Drug Discovery & Development 2022

An Associate Professor with Midwestern University, Dr. Annette Gilchrist has a PhD in Immunology from the University of Connecticut Health Center and a MS in Biochemistry from the University of Connecticut. Previously, she was with Cue Biotech and Caden Biosciences, companies she ... co-founded that focused on identifying modulators of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) utilizing novel approaches. Her current research is on allosteric and functionally selective modulators of GPCRs with her primary receptors of interest being the chemokine receptor CCR1 and the recently deorphanized FFAR2. She is an International Editor for the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and recently served as a guest co-editor for a Frontiers in Endocrinology Bone Research themed issue on "Chemokines and Bone".

Matt entered the research field over 20 years ago as a lab animal technician at the TSI/Mason contract research facility. He has worked at both contract facilities such as TSI and OREAD Biosafety as well in industry at Pharmacia, Pfizer, and Sanofi-Aventis. During that period he ... has performed a variety of surgical procedures including device implantation, transplants, orthopedic defect, ocular and vascular implants, cardiac surgery, and brain and spinal procedures. His experience ranges from mice and rats to non-human primates and livestock. In addition, he holds four patents for novel surgical devices and implants and has been training technicians, scientists, veterinarians, and physicians in surgical techniques and procedures for over 15 years. Outside of the surgical realm, he has been a study director, sonographer, Safety Pharmacology scientist, and manager. Currently Matt supervises a team of technicians and surgeon-technicians at Genzyme who support the Boston hub and perform over 1250 surgical procedures a year. Matt was also on the board of directors for the Academy of Surgical Research for over ten years, serving as their program chair for three of them as well as educational chair for two. Currently he is the program chairman for the New England branch of AALAS.

Between 1994-2015 he worked at EKF Diagnostics in Wales (formerly Argutus Medical) where he introduced and promoted a wide range of novel kidney and liver tests, including important biomarkers that are now being evaluated by the IMI (Innovative Medicines Initiative) and FDA as ... qualified for use in toxicological testing. He developed strong relationships with hospitals, clinical research organizations and pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, Sanofi Aventis, Pfizer, Novartis, Merck, Glaxo Smith Kline and Johnson and Johnson. From 1975-1992 Martin Shaw filled many technical and marketing roles at Pharmacia Diagnostics (now Thermo-Fisher). He and his coworkers developed and introduced the first commercial tests for neonatal hypothyroidism, celiac disease, and a range of novel biomarkers to monitor allergy and inflammation. Bringing testing close to the patient is important and Martin brings this experience from being Marketing Manager at Magnasense Technologies, Finland, where he introduced and promoted a novel point-of-care test system based on magnetically labelled antibodies. Martin has published several peer-reviewed articles on biomarkers and presented at many scientific congresses, including being guest speaker at the FDA.

Over the past 16 years, Mr. Shipton has amassed deep domain expertise in cell-based products and services. Currently serving as President of Novabiosis, Inc. Mr. Shipton brings a skill for implementing sales-driven business strategies, an extensive track record of meeting and ... surpassing targeted sales objectives, and a passion for translating customer needs into solutions that exceed expectations. Prior to joining Novabiosis, Mr. Shipton served as Chief Operating Officer for Hurel Corp, overseeing Hurel's commercial operations. Before joining Hurel, Matthew served as the Central and Southern U.S. Regional Sales Manager for Bioreclamation IVT (formerly CelsisIVT), where he was responsible for leading regional revenue generation and new account growth. In that capacity Mr. Shipton organized and led multiple, dedicated strategic initiatives, including establishing the CelsisIVT partnership with the Research Institute for Liver Disease (RILD) in China, as well as consummating long-term supply agreements with a number of the major pharmaceutical companies. Prior to CelsisIVT, Mr. Shipton served as Director of North American Business Development for Cyprotex, PLC, a UK-based contract research organization ("CRO") specializing in preclinical drug discovery services. Before Cyprotex, he was Regional Sales Manager for CellzDirect, a Durham, NC based provider of primary hepatic cell-based products and services which in 2008 was acquired by Invitrogen (now Thermo Fisher). Mr. Shipton holds Master's and Bachelor's Degrees in Chemistry from, respectively, North Carolina State University and Youngstown State University.

Professor Pfleger is Director, Biomedical Innovation at The University of Western Australia (UWA) and the MTPConnect Western Australian Life Sciences Innovation Hub. He is also Head of Molecular Endocrinology and Pharmacology at the UWA Centre for Medical Research and Harry ... Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Deputy Director of the Australian Research Council Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies, Chief Scientific Advisor to Dimerix and co-founder of RAGE Biotech. Professor Pfleger is President of the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists and is a member of the British Pharmacological Society International Advisory Group. Professor Pfleger has developed extensive expertise in profiling receptor binding and function at the molecular and cellular levels over the last 20 years, particularly involving G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). He also has globally-recognised expertise in the bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) technology, including his patented Receptor-Heteromer Investigation Technology (Receptor-HIT) for studying heteromers.