ABOUT US

At Prommune, we’re providing advanced therapeutics and vaccines for existing and emerging disease threats, for the benefit of human and animal health.

Sam was a dedicated Medical Researcher during his 27 years at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.  He received his B.S degree in chemistry from the University of Utah, the M.S. degree in chemistry from Ohio State University, his Ph.D. in chemistry and biochemistry from Ohio State University, and did his postdoctoral training at the University of Arizona Department of Chemistry as a National Institutes of Health Research Fellow.  He is the principal inventor of the Host Immune Stimulatory Peptide (HISPTM) platform technology, which is covered by 8 US patents, and has received over $2M in research funding from the National Institutes of Health.  Dr. Sanderson is the author of 71 peer-reviewed publications and has had over 30 years of experience in research and development at the university and industrial levels.

Anna Sanderson has over 30 years of professional experience in executive level management positions.  Anna received her B.S. degree in Business Management/Marketing from Indiana University and her M.S. degree in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University New Orleans, Anna has utilized her professional business management and humanitarian service skills with the American Red Cross for the last 11 years. In her most current position with the American Red Cross as Senior Program Director she is responsible for actively resolving complex ongoing and long-term needs of the business (at a national level) with a focus on the analysis of processes, dissecting problems and developing solutions. In addition to providing strategic direction, guidance and integration of products and services to meet the mission of the American Red Cross. Previous positions include Pastoral Minister, Archdiocese of Omaha and Divisional Vice President, Broadway Southwest (Division on Carter Hawley Hale) Tucson, AZ.

The Sanderson’s established Prommune as a mechanism to translate the numerous research findings of the Host Immune Stimulatory Peptide (HISPTM) platform into commercially available therapeutic entities for invoking natural immune responses in the treatment of diseases in veterinary and human medicine applications and for generating vaccines.

We’ve gathered some of the top minds in animal health and immunology to help support and advance our mission of developing innovative solutions for animal and human medicine.

Dr. Sam Al-Murrani is President and CEO of Prommune Inc. Sam serves as chairman or director on the boards of several human and animal health companies. He also serves on the selection committee and coaching panel for the Kansas City Animal Health Investment Forum and on the Dragon’s Panel for Animal Health Investment Europe in London, UK. He is an advisory board member for the International Animal Health Journal.

Dr. Al-Murrani is recognized as an industry and technical expert with numerous editorials and articles in various industry and scientific peer reviewed journals. He also has a large number of issued patents worldwide.

A summary of his professional experience can be found on his Linkedin page.

Sam has a B.Sc. in Animal Science from the University of Edinburgh and a Ph.D. in Immunology/Biochemistry from the Roslin Institute and the Department of Veterinary Pathology at the University of Edinburgh. He holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Baker University.

Dr. Kelly Lechtenberg is an internationally recognized expert in respiratory diseases of swine and cattle. In addition to providing data and support for FDA and USDA approval of animal health products, Dr. Lechtenberg focuses on translational medicine. He also assists with research in chimerical transplants to treat diabetes and novel immunologic technology to treat wounds and respiratory disease. Dr. Lechtenberg has presented papers at more than 20 international meetings, including a discussion of the role of veterinary medicine in antimicrobial resistance at the World Health Organization in Geneva.

Dr. Lechtenberg attended Kansas State University, where he received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1987 from the College of Veterinary Medicine, and a PhD in Ruminant Nutrition/Microbiology in 1988 from the College of Agriculture. He is the founder & president Midwest Veterinary Services, Central States Research Center, and Logan Valley Feeders in Oakland, NE. Dr. Lechtenberg also founded the Veterinary and Biomedical Research Center in 2013 in Manhattan, KS. He served as president and two terms on the board of directors for the Academy of Veterinary Consultants, and is an active member of both the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and American Association of Bovine Practitioners. Dr. Lechtenberg currently serves on the Kansas State University Foundation board of directors as well as in local community and health care organizations.

As executive director of Merial’s U.S. business operations, Don Schwartz’s responsibilities included business development, market research, regulatory, customer care, veterinary technical solutions, public affairs, communications and business analytical functions. He also has extensive experience in marketing, A&P, product management, finance, distribution, manufacturing, media management, packaging development, trademark development. Mr. Schwartz helped launch landmark veterinary products including IVOMEC, HEARTGARD and FRONTLINE PLUS, and lead the development of OraVac oral care products. He’s also the former head of a successful advertising and communications agency specializing in pharmaceutical and technical products. Mr. Schwartz is the author of multiple books, including Genus Bos: Cattle Breeds of the World, which is considered the standard reference on the subject.

Mr. Schwartz received an undergraduate degree in Biology from Union College, Schenectady, NY. He completed graduate work in Biochemistry at Columbia University and CUNY, where he also received a Master of Science in Management, CUNY. Mr. Schwartz is the executive director of U.S. Business Operations for Merial (now part of Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health).

American Red Cross Senior Director, Process and Planning

BS, Business Management/Marketing, Indiana University

Mark D. Hirschfeld is Vice President of Research and Consulting at BI Worldwide, a $600 million global consulting firm. The firm has five industry areas of expertise, including pharmaceutical, medical device and health insurance companies. Mr. Hirschfeld is the co-author of Re-Engage: How America’s Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times, published by McGraw-Hill. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Hirschfeld and his family live in the Twin Cities.