°Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. (11/2020-8/2023). IP and med chem guidance on small molecule PCSK9 lipid modulators.°Biotechs in various therapeutic areas: metabolism (ASBT), cancer (kinases, adenosine modulators), inflammation (various inflammasome proteins).

°Organic and med chem consulting emphasizing scaffold design and optimization. AutoDock, PyMol °Med chem, synthesis planning, CRO management, IP expansion, competitive intelligence.

°Developed small, non-statin molecules for lowering cholesterol. (PCSK9 modulators. For an early review see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bmcl.2018.02.046)°The program was licensed to Esperion 11/2020

Spanned the gap between med chem and computational chem. Used Monte Carlo annealing methods to optimize delta G of binding for virtual fragments and med chem expertise to craft useful and patentable nanomolar enzyme inhibitors.Managed internal projects (renin) and worked with clients from drug (furin, heat shock 90, citrate lyase), agricultural (tryptophan synthase), and personal care companies (11b-HSD).

Drug Discovery Chemistry.•Designed, prepared, and scaled picomolar Heat Shock 90 inhibitors and worked on other kinase programs related to oncology. Our orally-active HSP90 candidate went into clinical trials.•Pursued other targets, including aurora kinase, tubulin, DHFR and TGF-B.Representative Publications:"Discovery of Novel 2-Aminobenzamide Inhibitors of Heat Shock Protein 90 as Potent, Selective and Orally Active Antitumor Agents", Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2009, 52, 4288."Application of Chemoproteomics to Drug Discovery: Identification of a Clinical Candidate Targeting Hsp90” Chemistry & Biology 2010, 17, 686-694."Novel Carbazole and Acyl-indole Antimitotics" Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2009, 3078.

Drug Discovery Chemistry.•Designed Cyclooxygenase II inhibitors with >1000 fold selectivity and activity in efficacy models for arthritis. The COX-2 program led to two approved drugs..•Designed and synthesized highly selective, orally bioavailable hydroxamic acid Matrix Metalloproteinase inhibitors for use as cancer, cardiovascular, and arthritis therapeutics, obtaining 17 issued US patents. The MMP team delivered one compound which successfully completed Phase I trials.•Responsible for coordination of the lead identification phase of the Aggrecanase program. A number of file compounds with potencies of 30 nM and better were discovered.•Other projects include: use of a stereospecific aziridinium-ion mediated rearrangement to synthesize novel amino-sugar anti-HIV glucosidase inhibitors; SAR of 5-LO inhibitors for asthma; and an exploratory effort to identify lymphocyte K-channel blockers. Pharmacia was acquired by Pfizer in 2003.Representative Publications: “MMP-13 Selective α-Sulfone Hydroxamates: A Survey of P1' Heterocyclic Amide Isosteres” Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2011, 21, 2820-2822.Orally Active MMP-1 Sparing α-Tetrahydropyranyl and α-Piperidinyl Sulfone Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP) Inhibitors with Efficacy in Cancer, Arthritis, and Cardiovascular Disease” Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2010, 53, 6653-6680.