Partners in Innovation…

Lars J. S. Knutsen, Ph.D.

Results-driven Drug Hunter, Medicinal Chemist, Drug Discovery Director and Project Manager; expert in design and selection of Clinical Candidates. Track record of inventive involvement in 5 NCE development drugs; Gabitril marketed worldwide, 3 others in current clinical trials. Excellent communicator and manager; skilled at motivating scientists to achieve goals. Rose to diverse research challenges in European/ US companies, applying a unique combination of defined scientific, management and team-building skills.

Articulate and creative leader with excellent interpersonal skills and expertise in building high performing teams in demanding settings. Peer recognized high-level heterocyclic and nucleoside chemist with well-developed analytical skills. Practical experience of moving multiple projects forward simultaneously. 43 Publications in peer-reviewed journals, 24 published patents, 18 of which are issued in the US see .

Lars was appointed an Adjunct Professor at Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia in 2009; and is an expert in Drug Discovery software with outstanding IP, PK & ADME expertise; completed management training modules. US Permanent Resident, awarded Outstanding Expert (O-1) US Visa; Fellow of UK Royal Society of Chemistry. Treasurer of Capps Green Zomaya Med. Chem. Award; fluent in Norwegian/Danish languages.PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Discovery Pharma LLC. West Chester, PA – 2009

President

Founded as my 4th Start-up, in response to clients requesting expert Consulting services in Preclinical Drug Discovery; including Hit to Lead, Lead Optimization, Candidate Nomination, IP and early Preclinical phases. Specialities include serving as an independent Expert Witness in legal cases involving Pharma IP, as well as Due Diligence services for corporations planning to acquire other companies or in-license new drugs.

Cephalon, Inc. West Chester, PA – 2005 – Oct. 2008

Distinguished Scientist/ Project Leader

Built new Chemistry team; drove initiation of and managed new Schizophrenia project. Key input to strategic direction of Cephalon Research, Oncology and CNS, as member of Project Management Group.Major contributor to Cognition program – my direct report synthesized CEP-26401, the 5th clinical drug of my Discovery career, set to be Cephalon’s most recent clinically-investigated CNS drug.Active Med. Chem. synthesis lab. presence with high compound output.Consulted internally on the anticonvulsant Gabitril, a Cephalon product.Honored at dinner for the 2 Distinguished Scientists in the company, with photos placed in foyer of R & D HQ.Consulted with CEPH prior to formal employment, hired into Cephalon after 2005 sale of Ionix to Vernalis.

Ionix Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, UK – 2001 – 2005

Director of Chemistry/ Chemistry Technology

Responsible for R & D Chemistry, including strategy/ budgeting, in this Pain and ion-channel focused start-up company. Built outstanding team of 15+ medicinal chemists and computational chemist. Ionix Management Team & Product Management Group member; Chair of Intellectual Property Strategy Meeting.Drove creative medicinal chemistry/parallel synthesis in 2 projects; Project Leader of key Cav2.2 (N-type channel) Discovery program.Ongoing Management training, including communication/appraisals.Networked into European & Worldwide Pharma Service Providers, experience of planning Preclinical development and CMC.

Vernalis (formerly Cerebrus), Wokingham, UK – 1997 – 2001

Associate Director, Medicinal ChemistryInitiated Discovery project designing new adenosine A2A antagonists for Parkinson’s Disease; VR 2006 shows Phase II PoC with BiogenIDEC, see http://www.vernalis.com/ver/nc/latestreleases/releases2009/2009-03-27/Leader of Sodium Channel program; Head of Pre-project group. Started pre-project targeting novel CB1 antagonists in 2001; lead compound, V24343, entered clinical trials for obesity late in 2006, seehttp://www.vernalis.com/ver/nc/latestreleases/releases2006/2006-12-11/Recruited and coached 5 medicinal chemists as direct reports.Member of Chemistry Management Team, devised company strategies for I.P. and Parallel Synthesis.Part of Integration Team following Vanguard merger with Cerebrus.Successfully made transition to Biotech/SME company environment from Big Pharma

Novo Nordisk, Pharmaceuticals Division, Malov, Denmark 1993 – 1997

Principal Scientist, Medicinal ChemistryProject Manager, Purine project group; initiated project on adenosine A1 receptor agonists for stroke. Led high-performing team of chemists.Drug candidate, A1 agonist NNC 21-0136, selected as pre-clinical compound 2 years from project start; back-up NNC 21-0149 also identified.Completed Novo management/ project manager training modulesGabitril launched as novel anticonvulsant in 1996; Invented back-up series to Gabitril, NNC-711 – authored 1999 J. Med. Chem. NNC-711 reviewed in CNS Drug Reviews, 1999, 5, 317-330.Applied Med. Chem. expertise to obesity/ diabetes targets GLUT4 Transporter and TNF- in 1996-97.

Novo Industri CNS Division, Copenhagen, Denmark – 1986 – 1993

Project Leader/ Senior ChemistProject Manager, GABA Uptake III project group. Promoted to Principal Scientist in 1993.Led project team driving discovery & selection of the marketed anticonvulsant Tiagabine (Gabitril ).Principal author of 1993 J. Med. Chem. article describing design, synthesis & SAR of Gabitril, as well as its back-up series in 1999.

Glaxo Group Research, Ware, Herts. UK

Research Chemist in Medicinal ChemistryDrove forward design and synthesis of novel nucleoside antiviral agents, acyclovir analogues and adenosine receptor ligands.Completed Ph.D. studies in 1984 and 1-year course “Biology for Chemists.”EDUCATION

Admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry

Ph.D. studies in Medicinal Chemistry (while employed as a research chemist at Glaxo, Ware, Herts, UK) in collaboration with Prof. C.B. Reese, Kings College, London & CNAA. Ph.D. thesis title: “The Synthesis of Bridgehead Nitrogen C-Nucleosides”. Supervisors: Prof. Roger F. Newton & Dr. David I.C. Scopes.

B.A. (Hons) / M.A. in Chemistry, Christ Church, Oxford, UK

Royal Grammar School, Newcastle, UK (11 “O” and 3 “A” levels)Journal Involvement & CollaborationsOn Editorial Board of Drug Development Research and a regular reviewer for J. Med. Chem. and Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett.Member of American Chemical Society (since 1987) and Society for Neuroscience (since 1991).Initiated several collaborations with academic groups, with e.g. Dr. Ken Jacobson (NIH, USA), Prof. Joel Linden (Univ. of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA) and Prof. Stan Roberts, (Univ. of Liverpool, U.K.).When at Novo Nordisk, supervised with Stan Roberts 4 postgraduate students in Medicinal Chemistry, 2 to successful Ph.D.s, and 2 to M.Sc. degrees. Funding was provided in part from the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Lars J.S. Knutsen, M.A., Ph.D., FRSC

Drug Discovery Consultant

Mobile: +1-484-***-****

Email: abpqp4@r.postjobfree.com

© Copyright Discovery Pharma Consulting LLC 2012

Incorporated in the State of Pennsylvania

Partners in Innovation

Dr. Lars J.S. Knutsen

© Copyright Discovery Pharma Consulting LLC 2012

Incorporated in the State of Pennsylvania

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