Team

Gerhard Koenig, PHD, Board Director

Gerhard is a senior R&D biotech leader with over 30 years of experience spanning drug discovery through Phase 3 development. He founded Arkuda Therapeutics in early 2018 to develop therapeutics for serious neurological diseases. As President & CEO, he raised more than $110 million in Series A (Atlas Venture, Pfizer Venture, and Tekla) and Series B (Cormorant) financing to advance the company’s programs. In 2023, Arkuda entered an option deal with Johnson & Johnson, and in 2024, J&J acquired Arkuda’s portfolio of lysosomal function enhancers.

In 2024, Gerhard became Executive Chair of Augustine Therapeutics before transitioning to CEO in 2025. Previously, he was CEO of Quartet Medicine from 2016 to 2017, leading its efforts in developing non-opioid pain treatments. Before that, he was Chief Scientific Officer at FORUM Pharmaceuticals. Earlier in his career, he was Vice President of Scientific Programs and Evaluation at Fidelity Biosciences Group (now F-Prime Capital), where he gained extensive experience evaluating therapeutic platforms and indications. Prior to transitioning into biotech, he spent a decade at Bayer Corporation in the U.S. and Bayer AG in Germany, holding various leadership roles, including Head of the Dementia Research Department.

From 2017 to 2020, Gerhard served on the scientific advisory board of Disarm Therapeutics, which was acquired by Eli Lilly & Company in 2021. He is a board member at Vigil Neuroscience, a company focused on neuroinflammation and serves as an advisor to Atlas Venture.

He earned his PhD and MS degrees in molecular and cellular neurobiology, with a minor in biochemistry, from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, graduating summa cum laude.

 

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