Responsible for leading and building Neurocrine's biofluid biomarker capabilities.

- Led biology efforts for oncology and immunology programs within AI drug discovery company - Drove translational strategies for advanced immunology programs- Developed asset strategies to drive competitive differentiation- Collaborated with CROs and external pharma partners to advance portfolio programs- Led efforts to bring in new technologies and platforms to enhance ways of working- Evaluated new targets for portfolio inclusion

Managed a team of 5 PhD level scientists responsible for the translational strategy and execution of clinical biomarkers from early preclinical to post-market approval- Managed a broad portfolio of ~13 concurrent clinical studies across various modalities and indications within the oncology, Immunology, rare disease and GI space- Led clinical biomarker efforts for gene therapy and large molecule therapeutics- Served as translational research lead to better understand MoA, support indication expansions, and inform future preclinical strategies- Developed and validated novel biomarker assays for pharmacodynamic analyses in clinical trials- Shaped preclinical programs by aligning biomarker strategies and generating early clinical development plans- Developed Ph0-Ph3 clinical study protocols emphasizing the biomarker strategy and deliverables- Supported regulatory submissions (INDs to BLAs) to the FDA and global regulatory agencies- Subject matter expert for clinical biomarker assays including flow cytometry and immunoassays- Led reverse translation efforts for exploratory biomarkers involving novel technologies (cytof, PhIP-seq, CITE-seq) and academic collaborations

Project leader for several concurrent preclinical drug discovery programs.- New idea generator for urology, oncology and immuno-oncology indications- Led target identification and validation efforts though execution of phenotypic screens, literature review and competitive intelligence- Led cross-functional drug discovery projects across a range of modalities including small molecules, peptides, adenovirus gene therapy and conjugated glycosaminoglycans- Interfaced globally with key stakeholders to drive projects forward- Supervised research associates and managed CRO resources to execute on project timelines- Executed biomarker strategies for novel immuno-oncology assets- Participated in due diligence efforts to evaluate in-license opportunities, in collaboration with global teams spanning chemistry, pharmacology, CMC, toxicology, DMPK, clinical, commercial, etc.

Research Project Lead (RPL) for interdepartmental drug development project focused on advancing a first-­in-­class cancer therapeutic toward the clinic.-Managed and executed studies to reach critical Go/No­-Go decisions in the pipeline progression. This included in vitro assays to assess proliferation, selectivity, and patient selection as well as in vivo studies to assess PK/PD/efficacy relationship in xenograft models.-Drove cross-­departmental collaboration and managed multiple CRO resources to answer critical questions and uncovered a deep scientific understanding of the MOA of our lead compounds. -Supported the biology and pharmacology efforts for three other oncology projects in various stages of development. Investigated the mechanisms through which cancers cells become resistant to targeted therapy and screened for novel patient populations for established compounds.

Investigated the role of circadian disruption in obesity and metabolic disease with a focused effort on identification and validation of therapeutic targets.-Developed animals models of chronodisruption through time-restricted feeding that were assessed phenotypically and served as basis for target identification.-Leveraged large scale transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics for a global, integrated view of circadian metabolic physiology and the search for novel therapeutic targets.-Validated targets for therapeutic potential in mouse models of diabetes and obesity.

Worked under the lab of Megan Lim MD,PhD. Investigated and characterized the signaling mechanisms that lead to NPM-ALK induced oncogenesis in Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. The following were the major scientific contributions in my thesis:1) Global phosphoproteomic analysis uncovered multiple novel proteins regulated by ALK kinase activity.2) Global metabolomic analysis revealed ALK-induced metabolic reprogramming to meet the biomass requirements for proliferation.3) PKM2 is a novel substrate of ALK and mediates the observed metabolic switch form oxidative metabolism (energy production) to a Warburg effect (biomass production).4) PKM2 is promising new therapeutic target in ALCL as its regulation by NPM-ALK is necessary for tumorigenesis.5) GSK3β is a novel mediator of ALK signaling and drives broad oncogenic phenotypes including cell cycle progression, survival, and metabolic alterations.6) These data are the first of their kind to integrate phosphoproteomics and metabolomics for the identification of candidate metabolic regulators.

Instrumental thought leader for multiple project teams aimed at the characterization of insulin-sensitizing drugs for Type II Diabetes in a variety of rodent models. -Used a range of dosing regimens combined with phenotypic endpoints and ex vivo analysis to advance projects toward clinical development.-Developed and optimized novel in vivo mouse models including streptozotocin treated diet induced obese mice as a model for Type II Diabetes.

Utilized highly sensitive FT-ICR-MS techniques to characterize post translational modifications of proteins. -Identified the function of a set of orphan genes in Archaea that followed an ubiquitin-like process for the synthesis of a novel amino acid.

Contributing member of project teams aimed at developing small molecule kinase inhibitors of inflammatory proteins for increased insulin sensitivity and GPCR agonists for increased insulin secretion. -Utilized in vivo and ex vivo methodologies to assess the efficacy and MOA of lead compounds.-Characterized testable biomarkers of target engagement.-Developed novel rodent models for testing insulin sensitizing drugs including the use of LPS as an inducer of insulin resistance.

Team member for small molecule kinase inhibitor projects which resulted in clinical transition and eventual FDA approval of crizotinib for ALK rearranged NSCLC.-Solely responsible for cell-based primary screening ELISA for compound selection. -Performed a variety of assays to characterize downstream signaling effects and biological impact of lead compounds.-Aided the development and execution of in vivo studies for efficacy and PK/PD of lead compounds.-Led the effort to automate screening assays with high-throughput liquid handlers.