Kevin Atchison

Tyngsborough, MA, *****

978-***-****

adcsrm@r.postjobfree.com

www.linkedin.com/in/kevinpatchisonlinkedinprofile

Cell Based & Biochemical Assay Validation Background in NeuroD

Biochemical, immunoassay and cell-based assay experience acquired with Wyeth/Pfizer, Sanofi, Merck and SynPhar.

Employed in vitro cell free and cell-based assays for MTS of small molecule inhibitors in early stage drug discovery.

Developed and validated cell-based drug discovery screening assays.

Developed and validated cell free enzyme inhibitor assays.

Utilized biochemical assays to evaluate enzyme inhibitor kinetics by varying substrate and inhibitor concentrations.

Analyzed, interpreted and presented results at team and departmental meetings.

Experience

Sanofi Translational Sciences Biochemistry/Bioanalytics 2018 to 2020

Scientist 1

Plate-based pharmacology. MSD Immunoassay analysis of mRNA treated mouse tumor lysates.

Merck Research Laboratories 2016 to 2018

Biologist III

Analytical biochemist responsible for plate-based pharmacology (ELISA, MSD, AlphaLISA) & assay development.

Measured aggregated pTau in AD brain tissue and neuronal tissue from animal models.

Developed ELISA protocol to measure anti-tau antibody in serum from geriatric patients.

Adapted MSD format for measuring antibody Kd and antigen Bmax.

Analyzed samples from PK/PD microdialysis studies.

Trained fellow team members on various immunoassays.

AbbVie Bioresearch Center Inc., Worcester, MA 2015 to 2016

Biologist III

Analytical biochemist contributing to the AbbVie Calico collaboration.

Evaluated the proteolytic metabolism of the Klotho type I membrane protein using surface protein biotinylation, immunoprecipitation, Wes capillary electrophoresis and Western immunoblot technology.

Pfizer, Neuroscience Research Unit, Neurodegeneration Group, Cambridge, MA 2009 to 2015

Senior Scientist

Active in the Alzheimer’s disease amyloid lowering drug discovery program.

Plate based pharmacology point person for the screening of lead candidate gamma secretase modulators (GSMs) and BACE1 inhibitors for selection to development track status.

Responsible for efficacy and selectivity analysis of compound leads employing ELISA, ex vivo, cell based and cell free assays, urea SDS PAGE, Western immunoblots and RtqPCR technologies.

Characterized lead candidates, scrutinized off target activities, established assays (CATD ELISA) to identify BACE1 selective inhibitors (Nature Communications, 2016 Oct 11; 7: 13042.10.1038).

Contributed priority backup data in support of the Gamma-Secretase Modulator (GSM) program's progress to first in human status.

Pfizer Individual Performance Awards (2010, 2012, 2013 & 2014) for team leadership, poster presentations and hosting visiting scientists for Pfizer seminar programs.

Wyeth Research, Acquired by Pfizer in 2009

Neuroscience Discovery Research, Princeton, NJ

Senior Research Scientist

Contributed to Alzheimer’s disease amyloid lowering drug discovery program.

Productively employed the technologies of DNA cloning, plasmid mini-preparations, mammalian cell culture, Lipofectamine transfections, recombinant protein techniques, microsome preparations and the selection and scale up of ctAPP stable cell lines.

These procedures were integrated to establish cell free and cell-based assays critical for amyloid lowering compound efficacy and selectivity screens.

Took the lead to establish a membrane solubilized cell free gamma secretase assay.

Participated in ex vivo studies interrogating the efficacy, selectivity and mechanism of action of gamma secretase inhibitors (GSIs) and BACE1 inhibitors.

Actively contributed to the advancement of the GSI, Begacestat, to development track status (JPET 2009, 331, 598-608).

Identified the preferential degradation of ApoE4 (Alzheimer’s disease risk factor) in astrocytes by pulse chase labeling (J. Neuroscience, 2008, 28(45)).

Trained student interns in laboratory technique.

Wyeth Team of the Year Award (2005), Alzheimer’s disease Amyloid Lowering Program.

Wyeth Above and Beyond Awards (2000, 2006, 2008) for assay development.

SynPhar Laboratories Inc., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Scientist, Enzymology Group

Characterized small molecule inhibitors for infectious disease and oncology drug discovery.

Used plate-based pharmacology to screen inhibitors of topoisomerases, beta-lactamases, proteases, acetylcholinesterase, and lanosterol demethylase and histidine kinases.

Employed Tecan liquid handling technology for beta-lactamase inhibitor screens using nitrocefin colorimetric plate-based assays.

Purified topoisomerase and cephalosporinase using FPLC (SEC, IEC, affinity chromatography) for assay development, enzyme inhibitor binding and kinetic analysis.

Education

Master’s in Biology, 2018

Brown University, Providence, RI

BSc (Honors) in Biochemistry, 1980

University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon

Continuing Professional Education

Molecular Mechanisms of Human Neurological Diseases

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 2003

Basic and Clinical Neurosciences, Columbia University

Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences, 2002

Green Fluorescent Protein Purification Techniques

The State University of New Jersey, Rutgers, 1996

Laboratory Techniques

Small molecule drug discovery:

Plate based pharmacology, PK/PD.

Clarified compound treated in vivo tissue samples by homogenization, ultracentrifugation, hydrophobic-lipophilic balance (HLB) column chromatography and lyophilization for measurement of biomarkers employing ELISA screens.

Cell Biology & Biochemistry:

Established and maintained stably transfected mammalian cell culture to evaluate the efficacy and selectivity of bio-therapeutic drug candidates using Meso Scale Discovery or DELFIA ELISA.

Used electrochemiluminescence and time resolved fluorometry plate readers.

Characterized immunoprecipitated peptides and recombinant proteins.

Evaluated the effects of new chemical entities on target efficacy and selectivity.

Employed Odyssey LICOR Imaging System.

Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography (Pharmacia FPLC).

Purified enzymes using SEC, IEC, and affinity chromatography.

Sub cellular fractionation by density gradient ultracentrifugation.

Purified His Tag recombinant peptides using Ni column chromatography.

Precellyse tissue lysates.

In Vivo: Injected hybridomas & collected ascites from mice.

Biochemical Assays:

Assay development: in vitro screening, cell based and cell free assays, pulse chase, AlphaLISA and TR-FRET, Apricot & Tecan liquid handling systems.

Inhibition kinetics and substrate/inhibitor binding competition studies using purified proteins for drug discovery programs.

Used microfiltration/centrifugation techniques to characterize enzyme inhibitor binding affinity.

Molecular biology:

Recombinant DNA techniques using TOPO Cloning Vectors.

E. coli plasmid preparations.

Liposome mediated cellular transfection.

Rabbit reticulocyte lysate transcription translation system.

Applied Biosystems RT- qPCR.

Leadership:

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Strong attention to detail in the analysis and documentation of data.

Effective technical writing skills in preparing and updating laboratory protocols and electronic notebooks.

Contributing author on over 25 peer reviewed research papers.

Presents results for scrutiny and discussion at project team meetings.

Presents posters at international conferences: ADPD in Florence 2013, AAIC in Boston 2013, SFN in San Diego 2007 and ICAAC in Toronto 1997.

Capable of independent research and participating in a team environment.

Trained lab personnel in laboratory technique.

Results driven, adaptable with a diverse background in the pharmaceutical industry.

Microsoft word, Excel/XLFit, Power Point, GraphPad Prism, SigmaPlot, E WorkBook (ELN) and the operation of MSD, Delfia, Molecular Devices SpectraMax M plate readers and LiCor Odyssey hardware and software.

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