| John McKearn joined RiverVest® in April 2008 as a venture partner. He has 25 years experience as a successful “drug hunter and developer” in both large and small biopharma, including a decade in small-cap and venture-backed companies.
Most recently, John was president and CEO of Kalypsys, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company in San Diego, Calif. He is also a director for IDM Pharma, Inc. (formerly Epimmune, Inc.) and Keel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and holds more than 50 patents and numerous patent applications, primarily in the areas of cancer treatment and inflammatory disease.
From 2000-2003, John led Pharmacia Discovery Research with a team of more than 1,600 scientists worldwide. With his appointment to Pharmacia’s science fellows program, the company honored him as a premier innovator and leader, and a scientific and technological “agent for change.”
John worked as a scientist with G.D. Searle & Co., from 1987-2000, including head of discovery research from 1997-2000. Through his efforts, John helped establish the groundwork for new studies that led to the commercialization of several major products, including DayPro, Arthrotec, and most notably, Celebrex, one of the leading pharmaceuticals to treat arthritis.
Prior to 1987, John was a senior scientist at E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company; a member of the Basel Institute for Immunology in Basel, Switzerland; and a research associate in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Washington University in St. Louis.
Additionally, he has co-authored more than 70 published, peer-reviewed scientific papers. John completed his Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Chicago and his B.S. in biology from Northern Illinois University.
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| “The RiverVest team is unique in several ways. RiverVest is highly collaborative, experienced, and thoughtful in its work with portfolio companies and its investors. This ‘personality’ is one of the key reasons the firm creates and builds value.” |
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