Pharmacologist Specializing in Drug Discovery, Target Validation and Lead Discovery

Technical Consultant #580

Drug Discovery: Target discovery and validation, assay development, High-Throughput Screening (HTS), hit-to-lead and lead optimization.
In vivo pharmacology: Disease modeling, neurodegeneration and neuroscience, efficacy testing, biomarker discovery.
Preliminary Pharmacokinetics (PK) and Pharmacodynamics (PD).
Project management.
Laboratory design and streamlining laboratory operations.
Business: Strategic planning and decision matrix evaluation, scientific due diligence, Intellectual strategy development.

Undisclosed Company, 1995 - Present

Consultant to pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry in the areas of corporate and business development strategies, scientific due diligence.
Project development and project management, decision matrix evaluation, and product development and planning.
Projects: Business plan development and project planning for startup biotechnology companies, intellectual property evaluation and strategy development, scientific due diligence and product planning and life cycle strategy development.
Laboratory design and project management of construction.

Cephalon, Inc, Westchester, PA, 1995 - 2012

Senior Scientist I, Lead Discovery and Profiling: New Target Access and Validation, 2009 - 2012

Design and implement strategies for rapid assessment of new targets including cellular reagent development for functional assays and discovery of proof-of-concept molecules.
Establish assay platforms specifically directed to examine mechanism of action of discovery compounds.
Organized and adapted transient transfection and BacMam strategies for rapid development of cellular reagents for functional assays.
Directed and coordinated external studies for profiling of compounds for off target activity and hERG liability.

Senior Scientist I, Lead Discovery and Profiling: Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, 2006 - 2009

Team Leader Aequorin Technology Platform: Directed team direction, cell line development, cell production and validation.
HTS campaigns: Involving technology development, assay development, data interpretation, project management and coordination across screening disciplines including compound management and informatics.
Developed and implemented strategies for automated handling of high volume HTS data. This including statistical methods for plate level quality control and acceptance criteria, test set quality control and acceptance criteria and HTS campaign quality.
Initiated and applied procedures to streamline confirmation of positives resulting in reduction of compound usage and cherry-pick time and enrichment of data quality for confirmation.

Research Scientist III, Lead Discovery - Profiling, Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, 2003 - 2005

Developed the luminescence Aequorin assay technology as a novel high throughput screening (HTS) platform for G-protein coupled receptors using Hamamatsu FDSS as primary HTS reader.
Led organizational effort to establish work flow management from compound preparation through primary screening and data reduction.
Introduced and established methods for large throughput receptor binding assays including cell culture scale-up and tissue harvesting to liquid handling procedures.
Established methods for screening of compounds for activities at neurotransmitter uptake sites in both functional assays and membrane binding.

Research Scientist III, Pharmacology, 1998 - 2002

Managed cerebral ischemia group serving four separate discovery project teams.
Responsible for the design and execution of discovery flow and decision matrix for novel acute neuroprotective agents involving biochemical efficacy and in vivo modeling.
Responsible for target nomination and in house proof of concept data for new target proposals and due diligence efforts on potential licensing candidates.
Managed academic collaborations and agreements with CRO's related to cerebral ischemia and initial toxicological safety studies.
Established preliminary safety pharmacology models including cardiovascular toxicology in rats and CYP-3A4 inhibition in human hepatocytes.

Research Scientist II, Pharmacology and Cell Biology, 1995 - 1997

Implemented and maintained clinically relevant focal ischemia paradigms involving compound delivery via constant infusion delivery systems, behavioral testing for functional deficit and post-mortem evaluation of infarct lesion.
Identified and moved forward a novel AMPA antagonist with low side effect profile as an in licensing candidate nominated for preclinical development status.

Symphony Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Malvern, PA, Research Scientist, 1993 - 1995

Group leader and supervisor of in vivo pharmacology team responsible for global and focal models of cerebral ischemia, novel anticonvulsant screening, excitotoxic lesions and basic behavioral pharmacology.
Responsible for evaluation and submission of proposals for alternative funding sources from the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Advance Technology Placement (ATP) programs.
Negotiated and managed external collaborations from both academic and contract organizations, obtained radiation safety license and served as Radiation Safety Officer, DEA liaison, and IACUC chair.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, Post-doctoral Scientist, 1991 - 1993

Established and characterized a novel slow infusion 6-hydroxydopamine striatal lesion model as a model for Parkinson's Disease utilizing rotational behavior, neurochemical depletion, 3H-mazindol binding and tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry.
Developed and implemented a strategy for examining the utility of neurotrophins in acute neurodegeneration through the use of a high dose pilocarpine model of status epilepticus and studied the effect of neurotrophins on recovery of function after cortical focal ischemia using a photothrombotic model of focal ischemia.
Introduced and trained scientists on the use of stereological techniques for the analysis of cell number, cell size and dendritic branch points in cell culture systems.

Nova Pharmaceuticals Corp., Baltimore, MD, Senior Research Pharmacologist, 1985 - 1991

Completed doctoral studies and dissertation research while continuing full-time employment.
Established and validated global and focal ischemia models in several species along with intrastriatal excitotoxic lesion models for in vivo screening of compounds for program aimed at developing neuroprotective N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonists.
Established homogenate receptor binding and quantitative receptor autoradiographic techniques for heart and bladder muscarinic receptors and brain glutamatergic receptors.

Credentials

Dissertation: Pharmacological Treatment During Status Epilepticus: Metabolic and Electrographic Studies-Dissertation
Radiation safety license and served as Radiation Safety Officer
Masters Certification in Project Management, Villanova University, PA

Academic and Professional Affiliations

Publications and Patents

Ph.D. Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD
B.S. Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
B.S. Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD