Pharmaceutical Licensing Expert and Licensing Consultant
Technical Consultant #1388
Expertise
- Pharmaceutical licensing executive with a strong research and development background.
- Experience with numerous diverse deal structures supporting research collaboration and fund raising.
- Identify and evaluate in-licensing opportunities across all therapeutic areas including neuroscience, cardio-pulmonary, anti-infectives, inflammation and oncology.
Experience
Undisclosed Company, Managing Director, 2008 - Present
- Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals business development consulting.
- Provide licensing and business development advice to biotechnology, including overall strategic input (research and development activities); preparation of relevant marketing documents; introduction to key personnel in pharmaceutical; and negotiations.
- Current clients include those advancing protein agents and small molecules across a broad spectrum of therapeutic areas.
CPRIT, 2010 - Present
- Commercial Reviewer: Evaluate business plans submitted by Texas based biotechnology companies focused on oncology diagnostics and therapeutic product development as part of the state of Texas' investment in attacking cancer on multiple fronts.
Undisclosed Company, Senior Advisor, 2009 - Present
- As a member of the team, drive all business development and partnering activities, through to negotiations, of clinical stage assets (Phase II and beyond) on behalf of clients (usually small biotechs). Remit includes all therapeutic areas.
Arizona Technology Enterprises, Senior Vice President Business Development, 2007 - 2011
- Working with ASU faculty, identify proprietary, breakthrough technologies with commercial potential for the life science sector.
- Develop business strategies for commercialization of the technologies, prepare marketing packages, identify potential licensees and negotiate licensing agreements.
- This includes straight out licensing transactions and company formations.
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Technology & Licensing, 2002 - 2007
Vice President External Science, Technology and Licensing
- Directed all sourcing and evaluation activities of platform technologies and compounds in all stages of development (preclinical to phase III), across all therapeutic areas.
- Collaborated with research and development, marketing and business development to in and out-license compounds/products.
- Managed group of 15 licensing professionals. Reported to SVP, Worldwide Business Development and to President, Pharmaceutical Research Institute.
- Closed technology deals with: Celera Diagnostics, Athersys, Sequenom, Lexicon, Iconix, Ambit, Genomics Health, and Albany Molecular.
- Supported collaborations with Merck - muraglitazar; AstraZeneca - DPP4 and SGLT2 inhibitors; Pfizer - Factor Xa inhibitor.
- Successfully out-licensed a CDK 2 inhibitor to Sunesis; a growth hormone secretagogue to Elixir; an aurora kinase inhibitor to Ambit; and a dual inhibitor anti-hypertensive to Pharmacopeia.
- Developed an innovative "Venture Capital" outreach program to enhance sourcing function.
Message Pharmaceuticals, Chief Executive Officer, 2001 - 2002
- Managed all fund raising and collaborations with pharmaceutical companies for this 35 person biotechnology start-up focused on discovering a novel class of drugs aimed at post-transcriptional regulation.
- Laid groundwork for closing a series C round and lined up a significant corporate collaboration.
Smithkline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, Worldwide Business Development, 1995 - 2000
Vice President and Director, Scientific Licensing, 1997 - 2000
- Managed the identification of all in-licensed compounds and technical due diligence.
- Drove the in-licensing enterprise and maintained in-depth knowledge of external pipelines and provided timely and cogent analyses to senior management.
- Focused on compounds twelve months from an IND through phase IV.
- Therapeutic areas included neuroscience, cardio-pulmonary, anti-infectives, inflammation, and oncology.
- Managed a group of seven licensing professionals.
Director, Scientific Licensing, 1995 - 1997
- Identified and evaluated in-licensing opportunities across all therapeutic areas.
- Worked with research and development, business development, commercial, and legal personnel to bring forward selected opportunities for final approval.
- Reported to VP, Scientific Licensing.
- Gained upper management approval resulting in formal licensing offers being made on three projects during this twelve month period.
Independent Consultant, 1994 - 1995
- Major client: Johnson and Johnson with assignment to out-license twelve biopharmaceutical technologies which J&J no longer had an interest in developing for strategic reasons.
- By the end of the period, concluded eight deals.
Molecumetics, Managing Director, 1994 - 1995
- Developed and executed a strategic plan to extract commercial value from proprietary technology in the field of peptidomimetics as an enabling tool for drug discovery.
Johnson and Johnson, La Jolla, CA, 1984 - 1994
Senior Director of the Research Institute (RW Johnson Pharmaceuticals), 1989 - 1994
- As the technical liaison between J&J and the Scripps Research Institute, managed a group of 45 scientists (17 PhD's) whose role was to address proof of principle of technologies from Scripps.
- Negotiated research grants with Scripps. Managed the La Jolla facility for J&J.
- Raised the J & J-Scripps relationship to its most productive level ever. Eight new projects instituted in four years, each dependent on strong collaborations with Scripps inventors.
- Identified newly emerging technology from Scripps with commercial potential.
- Established preclinical proof of concept on four molecules and recommended for clinical development.
Director of Biosciences, 1989
- Managed group of 60 scientists, (18 PhD's) developing protein formulations and analytical research and development.
- Research aimed at growth factors, acute therapy Mabs, imaging agents, etc.
- Instituted development of new formulation for a more "user friendly" version of erythropoietin.
- Instituted efforts to develop a more stable formulation of OKT3. The recommended version is now incorporated into the current product.
- Department performed quality control (QC) of EPO for sale in Europe by Cilag.
Diagnostics Program Director, Biotechnology Center, 1984 - 1985
- Technical liaison between J&J and Scripps Research Institute.
- Responsible for identifying and executing proof of concept studies with an eight member group on technologies emerging from Scripps with in vitro diagnostics applications.
- Negotiated research contracts with Scripps scientists.
Ortho Biotech Imaging Products, Washington Crossing, NJ, 1988 - 1989
Director, Technical Development
- Managed preclinical development in radiopharmaceuticals.
- Manufacture and QC of Macroscint, imaging agent for the localization of occult infections.
- Conducted proof of principle studies and filed IND for Macroscint, all in one year.
- Directed preparation of CMC section for Macroscint's IND.
- Managed two key external relationships, one that led to a novel second generation product.
Ortho Diagnostics, 1985 - 1988
Director of Infectious Disease Product Development
- Managed all of Ortho's product development activities in infectious disease diagnostics with a team from 20 to 40 research scientists.
- Four products launched during this period. Managed several outside collaborators: Chiron, Enzo, and Cambridge Bioscience.
E.I. DuPont, Research Scientist,1980 - 1984
- Introduced monoclonal antibody technology to the company. Developed a number of in vitro diagnostic assays.
- Sole inventor on key patents.
Honors & Publications
Academic And Professional Affiliations
Active service for various Boards
Enzon Pharmaceuticals
- Independent Director
Sophiris Bio (formerly Protox Therapeutics)
- Independent Director
Protox Therapeutics
- Independent Director
Enzon Pharmaceuticals
- Independent Director
Honors
- National Institute of Health (NIH) Postdoctoral Fellowship
- American Cancer Society Senior Fellowship, California Division
- Training in Richard Lerner's Lab, Scripps Research Institute
Education
- Ph.D Biochemistry, California Institute of Technology
- B.S. Chemistry (magna cum laude), Memphis State University