Suggestions
David Ku, MD
VP Corporate Development @ Jasper Therapeutics
Professional Background
Dr. David Ku is a renowned medical professional currently serving as the Vice President of Corporate Development, Portfolio Strategy, and Management at Jasper Therapeutics, an innovative biotechnology company at the forefront of hematopoietic stem cell therapies. With a strategic mindset and extensive experience in the biopharmaceutical sector, Dr. Ku's contributions to the industry, particularly through his leadership role at Jasper, are noteworthy. At Jasper Therapeutics, he leads corporate development initiatives and is also the program lead for briquilimab, a c-Kit targeting antibody. This role places him at the intersection of scientific innovation and strategic business development, showcasing his ability to navigate both the medical and corporate landscapes effectively.
Prior to his pivotal role at Jasper, Dr. Ku was the Director of Strategic Planning at Gilead Sciences, a global leader in biopharmaceuticals. His tenure involved overseeing crucial planning strategies that aligned Gilead's ambitious research and development goals with the broader objectives of the healthcare market. Notably, he served as Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company's Pharmaceutical and Medical Products Practice, where he delivered impactful consulting services to biopharma companies, focusing on R&D strategies, portfolio management, and mergers and acquisitions.
Education and Achievements
Dr. Ku's academic journey reflects a strong foundation in both medicine and technology, equipping him with a unique set of skills that enhance his contributions to the biotechnology industry. He earned his Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree with distinction from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, a prestigious institution known for its focus on research and innovation in medical education. His academic excellence set the stage for his impressive career in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
In addition to his medical degree, Dr. Ku holds a Bachelor of Science (S.B.) in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This combination of technical knowledge and medical training enables him to implement cutting-edge technologies and strategies in the development of life-saving therapies. His experiences during his time at MIT, particularly with the High-Throughput Neurotechnology Group, cultivated his skills in applying engineering principles to biological research, fostering a holistic approach to the challenges faced within the biopharmaceutical landscape.
Notable Achievements
Dr. Ku's career is marked by several significant achievements that highlight his expertise in strategic planning and corporate development. At Jasper Therapeutics, he has influenced the company's strategic direction through innovative approaches in portfolio management. His leadership in the briquilimab program has been essential in advancing therapy options for patients with hematopoietic disorders, demonstrating his commitment to translating scientific research into viable treatment solutions.
Before joining Jasper, Dr. Ku played instrumental roles at Gilead Sciences and McKinsey & Company, where he was pivotal in shaping corporate strategies that resulted in successful product development and market positioning. His experience in strategic planning at Gilead is particularly notable, as he helped guide the organization's initiatives in expanding its global reach and impact on human health.
At McKinsey, Dr. Ku's engagement with high-profile biopharma clients allowed him to refine his skills in managing complex projects that integrate research, market analytics, and financial viability. This experience has provided him with insight into the multifaceted challenges organizations face in an ever-evolving healthcare landscape.
Dr. Ku's proficiency in aligning medical advancements with corporate strategies illustrates his exceptional ability to bridge the gap between science, technology, and business, which is increasingly necessary in today's healthcare environment.
Highlights
It's been incredibly energizing to be back at the Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of the ASTCT and Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR)!!
This year has been especially momentous for Jasper Therapeutics with six presentations at the conference highlighting the advancement of our anti-c-Kit antibody briquilimab (JSP191), including two plenary talks to kick off the morning by our founder Dr. Judith Shizuru at Stanford University School of Medicine and our collaborator Dr. John Tisdale at The National Institutes of Health.
For those interested, here are the presentations at this year's meeting #Tandem23:
Plenary S-P3: Conditioning with a Naked Antibody: The Target Matters
Plenary S-P3: Improving the Landscape for Curative Therapies in Sickle Cell Disease with Novel Conditioning Methods
Oral Presentation, Abstract 59: Subanalysis from Phase 1 Study of JSP191, an Anti-CD117 Monoclonal Antibody, in Combination with Low Dose Irradiation and Fludarabine Conditioning, Shows Durable Remissions in Older Adults with Acute Myleoid Leukemia in Complete Remission Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Oral Presentation, Abstract 86: Evaluation of Clinical Outcomes and Healthcare Resource Use of Outpatient Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant in Older Adults with AML/MDS, Using JSP191, an Anti-CD117 Monoclonal Antibody, in Combination with Low Dose Irradiation and Fludarabine Conditioning – a Single Center Analysis
Poster, Abstract 211: Initial Results from Stanford Children’s Fanconi Anemia Clinical Trial Using JSP191 Antibody Conditioning and TCRαβ+ T-Cell/CD19+ B-Cell Depleted Grafts
Poster, Abstract 351: Immune Biomarkers Associated with Chronic Gvhd in Phase 1 Study of JSP191, an Anti-CD117 Monoclonal Antibody, in Combination with Low Dose Irradiation and Fludarabine Conditioning in Older Adults with MDS/AML Undergoing Allogeneic HCT
I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Vice President, Corporate Development, Portfolio Strategy & Management at Jasper Therapeutics! In addition to Jasper corporate development, I will serve as the program team leader for JSP191. JSP191, now known as briquilimab, is a big part of what originally brought me to Jasper given its potential to transform the field of stem cell therapeutics as a targeted HSC depleting agent. I'm looking forward to working with our team at Jasper to launch our Phase III trial in AML and MDS next year and bring this program to as many patients as we can. We're #hiring so feel free to reach out to me if you see a role you're interested in or if you'd like to discuss innovation in hematopoietic stem cell therapies!
People also viewed
C
Related People
Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.