Dr. Hugh McTavish is a scientist, innovator, and problem-solver—driven by personal experience to create solutions that work. A Ph.D. biochemist, he founded Square-Immune after developing a treatment for his own frequent cold sores. When it worked for him, he knew it could help others, so he started SquareX Pharmaceutical Corporation to bring the solution to more people. Squarex has since conducted three clinical trials on SADBE™, the active ingredient in Square-Immune—and it was effective in all three clinical trials!

Dr. McTavish’s work extends beyond cold sores. He invented a new class of targeted cancer drugs designed to be more effective and cause fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy (which he invented as an outgrowth of being a cancer patient). He founded IGF Oncology to advance this breakthrough, and its lead drug has been found to be effective for treating myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a cancer of the bone marrow, in clinical trials at the Mayo Clinic. 

With over 20 U.S. patents and 18 scientific journal articles, Dr. McTavish is dedicated to advancing science in ways that improve lives. He’s an author of multiple books and is active in politics—he ran for Governor of Minnesota in 2022 as a third-party candidate. 

At Square-Immune, his mission is simple: use science to strengthen the immune system and help people feel better.