Karen Brunke

Dr. Brunke brings to Jaguar over 30 years of scientific, operational, clinical, senior executive, and corporate development experience in both large and small biotechnology companies. Following her post-doctoral fellowship at the Institute for Cancer Research in Fox Chase, Dr. Brunke joined the seeds division of Sandoz, with her most recent position having been Research Director, overseeing a department whose successes included recombinant insect-resistant plants (GMOs) which have been an important backbone for the greater than $3 billion seed business of the now Syngenta Seeds. She was next part of the executive team that merged Mercator Genetics with Progenitor and helped take the resultant company public. Dr. Brunke was COO of Anexus Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of the Japanese public company MediBic, responsible for in- and out-licensing assistance for Japanese companies, and was next founding CEO of Cardeus Pharmaceuticals, a neuroscience company. In business and corporate development, Dr. Brunke has had primary responsibility for negotiating multiple partnerships and licenses, including with MedImmune and Astellas, and assisted in closing a deal with GlaxoSmithKline, among others. Dr. Brunke received her BA degree in Biochemistry as well as PhD in Microbiology from the University of Pennsylvania.