I have been actively engaged in drug discovery research for more than 30 years as both a laboratory scientist and as a scientific manager and director. My skill set includes both the technological processes for identification of drug leads and synthetic/medicinal chemistry for their optimization into clinical candidates. This funding application is well within my field of expertise and builds logically on my prior work. My independent research as a laboratory scientist focused initially on Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators and other Nuclear Hormone Receptor modulators. I developed a high level of proficiency in all facets of medicinal chemistry including formulation, ADME, and toxicology and demonstrated this in 26 peer-reviewed scientific publications and more than 20 issued U.S. patents. These patents and publications describe several molecules that achieved advanced pre-clinical or clinical evaluation including raloxifene and its analogs, a modulator of the retinoid X receptors, and a mineralocorticoid receptor modulator. Because of my skill and expertise in early drug discovery, I was asked to play a management role as head, director, and eventually executive director of lead generation at Eli Lilly and Company. In this role, I regularly consulted with a wide variety of scientists from chemistry and biology on lead generation strategies, flow scheme development, compound assessment and structure-activity relationship strategies, and appropriate lead criteria. I had management responsibility for the early phase discovery chemistry portfolio of more than 100 targets and 15-25 Hit-to-Lead efforts and line management responsibility for more than 200 scientists including 80 Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry, structural biology, high throughput screening, computational chemistry, and other drug discovery disciplines. I was responsible for delivery and quality of lead chemical series for approximately 20-30 biological targets per year. During this period, teams that I managed delivered more than 100 small molecule portfolio Leads. Since my retirement from Lilly, I have continued to utilize my knowledge of drug discovery, lead generation, and medicinal chemistry as a consultant for a variety of biotech companies, venture capital firms, and academic research organizations. One such group is the Cancer Drug Discovery and Development Accelerator (C3DA) program in the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center where I am actively engaged.
Key Milestone Expertise in Drug Discovery & Development:
- Hit Identification
- Lead Identification
- Lead Optimization
