Scientific Advisors
David Armistead, Ph.D.
Executive-in-Residence, Oxford Bioscience Partners
Former Vice President and Site Head, Amgen Cambridge Research Center
Webster Cavenee, Ph.D.
Director, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
Professor of Medicine, University of California at San Diego
Tony Hunter, Ph.D.
Professor, Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Adjunct Professor, Division of Biology, University of California at San Diego
Leonard Post, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer, LEAD Therapeutics, Inc.
Edward Roberts, Ph.D., B.Sc.
Professor, Translational Chemistry, Scripps Research Institute
David Armistead, Ph.D.
Executive-in-Residence, Oxford Bioscience Partners
Former Vice President and Site Head, Amgen Cambridge Research CenterDavid Armistead has over 18 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry experience, during which his work has led to the identification of a number of drug candidates currently in human clinical trials in the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Previously, Armistead held the position of Vice President and Site Head for the Amgen Cambridge Research Center, where he oversaw all aspects of East Coast research activities for Amgen Inc. Prior to joining Amgen, Armistead co-founded and served as Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer for Kinetix Pharmaceuticals, where he researched the rational design of selective kinase inhibitors for the treatment of inflammation and cancer. Armistead was also a founding member of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where he served in various positions including Project Head for Immunosuppressive Research and Development. He has also held positions at Merck Sharp and Dohme Research Laboratories (Merck and Co., Inc.) and Yale University. Armistead earned his Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry from the University of South Carolina and his M.S. and B.A. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
Webster Cavenee, Ph.D.
Director, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
Professor of Medicine, University of California at San DiegoWebster Cavenee’s research is directed at defining the genetic lesions in human cancer, determining their physiological significance, and using such information for therapeutic approaches. This work has earned him many awards, including the Rhoads Award of the American Association for Cancer Research and the Charles S. Mott Prize of the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Past-President of the American Association for Cancer Research, a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and is on the editorial boards of several journals. He has also served on the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Cavenee received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas Medical School.
Tony Hunter, Ph.D.
Professor, Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Adjunct Professor, Division of Biology, University of California at San DiegoTony Hunter is one of the foremost leaders in the field of cell growth control, growth factor receptors and signal transduction pathways and has conducted pioneering work in the study of protein-tyrosine kinases and their role in cell growth, oncogenesis and the cell cycle. His research has earned him the prestigious Landon-AACR Prize for Cancer Research, the largest prize offered to cancer researchers from a professional society of their peers. Hunter holds an American Cancer Society Professorship, is a Foreign Associate of the National Academy, and serves on a number of scientific review and advisory committees. He previously founded Signal Pharmaceuticals. Hunter earned his Ph.D. and B.A. from the University of Cambridge, England.
Leonard Post, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer, Lead Therapeutics, Inc.Dr. Post is a virologist by training. Prior to joining LEAD Therapeutics, he was at Onyx Pharmaceuticals as SVP and was responsible for the co-development (50:50 with Bayer) of Nexavar from IND through FDA approval for renal cell carcinoma. Previously, as VP of Discovery Research at Parke-Davis he led a multi-national drug discovery organization of over 800 people, in cancer, infectious diseases, inflammation, cardiovascular and CNS. Prior to that, he held several positions at the Upjohn Company, including Director of Infectious Disease Research. During his industry career spanning more than 25 years, he has led numerous programs that have resulted in multiple clinical candidates across various therapeutic areas.
Edward Roberts, Ph.D., B.Sc.
Professor, Translational Chemistry, Scripps Research InstituteEdward Roberts contributes extensive experience in the development of drugs to treat disorders of the central nervous system, which he has studied both in the pharmaceutical industry at Hoffmann-La Roche, Astra (now AstraZeneca), and the Parke-Davis Neuroscience Research Centre at Addenbrookes Hospital and in academia. He currently serves as Professor of Translational Chemistry and Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute, and he previously served as Chief Scientific Officer of biotechnology company Kemia, which specializes in small molecule kinase inhibitors. Roberts was also previously senior Vice President and Head of Discovery Chemistry for F. Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel. He has served on governmental committees and was a Professor at Montreal’s McGill University. He is currently a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. An author and inventor on numerous original scientific articles and patents, Roberts earned his Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne and his B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Sussex, both in England.