Healthcare Industry News: ERBITUX
News Release - February 1, 2011
Constellation Pharmaceuticals Expands Leadership Team with Drug Development Industry Veterans
Dr. Michael Cooper Appointed Chief Medical OfficerDr. Steven Paul Elected to Board of Directors
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network)-- Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing new drugs targeting epigenetic regulation of the human genome, today announced the expansion of its leadership team with the appointment of Michael Cooper, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and of Steven Paul, M.D., to the Board of Directors. Dr. Cooper was most recently Clinical Head of Oncology Translational Medicine at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, where his group contributed to the preclinical and clinical development of the Novartis oncology drug pipeline. Dr. Paul is Director of the Helen and Robert Appel Institute for Alzheimer’s Research at Weill Cornell Medical College and is the former President of Lilly Research Laboratories.
“The appointment of these two seasoned drug development executives reflects the evolution of Constellation’s R&D portfolio and the progress of our product pipeline,” said Mark A. Goldsmith, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Constellation. “Mike and Steve bring deep experience in drug development with track records of success, and they will help us take innovative therapies based on epigenetic regulation from the bench to patients.”
Michael Cooper, M.D., Appointed Chief Medical Officer
Cooper’s academic and pharmaceutical careers have been focused on the translation of novel cancer targets to new therapies, and he has broad expertise in cancer pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, biomarker development, and clinical trials. Cooper has contributed to the development of numerous first-in-class anti-cancer agents, including VELCADE® (bortezumib) and ERBITUX® (cetuximab).
Prior to Novartis, Cooper served as Vice President of Oncology Clinical Research at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., following a career in Oncology Clinical Design and Evaluation at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He has had numerous academic appointments, including Director of the Experimental Therapeutics Program in the Division of Medical Oncology at Duke University, and has served as a Senior Clinical Investigator in the Clinical Pharmacology and Medicine Branches of the National Cancer Institute. Cooper completed his Residency in Internal Medicine and Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Duke University Medical Center after receiving his M.D. from Duke University School of Medicine.
“Constellation is at the forefront in identifying the critical role that epigenetic targets and chromatin modulation play in disease,” said Cooper. “I am delighted to have this opportunity to join the team as we continue to translate this novel science into new drug candidates.”
Steven Paul, M.D., Elected to the Board of Directors
Paul had a distinguished 17-year tenure at Eli Lilly and Company where he held several key leadership roles, including President of Lilly Research Laboratories where he was responsible for the pharmaceutical research and development portfolio for Eli Lilly. Under his leadership, Lilly's research and development pipeline expanded to include approximately 70 new molecular entities across diverse therapeutic areas.
Prior to Lilly, Paul served as Scientific Director of the National Institute of Mental Health after a highly productive academic career that earned him numerous scientific awards and honors, including election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Paul joins Constellation’s current Board of Directors, which includes Mark Levin, Partner, Third Rock Ventures; David Goeddel, Ph.D., Partner, The Column Group; Anthony Evnin, Ph.D., Partner, Venrock; Tom Maniatis, Ph.D., Isidore S. Edelman Professor and Chairman, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University; Bob Tepper, M.D., Partner, Third Rock Ventures; and Mark A. Goldsmith, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO, Constellation Pharmaceuticals.
About Constellation Pharmaceuticals
Constellation Pharmaceuticals is a leading biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics in the emerging field of epigenetics, a growing field of science that focuses on chromatin modifiers and the regulation of gene expression. The Company’s academic founders are thought leaders in epigenetics responsible for numerous seminal advances. Constellation Pharmaceuticals is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.constellationpharma.com.
VELCADE® is a registered trademark of Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ERBITUX® is a registered trademark of ImClone LLC.
Source: Constellation Pharmaceuticals
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