Mary Haak-Frendscho, Ph.D.
Dr. Haak-Frendscho brings over two decades of expertise in the discovery, translation and early development of novel therapeutics. Prior to Spotlight, she was a venture partner with Versant Ventures and the chief executive officer of Blueline Bioscience, Versant’s vehicle for new company creation in Canada. Earlier, Dr. Haak-Frendscho established and served as the chair of Compugen USA, Inc., was the chief executive officer of Igenica Biotherapeutics, and was the founding president and chief scientific officer of Takeda San Francisco. She began her industry career at Genentech, where she played a key role in the development of omalizumab (Xolair®). Dr. Haak-Frendscho has authored or co-authored 70 scientific publications, and is an inventor on over 40 patents. An immunologist by training, she received her B.S. from the University of Michigan, M.L.A. from Washington University, M.S. from SUNY-Stony Brook, C.S.E.P from Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin.