Translational Medicine Research Collaboration

Role of the Scientific Review Board (SRB)

• Providing the mechanism for approval of new Translational Programmes

• Reviewing existing Translational Programme milestones and their Final Reports

• Providing recommendations to the Wyeth and TMRI Management Team

• Responding to requests from the Management Team

SRB Members

Professor David Barlow
University of Glasgow


Doctor Daniel Crowther
Head of Informatics Wyeth Research
Doctor Crowther joined the Translational Medicine Research Collaboration as the head of Informatics in January 2007. Prior to moving to industry, Dan was  based in Oxford where he obtained his Degree in Biochemistry from Exeter College Oxford and completed a D.Phil in yeast molecular biology and short  postdoc with Dr Mellor in the Microbiology Department. Prior to joining the TMRC, Dan worked at GlaxoSmithKline and it’s legacy companies for 9 years where he managed a Group of computational biologists within the Bioinformatics division. The group provided bioinformatics and computational biology support to the  drug discovery process. In addition to the direct project support, the group implemented novel computational analysis methodologies for large scale data sets  including data from high throughput genetic screening, microarrays, 2D gel and MS based proteomics.

Mr Charles Dormer
Wyeth Research
Mr Charles Dormer has been with Wyeth for five years and has been part of the Discovery Business Group for four of these. This Group has responsibility for  supporting portfolio decisions across all five therapeutic areas in Wyeth Discovery. Prior to joining the Discovery group, Charles was Director, Research  Planning, a role involved in implementing breakthrough initiatives in Wyeth R&D. Prior to joining Wyeth he had an 18-year career at SmithKline Beecham and  GlaxoSmithKline and held a wide variety of business redesign roles and line positions within R&D.

Doctor Ellie Dow
NHS Tayside
Doctor Dow developed interests in diabetes and genetics whilst completing her Ph.D at Imperial College London. She returned to Scotland after postgraduate  medical training in London and is Consultant in Biochemical Medicine at Ninewells in Dundee, and NHS Tayside R&D Director, with clinical interests in type 2  diabetes and metabolism.

Doctor Giora Feuerstein
Wyeth Research (SRB)
Doctor Feuerstein is the Assistant Vice President of Translational Research at Wyeth. Before joining Wyeth he was the Executive Director of Cardiovascular  Diseases at Merck, and prior to that Head of Cardiovascular Disease at DuPont Pharmaceuticals, and subsequently the Director of the Cardiovascular  Pharmacology Department at SmithKline Beecham, where he led the Carvedilio (Coreg) program. Prior to joining industry, Dr. Feuerstein was the Director of Neurobiology Research at USUHS, Bethesda, USA.

Professor Michael Greaves
University of Aberdeen
Professor Greaves has published extensively on haematological topics, particularly in relation to haemostasis, thrombosis and myeloma. Professor Greaves is:  Past-President of The British Society for Haematology and President for the British Society of Haemostasis and Thrombosis; Chairman of the British Committee for Standards in Haematology; Chairman of the National Quality Assurance Advisory Panel (Haematology); Chairman of the British Journal of  Haematology Research Trust; Past President of the Scottish Haematology Society; Chairman of the Anticoagulation Sub-Committee of the International  Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis and Past Editor of the British Journal of Haematology.

Professor Alison MacLeod
NHS Grampian
Professor MacLeod is professor in the Department of Medicine & amp; Therapeutics in Aberdeen, Scotland and an Honorary Consultant Physician and Nephrologist at the Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust in Aberdeen. In these roles she sees patients with renal diseaseand is also part of a group of physicians who receive acute medical emergencies into Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Professor Robert Millar
University of Edinburgh
Professor Millar, PhD, FRCPath, FRSE is Director of the MRC Human Reproductive Sciences Unit which comprises over 100 researchers and attracts about £5 million annual funding. The Unit research focuses on pathologies of female and male reproductive tissues (eg prostate, breast and ovarian cancers, endometriosis and uterine fibroids), infertility, contraception and hormone replacement therapy. Professor Millar is Professor in the Division of Reproductive and Developmental Sciences at Edinburgh University. He is founder and Chief Scientific Officer of the reproductive health company, Ardana Biosciences. Professor Millar interacts extensively with Pharma and Biotech. He is Editor-in-Chief of Neuroendocrinology. He has published over 300 papers and 20 patents. Professor Millar’s research focuses on the molecular functioning of the GnRH receptor with an emphasis on ligand receptor interactions, mechanisms of ligand-mediated receptor activation and coupling to intracellular signalling pathways and receptor trafficking. His group’s research on distinct antiproliferative effects of selective GnRH analogues on tumour cells has revealed the novel concept of ligand-induced-selective-signalling by GnRH analogues which has implications in the development of new GnRH therapeutics and GPCR targets in general.

Professor David Newby
NHS Lothian
Professor Newby graduated from the University of Southampton in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Cellular & Molecular Biology, and in 1991 with a Bachelor of Medicine degree. Following clinical positions in Southampton and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, he undertook his general professional training in the South East of Scotland before taking up a British Heart Foundation Junior Research Fellowship in Edinburgh. He was then appointed to Clinical Lecturer and Senior Lecturer posts in Cardiology during which time he attained a Doctorate in Medicine at the University of Southampton and a Doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. He was appointed Clinical Reader in 2003 before attaining his personal chair in 2005. Professor Newby is funded by the British Heart Foundation and is currently Professor of Cardiology at the University of Edinburgh, Director of the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility and a Consultant Cardiologist at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh. Professor Newby’s principal research interests are in endothelial and vascular biology, acute coronary syndromes and heart failure.

Doctor John Nicholls
TMRI
Doctor Nicholls has a strong track record in commercial exploitation and knowledge transfer of scientific research, primarily in optical materials and medical imaging technologies. He has created and grown a number of successful high technology ventures. John still provides expert guidance to early stage technology companies and has been a member of the Scottish Science Advisory Committee since its creation in 2002. The Committee advises the Scottish government on science strategy and policy; he also sits on the Board of CONNECT and the Scottish Optoelectronics Association.

Doctor Sunita Sheth
Wyeth Research
Doctor Sheth, MD, FAHA  received her B.A. degree in Biomedical Ethics and Doctor of Medicine degree from Brown University.  She is board certified in Internal Medicine and Hematology.  She held an academic appointment at Temple University and conducted research in the area of platelet phosphodiesterases.  Prior to joining Wyeth, Dr. Sheth was the Executive Director, Clinical Development, Neuroscience for Astra Zeneca. She was also involved in the ximelagatran clinical development program and submission at AstraZeneca.  Prior to AZ, she  was Head of Thrombosis, Cardiovascular Clinical Development Product Strategy for SmithKline Beecham/GlaxoSmithKline.  Her experience in pharmaceutical development spans Phase I to Phase III and global submissions.  Additionally, she maintains an Adjunct Clinical appointment at Temple University, School of Medicine where she volunteers in the hematology clinic and gives lectures for the medical school.

Sunita Sheth joined Wyeth in January 2006 as the Therapeutic Area Director for the Cardiovascular, Metabolism and Infectious Disease Group.   In addition she now also heads the Clinical Translational Medicine group.

Professor Roland Wolf
University of Dundee
Professor Wolf is Director, University of Dundee Biomedical Research Centre; Honorary Director, Cancer Research UK Molecular Pharmacology Unit; and Scientific Director, CXR Biosciences Ltd., Dundee, UK. Professor Roland Wolf has an international reputation in the field of molecular pharmacology, specifically cancer therapy. He has published over 400 journal papers and is a member of numerous national and international committees and advisory panels on toxicology and safety issues. In 2001, Professor Wolf founded CXR Biosciences a drug discovery company with a major focus on developing new models to accelerate drug development process. As consequence of longstanding collaboration with Wyeth, Professor Wolf was a key player in initiating the Translational Medicine Research Collaboration (TMRC) in Scotland.

Professor David Wyper
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde
Professor Wyper is Deputy Director of Clinical Physics and associate R&D Director, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and is and Honorary Professor at the University of Glasgow. His work in Clinical Physics covers a broad range of activities including medical imaging, medical instrumentation and biomedical research. His current research focuses on the use of imaging as a biomarker in studies exploring the pathophysiological abnormalities associated with neurological and psychiatric conditions. The research aims to improve our understanding of variations across patients in response to current treatments. It seeks to improve outcome by better selection of patients for specific therapies and by the development of novel therapeutic approaches through more precise measurement of the changes associated with therapeutic interventions.