Brian Austad, PhD

Brian has been leading Karyopharm’s Pharmaceutical Sciences Department since November 2013 where he has been responsible for all CMC operations and supply chain activities, playing a pivotal role in the development and launch of XPOVIO (selinexor). He brings over 25 years of experience in process chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences with a focus on developing novel medicines for unmet needs. He has core expertise in natural product synthesis and their derivatives for pharmaceutical application, optimizing API synthetic routes for commercial production, formulations manufacturing, CMC regulatory strategy, cGMP quality, and CMC management.

Prior to Karyopharm Therapeutics, he served as a senior consultant at Rondaxe Pharma and  in senior leadership roles at Infinity Pharmaceuticals where he built and lead their Process Chemistry department.  Brian served in roles of increasing responsibility at Eisai Research Institute, culminating in his role as Scientist, Process Chemistry, where he was a project leader and core contributor in the development and manufacture of Halaven® (eribulin mesylate), a fully synthetic derivative of the highly complex marine natural product Halichondrin B approved for the treatment of breast cancer and liposarcoma.  Brian received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and his Doctor of Philosophy in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying under Professor Steven D. Burke.