C. Gunnar Gottschalk

Dr. C. Gunnar Gottschalk serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), while concurrently leading Simmaron Research Inc. (SRI) as CEO and Managing Board Member. His academic-industry partnership with UWM's Milwaukee Institute for Drug Discovery drives translational research in chronic disease mechanisms and therapeutic development.

His educational foundation includes:

• Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Rush University (2020)

Research spans ME/CFS, Long COVID, and Infection-Associated Chronic Conditions (IACCs), with dual focus on peptide therapeutics (co-inventor of KEPTIDE for SARS-CoV-2 prevention) and oncology (STAT3-targeting compounds for triple-negative breast cancer via Simmpyra Pharmaceuticals). His work integrates autophagy modulation, neuroimmune pathways, and broad-spectrum biomarker discovery, emphasizing mechanism-based clinical trial design.

Publication analysis (2016-2025) reveals escalating translational impact: early work established cytokine/neuroimmune dysregulation in ME/CFS, evolving toward targeted interventions like rapamycin trials and STAT3 inhibitors. Key trends include autophagy-ATG13 axis exploration, tetrahydrobiopterin metabolism in fatigue pathophysiology, and repurposing of neuroprotective agents (e.g., gemfibrozil for Parkinson's).

Key recognition includes:

• SOLVE ME Catalyst Award (2025-2026) for Low-Dose Rapamycin in ME/CFS

Grant leadership demonstrates strategic funding acumen:

• NIH R21NS129021 (Co-PI, 2023-2025): ATG13 as a novel ME/CFS target
• SOLVE ME Catalyst Award (PI, 2025-2026)
• Secay Corporation grant (PI, 2019-2022): COVID-19 community response

His six-year UWM collaboration has secured six foundation grants and direct departmental funding, establishing a donor-supported sustainable model. Lab infrastructure centers on SRI's translational science division and Simmpyra's oncology pipeline, with cross-institutional teams advancing peptide biology and autophagy-modulating compounds toward clinical application.