Medical Communications/Medical Writer

JOHN GIACINTO FACCIPONTE

*** **** **** ● Parsippany, New Jersey 07054

908-***-**** ● ************@*****.***

Self-directed, motivated, results-driven, business-minded medical writer with proven leadership, communication, and

project/time management skills. Dynamic and accomplished tumor immunologist and research scientist with

expertise in pharmaceutical biotech project management and consulting. Proactive excels in a fast-paced

environment requiring initiative, sound judgment, and a positive attitude. Intelligent and articulate with excellent

communication and interpersonal skills particularly adept at establishing credibility and building rapport with

internal/external key stakeholders.

Medical Communications ● Medical Writing ● Strategic Science Content ● Project Management

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

JOLT COMMUNICATIONS, Parsippany, New Jersey ● 2013 – 2014

Medical Communications (Medical Education) agency

Science Manager/Medical Writer

Developed scientifically rigorous medical content to support client projects and liaised with internal program project

team and external client medical/scientific to ensure that high-quality project deliverables were developed on time

• Projects included post conference KOL interviews soup to nuts, development of core slide kits and slides for

key opinion leader presentations, executive summaries, meeting minutes and meeting summaries, clinical

trial study toolkit revisions, conference newsletters, conference discussion guides and priority sessions

• Creative and strategic projects included MoA video scripts, competitive intelligence slide presentations for

top-level client presentations, clinical trial clinicaltrials.gov names, project themes

• Provided scientific support for business development proposals and initiatives which included development

of agendas for advisory boards and preceptorship, literature reviews and synthesis, strategic message

maps, and medical backgrounders

SYNERGY LEGAL STAFFING, Manhattan, New York ● 2012 – 2013

Full-service, general practice law firm

Immunology Consultant and Litigation Support (Contract)

Provided litigation support on patent infringement and patent validity involving oncologic drug for T cell lymphoma in

pharmaceutical industry. Immunology Consultant on several patent issues such as immunological terms and claim

construction. Patent review, claims construction review and preparation of deposition documents. Working

knowledge of FDA drug approval process acquired through document review of pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory, and

marketing documents. Familiarity with clinical trial reports for regulatory submission (e.g., Clinical Study Protocol,

Clinical Study Reports, Investigational Brochures).

SUNY BUFFALO, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, Buffalo, New York ● 2011 – 2012

Public higher education institution featuring the widest range of academic programs available in New York.

Research Assistant Professor

Acted as key designer and researcher during collaboration with and advanced training from Principal Investigator,

Richard Bankert DVM, PhD. Managed several cancer-related projects simultaneously, including project initiation,

design, execution, data collection, analysis, and data presentation. Co-founded and co-moderated the inaugural

BioMedical Post-Doctoral Research in Progress Spring series. Developed new models for ovarian cancer and nasal

polyp progression. Served as Co-Principal Investigator for a Merck-initiated grant; kept current on scientific articles to

facilitate ovarian cancer, omentum, chemotherapy and IL-12-based research.

Accomplishments:

• Discovered chemotherapy, used in conjunction with IL-12 liposome therapy, can effectively reduce tumor

progression in the omentum; published in Cancer Immunity (May 2013), Vol. 13, p. 11

• Discovered biopsied ovarian tumor cells increase the microvascular density (MVD) of the omentum and that

IL-12 liposome therapy can reduce the MVD of the omentum

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• Developed an omentum model now used to test different therapies for nasal polyp xenografts

• Discovered that NFKB was nuclearly localized, indicating an activated state in the majority of EpCAM+ cells

of fresh nasal polyp tissue and nasal polyp xenografts by confocal microscopy. Discovery led to expansion of

the project to understand which agents can reduce nuclear NFKB in EpCAM+ cells and reduce nasal polyp

progression.

UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ● 2008 – 2010

The nation’s oldest medical school

Post Doctoral Fellow

Mentored Ph.D. students, developed new ideas to promote current research; prepared and published scientific

manuscripts; attended and presented at weekly seminars. Spearheaded a preclinical project under mentorship of

George Coukos MD, PhD that evaluates the efficacy of a DNA-based vaccine targeting a mouse tumor associated

vascular antigen initiated project concept and managed design, execution, data collection, and data presentation.

Cloned tem1 and DOM constructs and produced DNA plasmid from GigaPreps; performed electrogene transfer of

plasmid DNA. Identified and characterized H-2b and H-2d CD4+ and CD8+ epitopes for tem1 antigen by Mimotope

peptide screening. Completed wound healing and fertility studies performed on Tem1-DOM-vaccinated mice.

Accomplishments:

• Discovered that Tem1-DOM DNA vaccine was efficacious in controlling tumor progression in three different

mouse cancer models by intramuscular injection

• Identified mechanisms of DNA vaccine efficacy including the tem1 specific immune response generated by

tem1-DOM vaccine. Manuscript published in Journal of Clinical Investigation (2014)

• Successfully quantitated CD3+ T cell infiltration within TC1 tumors by TemDOM vaccine by

immunohistochemistry. Successfully performed ELISPOT, Intracellular staining for IFNg and tetramer assays

measuring E7 and AH1 tumor specific T cells

• Screened by qRT-PCR six tumor vascular associated antigens as well as tem1, tem5, tem7 tem8 in 12

mouse tumor models. Identified those tumors that overexpressed these specific antigens and tems. This

data forms the core foundation criteria for choosing a novel tumor vascular antigen to target by DNA vaccine

Project Manager for Fall Consulting Project, Penn Biotech Group (2009)

• Directed a team of 6 consultants to coordinate research for Jenrin Discovery

• Project led to recommendations for marketing potential of CB1 antagonists to Big Pharma

Consultant for Spring Consulting Project, Penn Biotech Group (2008)

• Provided several recommendations on novel application niches resulting in increased solicitation of new

analysis software (Microarray analysis software company, Integromics, Inc.)

• Won first prize in Spring semester consulting team competition

ROSWELL PARK CANCER INSTITUTE, Buffalo, New York ● 2000 - 2007

America's first cancer center, founded in 1898 by Dr. Roswell Park.

Ph.D. Candidate

Conducted daily research for committee meetings as data presentation and served as expert in heat shock proteins

field under mentorship of John Subjeck PhD. Skills acquired include protein purification, SDS-PAGE,

immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation. Prepared and defended PhD thesis: “Characterization of Binding of Heat

Shock Protein 110 to Bone Marrow-Derived Dendritic Cells and Identification of Receptor(s)”. Mentored student in

the 54th Research Participation program, “Characterization of Binding by Peroxiredoxin-1 to Antigen Presenting

Cells”, Spring 2007.

Accomplishments:

• Successfully used recombinant HSPs proteins to test in flow cytometric assays to characterize receptor

binding on antigen presenting cell lines and primary dendritic cells, resulting in a published manuscript in

European Journal of Immunology

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• Proved that cross presentation of HER2/neu protein by HSP110 can be mediated by scavenger receptors on

bone marrow-derived dendritic cells, resulting in a published manuscript

• Discovered SREC associates with lipid rafts on antigen presenting cells and SR-A does not associate with

lipid rafts, resulting in an understanding of the cell biology of these scavenger receptors on cell membranes

Previous positions: Research Assistant for Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey and Quality Control Technician,

Nabisco Foods, Inc., East Hanover, New Jersey.

EDUCATION

State University of New York at Buffalo (Roswell Park Cancer Institute) – Buffalo, New York

Ph.D., Immunology, 2007

University of Rochester – Rochester, New York

M.S., Microbiology/Immunology, 2000

Rutgers University/Cook College – New Brunswick, New Jersey

B.S., Biotechnology, 1996

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• John G. Facciponte, Stefano Ugel, et al, George Coukos, Andrea Facciabene. Tumor endothelial marker

1-specific DNA vaccination targets tumor vasculature. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2014, 124(4):1497-511.

• Qianjun Zhou, John Facciponte, Min Jin, Qiang Shen, Qiang Lin. Humanized NOD-SCID IL2rg–/– mice as a

preclinical model for cancer research and its potential use for individualized cancer therapies. Cancer

Letters, 2014, 344(1):13-9.

• Sandra J Yokota, John G. Facciponte, Robert Parsons, Leonard D. Shultz, Richard B. Bankert. Human

ovarian tumor established locally within the omentum of NSG mice facilitates the quantification of changes in

the tumor cells, lymphocytes and microvessels. Cancer Immunity, 2013, Vol. 13, p. 11.

• John G. Facciponte, Xiang-Yang Wang, John R. Subjeck, Hsp110 And Grp170, Members Of The

Hsp70 Superfamily, Bind To Scavenger Receptor-A And Scavenger Receptor Expressed By Endothelial

Cells-I. European Journal of Immunology, 2007, 37(8):2268-2279.

• John G. Facciponte,* Xiang-Yang Wang, Ian J. MacDonald, Jun-eui Park, John R. Subjeck Heat Shock

Proteins as Immunochaperones: Structural Insights. Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, 2006, 55(3):339-

46. corresponding author.

• John G. Facciponte, Ian J. MacDonald, Xiang-Yang Wang, Hyung Kim, Masoud H. Manjili, John R.

Subjeck. Heat Shock Proteins and Scavenger Receptors: Role in Adaptive Immune Responses. Immunological

Investigations, 2005, 34(3):325-42.

FELLOWSHIPS/AWARDS

• 2008-2011 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Institutional Research Training Grant (T32).

• 2004-2007 Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program pre-doctoral grant. “Characterization

of Binding of Heat Shock Protein 110 to Bone Marrow-Derived Dendritic Cells and Identification of

Receptor(s)”.

• Annual Meeting of the Regional Cancer Consortium for Biological Therapy, Third prize winner in poster

competition, 9th Annual, 2006, Pittsburgh, PA., 1st Prize Poster Competition. 8th Annual, 2005, Hershey, PA.

Third prize winner in poster competition. 7th Annual, 2004, Buffalo, NY.

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