Samarth Kulkarni from Belagavi is now CEO of Crispr Therapeutics

Samarth Kulkarni, a Belgaumite recently assumed the role of CEO, Crispr Therapeutics a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases.

Dr. Samarth Kulkarni, Ph.D. has been promoted to the role of Chief Executive Officer. And he will assume the role effective December 1, 2017. Dr. Rodger Novak, M.D., co-founder and current Chief Executive Officer of CRISPR Therapeutics, is stepping down from his current role for personal reasons but will continue to serve as a member of the Company’s board of directors and as an officer of its Swiss parent company, CRISPR AG.

Dr. Kulkarni joined CRISPR Therapeutics in the company’s early stages as Chief Business Officer and has taken on positions of increasing responsibility, most recently serving as President of CRISPR Therapeutics Inc. During his tenure, both as President and Chief Business Officer, Dr. Kulkarni played a leading role in the establishment of its key collaborations with Vertex and Bayer, financing the company’s operations through its IPO, and overseeing U.S. operations.

Samarth did his schooling from Rashtriya Military School (then Belgaum Military School) and set benchmarks in his studies. He did his PUC from GSS and joined IIT Kharagpur to do his Engineering in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering. Later he went to the US in 2000 and completed his PhD in Biotechnology and Nanotechnology.

Dr. Samarth Kulkarni has significant expertise in strategy and operations in biotech and a wide range of related cutting-edge therapeutic technologies. He was previously a Partner at McKinsey and Company, where he had a leading role in the Pharmaceutical and Medical products practice. While at McKinsey, Sam co-led the biotech practice and served a number of biotechnology companies on topics ranging from strategy to operations. Additionally, he led initiatives in areas such as personalized medicine and immunotherapy, where he co-authored several publications.

Sam received his Ph.D. in bioengineering and nanotechnology from the University of Washington and a B. Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology. While at the University of Washington, he conducted research in the delivery of biological drugs and in the field of molecular diagnostics, and published in numerous leading journals.

Originally from Bhagya nagar, Belagavi his proud parents are currently in USA to share his joy of promotion. The elated parents told AAB, “It is all his hard work, endurance and perseverance that has brought him to this stage. For us parents it is definitely a proud moment in our lives.

We did try to get in touch with Samarth but as he was traveling in Europe and hence we could not get his reaction.

About CRISPR Therapeutics

CRISPR Therapeutics is a leading gene-editing company focused on developing transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases using its proprietary CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing platform. CRISPR/Cas9 is a revolutionary technology that allows for precise, directed changes to genomic DNA. The company’s multi-disciplinary team of world-class researchers and drug developers is working to translate this technology into breakthrough human therapeutics in a number of serious diseases. Additionally, CRISPR Therapeutics has established strategic collaborations with Bayer AG and Vertex Pharmaceuticals to develop CRISPR-based therapeutics in diseases with high unmet need. The foundational CRISPR/Cas9 patent estate for human therapeutic use was licensed from the company’s scientific founder Emmanuelle Charpentier, Ph.D. CRISPR Therapeutics AG is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, with its wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary, CRISPR Therapeutics, Inc., and R&D operations based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit http://www.crisprtx.com.