Technology Leadership

Dr. Thomas Barnes is responsible for leading Ore Pharmaceuticals’ drug repositioning discovery efforts. Prior to joining Ore Pharmaceuticals in 2004 (then Gene Logic), Dr. Barnes was Director of Genomic Pharmacology at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, where he led the development and application of genomic technologies for downstream drug development. After joining Millennium in 1997 as a Senior Scientist, Dr. Barnes led Millennium’s biotherapeutics discovery effort until its acquisition. Dr. Barnes’s post-doctoral work in C. elegans at Harvard University and McGill University focused on classical and molecular genetic studies of the nervous system as well as the analysis of genome organization. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, UK, studying C. elegans sex determination.

Dr. Clary Clish oversees the Multiplex Bioanalytics, In Silico Biology, and Genomic Pharmacology platform technologies in the Indication-Seeking Program at Ore Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining the Company, Dr. Clish was Director of Metabolite Biochemistry at Beyond Genomics, where he led comparative metabolite profiling and biomarker discovery programs. Previously, he was a faculty member and research fellow at Bringham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. His research focused on molecular mechanisms underlying inflammation and its resolution, and among his key findings was the discovery of a novel class on anti-inflammatory mediators which are now termed resolvins. Dr. Clish holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Portland State University. Dr. Clish received the Frederic C. McDuffie Fellowship for the highest nationally ranked postdoctoral fellowship from the Arthritis Foundation. He has authored over 30 publications.

Dr. David White is responsible for providing leadership and strategic oversight for the both Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology and the In Vivo imaging discovery platforms within the Indication-Seeking Program at Ore Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining the Company, he was a Senior Scientist at Millennium Pharmaceuticals where he provided senior technical and business development support for the launch and execution of the Drug Repositioning Platform. Dr. White previously held several senior scientific positions in the Department of Metabolic Diseases at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. There he directed the efforts of a research program focused on small molecule target discovery, validation, and post HTS cellular pharmacology in the areas of both leptin pathway biology and anabolic/catabolic mechanisms regulating skeletal homeostatis. Before joining Millennium, Dr. White held research positions at DYAX and Stratagene Cloning Systems. Dr. White earned his Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Boston University. He has authored 35 publications and has filed more than 40 patents.

Dr. Luz-Maria Guzman is responsible for the Genomic Pharmacology platform in the Indication-Seeking Program at Ore Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining the Company, Dr. Guzman was Senior Scientist at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, where she joined the Drug Repositioning founding team in development and start-up efforts. She previously led scientific and technology development programs in diverse areas including, early and late stage antibacterial drug discovery and personalized medicine. Before Millennium, she implemented an antibacterial discovery program at Genome Therapeutics. During her postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Guzman was awarded a Merck Sharp & Dohme Fellowship to study bacterial cell division and became a recognized expert in bacterial expression. Dr. Guzman received her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genetics from CINVESTAV/University of Texas Southwestern GSBM. She has authored 20 publications and filed nine patents.

Dr. Robert Coopersmith is responsible for In Silico Biology in the Indication-Seeking Program at Ore Pharmaceuticals. Prior to this position, he was the leader of the bioinformatics group at UCB Pharma where he oversaw genomics-based microarray discovery projects in the CNS therapeutic area. Dr. Coopersmith has been responsible for bioinformatics functions at several leading biotechnology companies, including Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Incyte Genomics. He has also held research and teaching positions at Mclean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston College, and SUNY at Binghamton, NY. Dr. Coopersmith received a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences (Psychobiology) from the University of California, Irvine. He has authored 25 publications and filed four patents.

Dr. Scott Malstrom is responsible for In Vivo imaging in the Indication-Seeking Program at Ore Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining the Company, he was a Senior Scientist at Xenogen (now Caliper Life Sciences) where he developed in vivo assays for the utilization of light producing transgenic mice for pharmaceutical and industrial applications. He also developed mouse models for several specific diseases. Dr. Malstrom received his Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from St. Louis University School of Medicine and was a postdoctoral associate at Fox Chase Cancer Center and Thomas Jefferson University. His postdoctoral research included the study of the signal transduction of proto-oncogenic serine/threonine kinase Akt using a series of transgenic mice made using active and inactive mutants. He has authored 14 publications.

Dr. Shengfang Jin is responsible for molecular and cellular pharmacology in the Indication-Seeking Program at Ore Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining the Company, she was a Senior Scientist and Project Team Leader in oncology drug discovery at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, where she oversaw target identification, biomarker validation, academic collaborations, and pharmaceutical alliance management. Her team successfully identified novel kinase inhibitors for cancer chemosensitization. Previously, Dr. Jin was a Staff Scientist in Gene Therapy and Biotherapeutics at TKT (now Shire Pharmaceuticals), where she spearheaded cell-based gene expression engineering for the treatment of Fabry’s disease. Dr. Jin received postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School/Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Cancer Biology and received her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Biology from Tufts University School of Medicine studying bacterial pathogenesis. Dr. Jin has authored 23 publications.

Dr. John Byrnes is the Head of In Vivo Pharmacology. His role includes management of a range of animal studies to support drug discovery programs and progression of development candidates. Dr. Byrnes comes to the Company from Tufts University School of Medicine where he served as Director of Operations for the Animal Behavior Research Core and Research Assistant Professor of Neuroscience. Prior to Tufts, he held positions in the Neurobiology and Metabolic Disease programs at Millennium Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Byrnes holds adjunct faculty positions at Tufts Medical School (Department of Pharmacology) and the University of Massachusetts Boston (Department of Psychology), and has served as a behavioral pharmacology consultant for a number of Cambridge-based companies. Dr. Byrnes received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Ohio State University. His research interests include the brain mechanisms psychiatric disorders and the neuropharmacology of psychotropic drugs. Dr. Byrnes is a journal and book reviewer, author of 18 publications, and a member of several scientific societies.