Michael SAUNDERS

En résumé

Entreprises

• Ablynx - Project Director

  2007 - 2009 Ablynx Project Director (5 days/week): 2-3 Nanobody discovery projects (internal and partnered).
  • Scientific and project leadership of Nanobody discovery project focussed on neutralizing inflammatory cytokine (spun out of Novel Uses programme into Ablynx). Within 12 months identified lead and back-up Nanobody candidates, with improved potency compared to benchmark mAbs in late clinical development. Demonstrated favorable in vivo activity compared to benchmark mAb. PoC disease model underway for development candidate. Prepared and coordinated patent examples covering development candidates. Coordinated cocrystallization and X-ray crystallography studies of target with lead Nanobodies to elucidate epitopes (with external academic collaborator Christian Cambillau.
  • Additionally leading project focussed on transmembrane receptor ligand with external partner. On time delivery of milestones.
  • Chairman of Target Review Committee: Proposed and recommended selection of targets for internal discovery programmes.
  • Partnering discussions: Involved in scientific collaboration discussions (including target and workplan proposals, due diligence and case study presentations) with three large pharmaceutical companies, two of which (Boehringer-Ingelheim and Merck-Serono) led to large collaboration and codevelopment deals.

• Ablynx - Project director

  2006 - 2007 Responsible for establishing and running the Ablynx R&D Novel Uses programme (4 days/week).
  • Worked closely with the CSO and Director of Discovery Research to drive forward this ambitious programme, raising Nanobodies against 100 targets and demonstrating functional activity.
  • Provided source of new internal discovery projects and support for business development discussions.
  • Corporate objectives for this programme met in 2006 and 2007.
  • Coordinated activities of external team of 7 scientists in Utrecht University; established & coordinated multiple academic collaborations; selected target classes for programme.
  • Prepared and awarded IWT grant proposal “Nanobody Novel Uses Programme”- ~2M€ cash. Budget responsibility.
  • Inventor on 19 patent applications.

• 4AZA Bioscience - Chief Operating Officer

  2005 - 2006 As COO of 4AZA, prepared Investor memorandum, various confidential addenda, prepared investor presentations and involved in seeking Series A Financing (VC contacts, presentations, follow-up), business development, IWT grant preparation, attended board meetings.

• Bio-Michs sprl - Directeur générale

  2004 - 2009 I have performed, and am still engaged in consulting and interim management missions focussed on Research and Development principally in drug discovery (small molecules and biological drugs) for a number of Biotechnology companies including:
  Ablynx-NV (2006-present)
  4AZA Biopharma NV(2004-2006)
  Unibioscreen SA (missions in 2005 and 2006
  Argen-X (missions in 2008 and 2009)
  
  For details of missions and accomplisments, please see separate descriptions for positions held at Ablynx and 4AZA.

• Devgen - Director of Pharma Discovery/Head of Metabolic Diseases

  2001 - 2004 • Executive committee member
  • Board attendance and science representative of science plan and status.
  • Determined and applied Metabolic Disease drug discovery strategy (type 2 diabetes and obesity).
  • Managed team of 16 scientists: target identification, validation, cell based assays, drug discovery
  • Matrix management of 10 additional scientists from different lines (Med chem., Assay Development and HTS). Responsible for 2 drug discovery projects.
  • Coordinated research activities (in vivo) assays of external partner with 4 FTEs.
  • Responsible for Pharma Discovery platform budget.
  • Key member of science strategy team.
  • Collaborated with the CCO to co-ordinate research projects and commercial objectives and establish Pharma collaborations (2 deals signed).
  • Recruitment of senior managers (VP R&D, HR Director) and team members.
  • Objective setting and performance evaluation.
  • Translation of C.elegans targets into drugable disease relevant human targets (supported by patents).
  • Conceived and prepared IWT (Flemish government science) grant application and obtained grant of 1.9 Million Euros over 2 years to support 20 FTEs (2003) to identify the molecular targets of “orphan” drugs.
  
  Devgen speaker in Drug Discovery Technology 2002 world congress, Model Organism Meeting, Boston, 2002 and Life Sciences RNAi meeting, London 2003.

• GSK - Senior Research Scientist / Group Leader

  1992 - 2001 GlaxoSmithKline France Drug Discovery Centre (Cardiovascular/Metabolic diseases), Paris, France.
  
  Biology Coordinator in Large International Therapeutic Drug Discovery Research Project Teams (dyslipidemia/metabolic syndrome).
  
  • Determined and applied the biology strategy of two major international drug discovery projects in the area of dyslipidemia that led to the identification of 2 IND’s now in Phase II clinical development (PPAR alpha and delta agonists for HDL raising).
  • Collaborated with project leaders to determine overall project goals (product profiles, clinical plans), and worked closely with medicinal chemistry, DPMK, toxicology, clinical pharmacology and business representatives in project team.
  • Responsible for preclinical pharmacology project documentation (candidate selection documents, clinical investigation brochures...).
  • Coordinated the implementation of the projects biology program (screening, selectivity tests, cell based assays, animal models). Investigated mechanism of action of lead compounds.
  
  In parallel, managed and championed lead discovery project developing novel screen technologies.
  
  GlaxoSmithKline: Senior Research Scientist / Group Leader
  
  Key member of Dyslipidemia disease expertise group (new target identification, target portfolio, competitor activity, clinical trials...)
  
  Independently studied, determined and presented the strategies for 4 new dyslipidemia/metabolic disease drug discovery targets. Evaluated clinical trial feasibility and unmet medical need. Directed and implemented the development of drug screens, secondary screens, and animal models. Used molecular biology to produce and purify recombinant proteins for use in in vitro screens, and to establish novel transcriptional screens.
  
  Established, equipped and directed the molecular biology section in the research centre. Developed molecular biology approaches to drug discovery.
  
  “Drug Discovery Retreats”: 1993 (Meribel) and 1996 (Corsica).
  
  GlaxoSmithKline: Management experience
  
  As Project Coordinator, managed directly 3 team members and coordinated the activities of 2 others.
  
  Directed teams of up to 6 scientists on drug discovery and target validation research projects (according to established research priorities). Evaluated performance of collaborators.
  
  Managed target discovery project meetings and chaired bimonthly molecular biology research meetings.
  
  Multiple internal (GSK world-wide) and external collaborations (including strategic alliance and academic collaborations).
  
  Acted as molecular biology consultant to biochemists in the centre.
  
  “Project Leader Training Course”: September 1996 Verona, Italy

Formations

• Essec EMBA

  Paris La Défense 2004 - 2006 EMBA ESSEC-Mannheim business schools

• University Of North Carolina UNC (Chapel Hill)

  Chapel Hill 1984 - 1989 PhD Molecular Biology
  
  Chapel Hill

• University Of Sussex (Falmer Brighton)

  Falmer Brighton 1983 - 1984 MSc (Biochemistry and molecular biology)

• University Of Cambridge

  1979 - 1982 MA (Natural sciences)
  
  Attended Christ's College

Réseau

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