Les Kondejewski Email & Phone Number

Toronto, Canada Area

• Management of Genome Canada programs and funded projects• Definition and optimization of project management processes to increase efficiency

Provide advice and guidance to industrial and academic clients in a range of areas:• Biomarker Services - platform selection, discovery, validation, biomarker prioritization, high throughput assays• Business Services - scientific due diligence, operations auditing, project and collaboration management, scientific management, process documentation, SOPs & GLP• Writing Services - scientific and medical writing and editing for manuscripts, reports, patents, R&D Tax Credits, business development and marketing packages etc.

Montreal, Canada Area

• Provide expert knowledge in the areas of personalized medicine, biomarker research, biotechnology, oncology, CNS/neuroscience and drug discovery and development• Deliver complete medical, health and life sciences writing services

Montreal, Canada Area

• Work with client teams to develop and implement companion diagnostic tests• Facilitate development and commercialization plans for targeted therapies and their companion diagnostics, including assessment of market access and test adoption hurdles

• Managed 20+ collaborative translational medicine/molecular diagostic programs to provide the company with a steady source of revenue and a solid international Pharma/Biotech customer base. Programs involved the identification of biomarkers in clinical and preclinical studies and development of multiplex assays for biomarker validation. Programs were across numerous disease areas (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease, stroke, oncology, infectious diseases). • Led all aspects of 10 oncology target discovery programs allowing the company to create revenue generating alliances (Abbott, Biogen-Idec, ICOS). These programs generated 100’s of novel cell surface immunotherapeutic targets across numerous cancer indications. • Assumed a senior leadership role responsible for all aspects of program planning, execution, report preparation, data delivery and partner follow-up to achieve on time and on budget delivery of high-value biomarkers and oncology targets. Involved the leadership of cross-functional scientific teams (molecular and cellular biology, chemistry, LC-MS/MS-based proteomic analysis, biostatistics, bioinformatics, information technology).

• Managed the successful setup of Caprion’s proteomics platform allowing the company to offer revenue generating proteomics services. Setup required the development and standardization of all methods (preparation of plasma and tissue samples, mass spectrometry, protein identification), process definition and implementation of a QA environment.• Responsible for the leadership of proteomics programs in oncology cell surface target discovery in partnership with Pharma/Biotech collaborators.

• Established and managed the Protein Chemistry laboratory for core supporting activities in peptide design and synthesis and protein purification/analysis. • Responsible for evaluation and development of proteomic methods for peptide phosphoprofiling, plasma high abundance protein depletion, fractionation methodologies and process automation.• Leadership of a successful amyotrophic lateral sclerosis program in collaboration with external academic labs. Evaluated M&A opportunities in structural biology & small molecules.

• Established the Structural Biology group for the analysis of aggregating protein systems (prions, Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase). • Development of conformation-specific antibodies to prion proteins. • Development of in vitro and cell-based assays to identify inhibitors of SOD-1 aggregation and studies to identify mechanism of aggregation, including analysis of mutants, identification of co-aggregating proteins and identification of chemical modifications.

Management of numerous projects and collaborations involving design and synthesis of appropriate peptides, peptidomimetics and conformationally-constrained peptides:- design and synthesis of antifreeze proteins (Queens University, AFP Inc.)- development of conformation-specific ligands to prion protein (Bayer Inc.)- development of cyclic antimicrobial peptides as therapeutics (University of British Columbia, Mircologix Biotech Inc.).http://www.folio.ualberta.ca/35/07/01.HTM

Development of novel conformationally-constrained antimicrobial peptides based on the cyclic peptide Gramicidin S. Project involved peptide design, development of synthesis and purification strategies, structural and biological characterization and determination of structure-activity relationships. Developed peptides possessed low toxicity and high broad spectrum (gram positive, gram negative, yeast) activity. This work was directly responsible for two issued patents, commercial licensing of the technology, and the creation of a large research program involving over 20 academic researchers for further development.

Ph.D., Biochemistry - Protein Chemistry

Development of antibody drug conjugates for cancer immunotherapy.

Bsc Hons, Biochemistry