Meeting of the Princeton ACS Section & US Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Les McQuire, PhD
Global Program Team Director, Novartis
"Pharma Drug Discovery & Development: Insights from a Career in Both"
Frick Chemistry Laboratory, Princeton University; Mixer 5:30 pm; Lecture 6:30 pm followed by dinner
Abstract
The process to discover, develop and launch a single new drug typically requires large teams working in multiple related but very different fields over a period of many years. Drawing extensively from the presenter’s own diverse experiences this talk will review the overall drug discovery and development process, indicating where and how it has and continues to evolve and particularly highlight the types of decisions that are made along the way and how they can influence the options at and outcomes of the later steps.
Biography
Les McQuire received his BSc and PhD in Chemistry from Dundee University, his home town in Scotland, and then moved to the University of Texas at Austin to conduct post-doctoral research in natural product synthesis. Following this, he joined Ciba Pharmaceuticals, now Novartis, in Summit NJ in the Medicinal Chemistry Research Department. Les eventually moved to the Novartis location in Cambridge, MA to help build the research organization there. At various times he has focused on Arthritis, Inflammation, Immunology or Cardiovascular programs, across all stages of the discovery process.
After 18 years in Research Les moved into Program Management in the Novartis Oncology Development and moved back to NJ. For almost all of the last 9 years Les has worked on novel treatments for breast cancer including Kisqali and the recently launched Piqray. As part of the core team overseeing Novartis’s breast cancer franchise Les was involved in all aspects of the Development process from clinical Proof of Concept in patients, through the design and implementation of clinical trial programs, compound manufacture, data analysis, submission and Health Authority approval and ultimately global launch. Les recently moved between areas in oncology and now serves as Global Program Executive Director for a portion of Novartis’s large Hematology franchise.
Les is actively involved in scientific societies serving as councilor for the North Jersey ACS Section, in various other local and national ACS roles and as a member of the Executive Committee and a Past-President of the US Section of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC.)
Reservations
The meeting will be held in Frick Laboratory, Princeton University. The social mixer will begin at 5:30 pm in the CaFe area of the atrium (Taylor Commons.) The lecture will be held in the Auditorium (B02) at 6:30 pm followed by dinner in Taylor Commons (CaFe area). Frick Laboratory is located at the east end of the pedestrian bridge on Washington Rd, adjacent to the Weaver Track and Field Stadium. Parking is available in Lot 21, corner of Faculty Road and Fitzrandolph Road or other lots along Ivy Lane after 5:00 pm. (see http://m.princeton.edu/map/.) Reservations are required for the meeting. The seminar is free and open to the public. Dinner is $10 for students and $25 for adults ($22.50 if prepaid using PayPal).
To register and prepay go to our website at http://chemists.princeton.edu/pacs/event/princeton-acs-november-6-meeting/. If you have questions, contact louise.lawter@gmail.com”.
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