Reno, Nevada, United States
• INDUSTRY DRUG DISCOVERY AND ACADEMIC RESEARCH ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN GASTROENTEROLOGY, NEUROSCIENCE, UROLOGY, AND VASCULAR SYSTEM • PROJECT PLANNING & EXECUTION • MULTI-FUNCTIONAL TARGET EXPERTISE • TEAM LEADERSHIP/MANAGEMENT • INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COLLABORATION • DATA ANALYST AND SCIENCE CERTIFICATIONS • Preclinical drug discovery experience (> 10 years) encompassing target identification and validation, lead candidate selection and characterization, and authorship/contribution to IND R&D report for clinical studies. • Expertise in ion channels, G-protein coupled receptors, mitochondria modulation, and multi-functional technical approaches • Scientific leadership and management of pharmacology/electrophysiology team • Member of collaborative projects involving multifunctional internal and/or external teams that advanced four distinct compounds into phase I studies for neuroscience indications • Academic and industry research accomplishments in multiple fields highlighted by co-authorship of 60 peer-reviewed articles and 75 abstract/poster presentations; ad-hoc reviewer of peer submitted pharmacology/physiology manuscripts • Data Science Professional Certificate by IBM • Data Analyst Certificate by IBM EXPERTISE • Drug discovery: novel target evaluation, multifunctional teams, mechanism of action studies, assay development and utilization, compound screening using automated liquid handling and instrumentation, lead selection and optimization, advanced candidate characterization for IND filings • Low to high throughput electrophysiology and pharmacological assays: patch clamp, imaging, biochemistry, radioligand binding microscopy, and contractility pharmacological assays on cell (native and recombinant) and tissue preparations • Gastroenterology: molecular and cellular mechanisms determining motility investigated with electrophysiology, high speed Ca2+ imaging, genetic mouse models, and contractility • Urology: excitability and contractility factors controlling voiding function and their role in disease; investigation of urinary bladder smooth muscle and renal pelvis interstitial cell ion channels - including BKCa, Kv7, TRPM4, Cl-, and CaV channels– in humans and rodent models • Neuroscience: various target classes highlighted by expertise in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor ion channels), and their utility in CNS (Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and ADHD) and chronic pain indications. • Vascular system: K+ channels in neurovascular control of corpus cavernosum function underlying penile erection
• Designs, performs, and analyzes broad spectrum and state-of-the-art technical approaches to advance project research goals; generates data driven reports, presentations, and manuscripts for publications in technical journals • Collaborates with extended diverse teams to propose, generate, execute, and plan hypothesis-driven experiments to meet or exceed project research goals and objectives • Advances knowledge in three distinct areas of research elucidating: (1) Ca2+ signaling and electrophysiological properties of pacemaker and neurotransmission mediating interstitial cells of Cajal in controlling gastrointestinal motility employing genetically encoded Ca2+ indicator mouse models, high speed Ca2+ imaging/microscopy, and electrophysiological approaches, (2) electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of various types of ion channels (Ca2+-activated chloride TMEM16A/Ano1, voltage-gated K+ and Ca2+ channels) in specialized renal pelvis interstitial cells (PDGFRα positive) that determine urine peristalsis; and (3) neural communication in the auditory brainstem (MNTB, calyx of Held) with the focus on understanding the roles of presynaptic vesicle cycling, energetics and mitochondria utilizing brain slice and cellular electrophysiology, genetic mouse models, and intracranially induced expression markers
• Provided scientific leadership for investigation of smooth muscle ion channels (TRPM4 and KCNQ/Kv7 channels) in urinary bladder in health and disease using rodent and human specimens and cells; studies involved multi-disciplinary technical approaches encompassing electrophysiology, molecular biology, microscopy, flow cytometry, contractility studies, and in vivo studies on rodents • Supported PI/Lab Leader by supervising lab personnel, assisting in NIH grant submissions, publication and manuscript writing and hands-on experimentation, and the main group lead responsible for compliance with safety/OSHA, IACUC, and IRB regulations • In the roles of Associate Director/Executive Committee Member and Interim Principle Investigator of P20 Developmental Center for Human Urinary Bladder Myogenic Mechanisms by Ion Channels in Health advanced the Center’s scientific and educational goals and managed on interim basis the R01 grant
• Studied the role of calcium activated chloride channels (Ano1/TMEM16A) in gastrointestinal pacemaker interstitial cells of Cajal in establishing synchronized calcium dynamics and electrical slow wave using live-tissue high resolution confocal microscopy, electrophysiology, molecular biology (incl. qRT-PCR and immonohistochemistry) in wild-type, constitutive, or conditional (Cre-LoxP) genetic knock-out mice as well as pharmacological approaches via own hands-on research studies and in-house or external collaborations
• Conducted, planned and designed research studies experiments involving multiple experimental approaches characterizing the molecular mechanisms and effects of novel compounds underlying the smooth muscle cell excitability and contractility of human and animal detrusor smooth muscle with the focus on ion channels (BK, Kv7/KCNQ, and TRPM4), wrote and co-published peer-reviewed articles and presented/co-authored abstracts/posters at conferences • Supervised laboratory personnel, assisted the PI with daily operations of the laboratory, prepared research proposals, provided summary of data sets, and aided or authored external (NIH) grant applications
Research Investigator/Senior Scientist III (2007-2011) Associate Research Investigator (2004-2007) • Co-ordinated and performed various parallel research activities providing strong scientific and managerial leadership to meet departmental and project team goals highlighted by advancement of four neuroscience compounds to clinical studies (at least phase I), primary authorship of and contribution to IND R&D reports • Managed a non-US in vitro electrophysiology/pharmacology laboratory for 5.5 years overseeing various screening activities aimed at lead identification and optimization, and served as the point-of-contact responsible for communicating with other team members and integrating and ensuring timely completion of team tasks • Carried out in vitro pharmacological profiling of med chem compounds using intermediate-to-high throughput electrophysiological, imaging, biochemical and radioligand binding approaches for CNS (Alzheimer’s disease/schizophrenia/ADHD) and analgesia indications targeting ion channels, G-protein coupled receptors, and mitochondrial function • Functioned as effective supervisor of associate level scientists by providing training, mentoring, constructive feedback, and encouragement