Data Development .Net Business Support Research
Resume:
Arturo J. Morales, Ph.D.
***@******.*** ** Edgehill Rd
781-***-**** (h) Stow, MA 01775
781-***-**** (c) 781-***-**** (w)
Education:
****-**** ************* ********* ** Technology Cambridge, MA
Ph.D. – Biology (Molecular Biology and Biochemistry/Biophysics)
Thesis: A Structure-Specific tRNA-Binding Protein from Aquifex aeolicus
1997-2000 The Scripps Research Institute La Jolla, CA
Visiting Scholar
1990-1994 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY
B.Sc. - Biochemistry & Biophysics
1989-1990 InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico San Juan, PR
Early Admission/Biology
Research and Work Experience:
2006-Present Concert Pharmaceuticals Lexington, MA
Director, Biology & Informatics
-Managed all external research in Biology, Pharmacology & DMPK for >25 different
programs in multiple therapeutic areas such as CNS, Diabetic Nephropathy, Pain, Anti-
Infectives, Cardiovascular Disease & Oncology in the US, Europe & Asia
-Managed the establishment, validation and day-to-day operations of in-house in vitro DMPK lab
Coordinated & Developed protocols for in vivo pharmacokinetic studies in Mice, Rats, Dogs,
Monkey and Chimpanzees.
-Coordinated & Developed protocols for in vivo pharmacology studies, including selection of
appropriate model and biomarker validation for additional studies.
-Responsible for pre-IND Pharmacokinetics and Virology for CTP-518, the lead compound
currently partnered with GlaxoSmithKline in a deal worth $1B+
-Responsible for all in vitro and in vivo research work for CTP-347 that culminated in an IND
and subsequent Phase I studies
-Set up multiple academic and commercial collaborations with research labs and consultants
-Built and hired IT and Informatics Infrastructure to support Chemistry, Biology, Analytics and
Business Development
2005-2006 Ensemble Discovery Corporation Cambridge, MA
Director, Informatics
-Responsible for data analysis, algorithm design and validation of screening results
-Managed computational chemistry and bioinformatics support to company activities,
including screening library design and validation
-Initiated internal research projects to complement core technologies and facilitate collaborations
Arturo J. Morales, Ph.D. ***@******.***
-Provided informatics and computational chemistry support for program that became the
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s first commercial partnership
-Built IT and Informatics Infrastructure to support Chemistry, Biology, Analytics and Business
Development
-Designed and wrote software to analyze results from custom built instruments for selection data
decoding
-Implemented and Managed mixed W2K3/Linux enterprise backbone and disaster recovery plans
-Managed Ph.D. level Informatics, IT, and Procurement/Materials Management Personnel
2004-2006 Cellicon Biotechnologies, Inc. Boston, MA
Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Support
-Provided Computational Biology support in the areas of MicroArray and Sequence
Analysis to interpret genome wide screening results
2003-2005 Scion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Medford, MA
Director, Informatics
-Prototyped mathematical analysis of in vivo data to assess compound potency and
selectivity
-Developed algorithms to validate data and implemented automated systems for high-
throughput screening results
-Implemented data-quality controls to reduce errors and increase data fidelity
-Member of Pre-IND and development team for SPI-860 (neuropathic pain drug acquired by
Wyeth)
-Led data-mining efforts in Cheminformatics and Business Intelligence
-Worked with outside contractors to develop pipeline (LIMS) and reporting processes
-Developed and Implemented disaster recovery plans, performance monitoring and database
systems
-Built a scalable Informatics and IT infrastructure for 50-person company
-Managed budget and personnel in the group
2000-2003 Genome Therapeutics Corporation Waltham, MA
Senior Computational Biologist, Bioinformatics
-Provided computational biology support for Diagnostics, Pathogen and Human Genetics
Research
-Project and technical lead on team developing ClusterVision™, a graphical sequence analysis
and clustering package
-Led efforts to identify cell-surface proteins in Candida albicans using genomic and data mining
approaches
-Developed PhyloProspector, a method for in silico prediction of Protein-Protein Relationships
-Spearheaded Data-and Knowledge-Mining initiatives in text and numerical data
-Evaluated virtual screening of proprietary drug targets against ligand databases
-Evaluated knowledge and analysis needs of the Pathogen group as part of a company-wide
initiative for a knowledge management system implemented by outside contractors. Worked
with outside contractors to define needs and guide development of the system.
-Educated bench scientists and software engineers on a variety of computational topics through
seminars and trainings
1994-2000 Massachusetts Institute of Technology & Cambridge, MA
The Scripps Research Institute La Jolla, CA
Research Advisor: Paul Schimmel
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Arturo J. Morales, Ph.D. ***@******.***
Characterization of Trbp111, a structure-specific tRNA-binding protein
- Cloned and characterized a structure-specific tRNA binding protein from Aquifex aeolicus which
is homologous to a mammalian cytokine
- Examined its role in vivo and activity in vitro
- Identified Residues involved in tRNA binding based on sequence analysis and alanine scan
mutagenesis
Role of homocysteine editing in atherosclerosis
- Initiated development of mouse and yeast models for analysis of editing of homocysteine by
methionyl tRNA-synthetase in vivo
Informatics/IT
- Supported Informatics needs for group
- Managed heterogeneous network of 20-30 desktops and servers (Independent from support-grid
at both Institutes)
2000 Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire Strasbourg, France
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Research Advisors: Richard Giegé and Paul Schimmel
Mapping of the Interaction of Trbp111 with tRNA
- Employed RNA footprinting techniques to map the binding of Trbp111 to tRNA
1993-1994 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY
Research Advisor: John C. Salerno
Molecular modeling of Nitrous oxide synthase active site domain
- Employed techniques of sequence analysis and homology modeling to model an active site in
NO synthase
- Designed and coded computer programs in C to align proteins based on sequence and structural
homology
1990-1993 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY
Research Advisor: Charles Pfau
Studies on autoimmune anemia
- Developed and optimized assays for detection of autoimmune anemia caused by Lassa fever
(LCM virus) and/or injection of rat RBC’s in mice
1986-1990 Interamerican University of Puerto Rico San Juan, PR
Research Advisors: Freddy Medina & Pedro Bendezú
Studies on Fasciola hepatica and Schistosoma mansoni infections
- Prototyped a method for control of F. hepatica miracidae with plant-derived compounds
- Performed histopathological studies of course of infection in snails
- Refined and evaluated a cocktail based on extracts from ethnomedical plants as a
pharmacotherapeutical agent against S. mansoni infections in mice
Scientific Publications:
Alberti-Segui C., Morales A.J., Xing H., Kessler M.M., Willins D.A., Weinstock K.G., Cottarel G.,
Fechtel K., Rogers B., (2004) Identification of potential cell-surface proteins in Candida albicans
and investigation of the role of a putative cell-surface glycosidase in adhesion and virulence,
Yeast. 2004 Mar;21(4):285-302.
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Arturo J. Morales, Ph.D. ***@******.***
Kessler, M.K., Zeng Q., Hogan S., Cook, R., Morales A.J. and Cottarel, G., (2003) Systematic Discovery
of New Genes in the Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Genome, Genome Res. 2003 Feb;13(2):264-71.
Randall D. Little, John P. Carulli, Richard G. Del Mastro, Jose Dupuis, Mark Osborne, Colleen Folz,
Susan P. Manning, Pamela M. Swain, Shan-Chuan Zhao, Brenda Eustace, Michelle M. Lappe,
Lia Spitzer, Susan Zweier, Karen Braunschweiger, Youssef Benchekroun, Xintong Hu, Ronald
Adair, Linda Chee, Michael G. FitzGerald, Craig Tulig, Anthony Caruso, Nia Tzellas, Alicia
Bawa, Barbara Franklin, Shannon McGuire, Xavier Nogues, Gordon Gong, Kristina M. Allen,
Anthony Anisowicz, Arturo J. Morales, Peter T. Lomedico, Susan M. Recker, Paul Van
Eerdewegh, Robert R. Recker, and Mark L. Johnson (2002) A Mutation in the LDL
Receptor.Related Protein 5 Gene Results in the Autosomal Dominant High.Bone-Mass Trait, Am.
J. Hum. Genet. 70 (1):11-19
Zeng, Q., Morales, A.J., and Cottarel, G., (2001) Fungi and Humans: Closer than you think, Trends in
Genetics, 17 (12), 682-684
Nomanbhoy, T., Morales, A.J., Abraham, A.T., Vöertler, C.S., Giegé, R., and Schimmel, P. (2001)
Simultaneous binding of two proteins to opposite sides of a single transfer RNA, Nature Struct
Biol, 8 (4), 344-348
Swairjo, M., Morales, A.J., Wang, C.C., Ortiz, A.R., and Schimmel, P. (2000) Crystal Structure of
Trbp111: a Structure Specific tRNA-binding Protein, EMBO J., 19 (23), 6287-6298
Wang, C.C., Morales, A.J., and Schimmel, P. (2000) Functional Redundancy in the nonspecific RNA
binding domain of a class I tRNA synthetase, J Biol Chem, 275, 171**-*****
Morales, A.J., Swaijo, M., and Schimmel, P. (1999) Structure-Specific tRNA Binding Protein from the
Extreme Thermophile Aquifex aeolicus, EMBO J., 18 (12), 3475-3483
Salerno, J.C., Harris, D.E., Irizarry, K., Patel, B., Morales, A.J., Smith, S.M.E., Martasek, P., Roman,
L.J., Masters, B.S.S., Jones, C.L., Weissman, B.A., Lane, P., Liu, Q., and Gross, S.S. (1997) An
Autoinhibitory Control Element Defines Calcium-regulated Isoforms of Nitric Oxide Synthase, J.
Biol. Chem., 272, 297**-*****.
Patents:
Inventor in multiple patent applications in the fields of Chemistry, Biology, Informatics,
Bioinformatics and Human Genetics
Selected Posters and Presentations:
48th Annual ICAAC/IDSA 46th Annual Meeting, Pharmacokinetic Characterization of a Deuterated
Oxazolidinone in Chimpanzees, A. Morales, D. Wells, R. Tung, R. Zelle, C. Cheng, and S. Harbeson
(2008)
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Arturo J. Morales, Ph.D. ***@******.***
ISSX 15th North American Regional Meeting, Increased In Vitro Metabolic Stability And In Vivo
Exposure In Rats Of Precision-Deuterated Indiplon, Arturo Morales, Richard Gallegos, Vinita
Uttamsingh, Scott Harbeson, Robert Zelle, Roger Tung, David Wells (2008)
31st National Medicinal Chemistry Symposium, Design and Synthesis of Potent Oxazolidinone
Antibacterial Agents with Enhanced Pharmacokinetic Properties, Craig Masse; Arturo J. Morales;
Julie Liu; Changfu Cheng; Justin Anthony; David Wells; Robert Zelle; Roger Tung; Scott Harbeson
(2008)
56th Annual Meeting American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS), Metabolite Identification of
Precision-Deuterated Linezolid. Changfu Cheng, Gary Bridson; Art Morales; David Wells (2008)
The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) 19th Annual Meeting, CTP-347 Is a Potential
Treatment for Tamoxifen-Induced Hot Flashes With No Observed CYP2D6 Mechanism Based
Inactivation, David Wells; Richard Gallegos; Vinita Uttamsingh; Changfu Cheng; Gary Bridson; Craig
Masse; Julie Liu; Scott Harbeson; Philip Graham; Robert Zelle; Roger Tung; and Arturo Morales (2008)
American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2008 National Meeting & Exposition, CTP-347: A deuterated
analog of paroxetine with greatly reduced CYP2D6 mechanism-based inactivation, Arturo Morales,
Richard Gallegos, Andrew Jones, Vinita Uttamsingh, Changfu Cheng, Gary Bridson, Julie Liu, David
Wells, Roger Tung, Robert Zelle, and Scott Harbeson (2008)
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, The effect of CTP-347 on CYP2D6-
mediated tamoxifen metabolism, D. S. Wells, A. Morales, R. Gallegos, V. Uttamsingh, G. Bridson, C.
Cheng, C. Masse, S. Harbeson, R. Zelle, R. Tung (2008)
IBC Drug Discovery Technology World Congress, Integrating Chemistry, Biology and
Nanotechnology through an Informatics Backbone (Pre-Conference Workshop, Invited Speaker),
(2006)
Pharma CIO-IT Summit, Building a Scalable Informatics and IT Infrastructure on a Budget (Invited
Speaker), Washington, DC, USA (2004)
IBC Drug Discovery Technology World Congress, Scion’s Discovery Engine Accelerates Pace of Drug
Discovery for Ion Channel Targets, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, (2004)
EMBO Workshop on Structure and Function of Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases, An Aminoacyl tRNA
Synthetase from an Extreme Thermophile: Structural and functional characterization of an Arc1p-
like C-terminal domain, Mittelwihr, France, (1998)
Solution Interaction of Macromolecules Symposium ‘97, Domain Dissection of a Class I tRNA-
Synthetase, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston Campus, Texas, USA (1997)
17th International tRNA Workshop, Functional Analysis of a Peptide Appendix from a Class I tRNA-
Synthetase, Kazusa Akademia Center, Japan (1997)
National Institutes of Health, Minority Biomedical Research Support Symposium, Ethnomedical Plants
as Pharmacotherapeutical Agents of Schistosomiasis, (Oral Presentation) Houston, Texas USA (1989)
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Arturo J. Morales, Ph.D. ***@******.***
Teaching Experience:
Spring 1996 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
7.16 Project Lab (Cell and Molecular Biology)
Spring 1995 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
7.014 Biology
Fall 1993 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY
71464 Biophysics Lab
Other:
Native speaker of English and Spanish
USA Rugby and IRB (International Rugby Board) Level 2-Certified Rugby Referee
Assistant Coach – Lincoln-Sudbury High School Rugby Team
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