a global leader in model-informed drug development, today announced the appointment of Christopher Bouton, Ph.D., as Chief Technology Officer. In this role, Bouton will lead technology strategy and development of a next-generation integrated model-informed drug development (MIDD) platform, which is enabled by generative AI and advances in biosimulation technology.

Dr. Bouton was the founder and CEO of Vyasa Analytics, acquired by Certara in 2022. Vyasa provided scalable deep-learning software, which allows Certara software to make new predictions and answer complex questions across structured and unstructured data sources. Chris has led the development of several new Certara AI-based products, including CoAuthor ™, a generative AI product for regulatory and medical writing. Earlier in his career, Chris founded and led Entagen, an enterprise analytics software provider acquired by Thomson Reuters, and started his work in drug development as a computational biologist at Pfizer.

“Chris is a visionary leader who combines expertise in AI with experience in drug discovery and development,” said William F. Feehery, Chief Executive Officer. “His leadership has been instrumental in expanding the adoption of AI-powered biosimulation and virtual trials, helping clients achieve greater success in bringing new medicines to patients faster and with greater confidence.

Certara’s next-generation modeling platform integrates its scientific expertise, broad portfolio of solutions, and AI approaches to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of discovering and developing novel therapeutics.

“Biosimulation combined with generative AI and machine learning is redefining how new medicines are discovered and developed, and is speeding timelines, reducing costs, and improving success rates,” said Bouton. “Leading Certara’s technology strategy to build the industry’s most advanced AI and model-informed drug development platform offers a unique opportunity to advance science and deliver better outcomes for patients worldwide.”

About Certara
Certara accelerates medicines using biosimulation software, technology, and services to transform traditional drug discovery and development. Its clients include more than 2,400 biopharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and regulatory agencies across 70 countries. Learn more at certara.com.

Certara Contact:
Sheila Rocchio
sheila.rocchio@certara.com

Media Contact:
Alyssa Horowitz
certara@pancomm.com

FAQ

Who is Certara's new Chief Technology Officer?

Dr. Christopher Bouton, founder and former CEO of Vyasa Analytics, has been appointed as Certara's new Chief Technology Officer.

What is Dr. Bouton's role at Certara (CERT)?

Dr. Bouton will lead technology strategy and development of a next-generation integrated model-informed drug development platform powered by generative AI and biosimulation technology.

What is Dr. Christopher Bouton's background before joining Certara?

Dr. Bouton was the founder/CEO of Vyasa Analytics (acquired by Certara in 2022), founder of Entagen (acquired by Thomson Reuters), and worked as a computational biologist at Pfizer.

What AI products has Dr. Bouton developed at Certara?

Dr. Bouton has led the development of several AI-based products, including CoAuthor™, a generative AI product for regulatory and medical writing.

How will AI integration impact Certara's drug development process?

The integration of biosimulation with generative AI and machine learning is expected to speed timelines, reduce costs, and improve success rates in drug discovery and development.