Jerry Buysse

I have served as Chief Scientific Officer for four biopharmaceutical companies, focusing on the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of metabolic, cardiovascular and kidney diseases. Currently, I am consulting Chief Scientific Officer at Zehna Therapeutics (Emeritus), building on discoveries relating to trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and its effect on chronic kidney disease (CKD) and heart failure (HF) incidence and progression. As a founding scientist I have helped to raise funding from venture capital and corporate partners that established Ilypsa (acquired by Amgen in 2007), Relypsa (IPO November 2013) and Tricida (IPO June 2018). Before Zehna Therapeutics and FFV Consulting, I served as Chief Scientific Officer & SVP at Tricida, a biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for the treatment of renal disease complications, including veverimer, a novel treatment for metabolic acidosis. Prior to Tricida, I was Chief Scientific Officer of Relypsa (2007 – 2013), guiding the team that discovered Relypsa’s lead product, patiromer (Veltassa), a non-absorbed potassium binder for the treatment of hyperkalemia. Other experience included my role as Senior Vice President of Research and Development at Ilypsa (2003-2007), responsible for preclinical discovery and development that identified the phosphate binder bixalomer (Kiklin). I joined Ilypsa in 2003 following seven years at Microcide Pharmaceuticals (1996-2003) where I was Vice President of Discovery Biology, responsible for screening and lead discovery in Microcide’s antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal programs. I was a Senior Research Scientist at Pharmacia & Upjohn (later Pfizer) (1992-1996) and contributed to the preclinical discovery and development of linezolid (Zyvox). My training included a National Research Council Fellowship and Senior Microbiologist position at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (1984-1992), working on bacterial pathogenesis in Shigella and Salmonella infections. I received my BS in Microbiology at the University of Michigan, PhD in Immunology and Microbiology from Wayne State University and completed postdoctoral training at Tufts University School of Medicine.