Guru (CB Gurumurthy) received his BVSC (DVM) from Bangalore Veterinary College, India and MVSC & PHD in Veterinary Virology from Indian Veterinary Research Institute, with a Gold Medal distinction in MVSC, and an Executive MBA from University of Nebraska at Omaha. He is currently an Associate Professor of Developmental Neuroscience, Munroe Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is also the Director of the UNMC’s Mouse Genome Engineering Core Facility. His research interests are improving and development of novel genome engineering technologies. He is a co-developer of popular technologies such as Easi (Efficient additions with ssDNA-inserts)-CRISPR, CRISPR-first: PITT-next and GONAD (Genome Editing via Oviductal Nucleic Acids Delivery). Some of these technologies have already been adapted in many labs worldwide.
At a recent event, Maarten Goossens of Anterra Capital stated that "Now is the right time to invest in the animal health biotech space."
His five key areas of innovation to watch are:
Targeted gene editing
Dr. Readnour currently serves on or has visitation rights to the following companies: AgTech Accelerator, a unique startup accelerator focused on discovering and developing emerging agricultural technology companies, Skyline Vet Pharma, a company that is developing veterinary pharmaceuticals using proven delivery technologies to reformulate drugs with established animal health markets, and Boragen, a company that is developing small molecule approaches focused on leveraging the unique chemical properties of boron chemistry, both in crop protection and animal health.
Prior to joining MGP, Dr. Readnour worked at Elanco Animal Health for 27 years. During his Elanco tenure, he held several senior management positions in which he was responsible for developing and executing Elanco’s Research and Development strategies for entering several new business areas (companion animal pharmaceuticals, vaccines and enzymes). In 2017, these new business areas accounted for nearly 50% of Elanco’s $3.0 billion in sales. Dr. Readnour played an important role in Elanco’s acquisition and integration of Novartis Animal Health, Lohmann Animal Health, ChemGen and Janssen Animal Health. Within Elanco, Dr. Readnour led several initiatives to transform Research and Development through the piloting of new approaches to developing animal health products. He developed and led Elanco’s new technology scouting, acquisition and due diligence efforts. He pioneered a lean product development model which allowed Elanco to enter new areas of business without significant capital investment. He led initial efforts for Elanco to invest in early stage companies and partner with external funding sources to develop products with minimal initial investment from Elanco. Dr. Readnour served as a member of the Food and Agriculture Section of Bio International Board and as an External Advisory Board member for University of Illinois Animal Science Department.
Prior to entering management in Elanco, Dr. Readnour was an internationally recognized expert on animal health product development, analytical chemistry, human food safety and drug residues with 11 publications and 14 external presentations. Throughout his career, Dr. Readnour was responsible for the development and commercialization of 10 animal health products. Dr. Readnour received his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from University of Illinois in 1990.
Rimma Driscoll is an executive in Global Business Development and Strategic Alliances with 20+ years in the field. Rimma has a depth of experience in a broad range of global transactions including JVs,Strategic Alliances, Collaborations, Acquisitions, Divestitures, Licensing Deals, and Partnerships. This experience span from small Discovery deals to multi-billionaire dollar divestitures. Rimma guides Multi-function teams on the external strategies and then leads all aspects of negotiations, and leverages external relationships to bring transactions to closure. She has worked extensively in Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Healthcare and Consumer Products businesses.
