Blood at the Center

Advancing technologies have opened new frontiers for human health, transforming blood products into medicine.

The blood technologies industry starts with donations. But how can those precious resources be safely collected and processed for transfusions, research, and starting materials for cell and gene therapies? Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies (BCT) is one of the companies solving those problems and improving patients’ access to blood products as therapy.

We met with Jackie Kunzler, SVP and Global Head of Research and Development at Terumo BCT, to find out more about the priorities for the blood technologies industry and her experience of leadership in this growth sector.

What is your background and career history, and how did that lead to your current position?
 

Originally I was a medical technologist and clinical chemist in a hospital laboratory. Then I decided I wanted to do research, and ended up working at a company called Baxter in research and development (R&D), also as a medical technologist.

As my career progressed, I went back to school multiple times, ended up becoming a toxicologist, and ultimately achieved a PhD in neuroscience as well as an MBA. 

As I progressed up the ladder in R&D at Baxter, I led the pathology group and then the life sciences organization, which combines many of the “ologies”: toxicology, pharmacology, physiology, and pathology. 

I spent 21 years in R&D there before moving into international marketing, working primarily in China and India. I progressed to head of compliance and, finally, head of quality, with about 70 manufacturing and compounding pharmacy sites globally.

Almost exactly a year ago I took my dream job as head of R&D at Terumo BCT. And that is where I am today.

How would you describe what Terumo BCT does to those unfamiliar with the field?
 

Terumo BCT makes equipment to enable a safe, sustainable, and adequate blood supply.

To put that a little more simply – if you donate blood or plasma at a donation center, much of the time you'll be connected to our products.

We also have more complex technologies that are used in hospitals that can collect and separate stem cells and other fractions of the blood. Some of our technologies allow diseased blood and plasma to be exchanged, so we take out the bad stuff and we exchange it for good, healthy blood and plasma. We also enable stem cell collections, which can be used to treat blood cancers like leukemias.

To what do you attribute the recent growth in blood related medical technologies?
 

There is a growing recognition and understanding of the fact that health and wellbeing is evident at the cellular level. Our organs are sustained through the blood supply and the blood acts as a sort of decoder ring for underlying disease pathology. So, looking at and understanding the blood really holds the key to solving a lot of disease states.

As a leader of a company that must innovate to succeed, how do you maintain momentum?
 

I believe that most people who choose to work in medical technology, pharmaceuticals, and other healthcare companies, are driven by wanting to improve lives through healthcare. They have a natural thirst to find the next breakthrough technology.

In our R&D organization, we always have a team working behind the scenes as an early discovery group, looking at new technologies and new solutions, while we're currently launching the next new product.

This means that there's always a pipeline of developments behind a product launch – some of which have been in progress for a couple of years.

What external trends are driving innovation?
 

One is the desire to identify the bad actors in the blood and figure out a way to remove them. Another is looking at underserved geographies – such as Africa – and what the needs are in those spaces. And there is always a need to find ways to improve the efficiency of complex blood and cellular treatments, which can be quite lengthy and complicated. Finally, like every field right now, we’re looking very closely at data analytics and developing a connected ecosystem.

What are the priorities for R&D at Terumo BCT going forwards?
 

We've just launched two new innovative products: RiKa is a plasma separation technology and Reveos is a whole blood separation technology.

Those were really rather large and complicated projects for what I would call a relatively small R&D organization. Now that they have been successfully launched, we plan to refocus on future innovation and optimizing our new product development organization.

How would you describe your leadership style?
 

One of my first priorities is to build a strong leadership team and trust them to do what they do best.

I'm very decisive, I'm available by any means – text, phone, you name it – 24/7, and I tend to move very quickly. That works for some people, and possibly challenges others.

I do care a lot about the team and the mission of the company. And I'm very determined that we, as an organization, will exceed expectations and deliver new innovations to our patients and our customers.

And, importantly, I would say I have very high standards.

How do you maintain continued self-development as a leader?
 

In as many ways as possible: through reading publications like The Pathologist, continuous learning, watching others, and reflecting on feedback.

We carry out regular surveys of our employees, which generate a lot of feedback. Some of it is very encouraging, and some offers me opportunities!

Attending conferences helps me keep up to date, and I ensure that I maintain a rewarding life outside of work as well.