Kurt Von Emster

Biography

Mr. Kurt von Emster currently serves as Managing Partner at Abingworth LLP, where he has been employed as a Partner since January 2015. He also has served as a member of the board of directors of SutroVax, a biopharmaceutical vaccine company, since July 2015 where he is currently Chairman, and CymaBay Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company, since April 2009. Mr. von Emster previously served on the board of directors of the following companies: Kesios Therapeutics, a biotherapeutics company, from November 2015 to December 2016, Cytos Biotechnology AG from November 2012 to January 2016 (merged and renamed Kuros Biosciences in January 2016), Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. from February 2014 to March 2015, Facet Biotech Corporation (acquired by Abbott Laboratories in April 2010) from February 2009 to April 2010, and Somaxon Pharmaceuticals (acquired by Pernix Therapeutics in March 2013) from September 2005 to January 2013. In addition, Kurt co-founded venBio LLC, a health-care focused investment firm, in 2009, and served as Partner until 2014. Prior to that, he was General Partner at MPM Capital, Inc., a biotechnology private equity firm, from 2001 to 2009. Kurt was also a Biotechnology and Healthcare Analyst and Portfolio Manager at Franklin Templeton Group from 1989 to 2000. He received a B.S. in Business and Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and is a Chartered Financial Analyst, or CFA.

Research Interest

 Pharmaceutical Sciences