Helmut Kessmann

Biography

 He has over 15 years’ experience in business development across several therapeutic areas and geographic regions. In 1996, he co-founded Discovery Technologies Ltd. in Basel, Switzerland, which was later integrated into US-based Discovery Partners International, followed by a successful IPO in 2000. He then joined Graffinity Pharmaceuticals, Heidelberg, Germany, which in 2004 merged with MyoContract Ltd to form Santhera Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a specialty pharma company focussing on orphan diseases. Santhera went public in 2006 (SIX: SANN). During the last 15 years he closed many in- and out-licensing deals for platform technologies and products at all stages in development, led cross-functional M&A teams, and was a member of the corporate leadership. Prior to that he held various research management positions at Ciba-Geigy, now Novartis. Dr. Kessmann studied biology, philosophy and business administration and completed his Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1988 at the University of Münster, Germany

Research Interest

 Pharmaceutical Sciences