Jeff Conn, USA

Wednesday, 6 June 2012, 09.00 – 09.45 h

CNS Drug Development at present

Dr. Conn is the Lee E. Limbird Professor of Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University and Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery. Dr. Conn received the Ph.D. degree in Pharmacology from Vanderbilt in 1986 and pursued postdoctoral studies at Yale University. Dr. Conn joined the faculty of the Department of Pharmacology at Emory University in 1988 where he established himself as a leader in studies of neurotransmitter receptors and their roles in regulating brain function in circuits involved in psychiatric and neurological disorders. In 2000, Dr. Conn assumed the position of Senior ­Director and Head of the Department of Neuroscience at Merck and Company in West Point, PA. Dr. Conn moved to Vanderbilt University in 2003 as the founding director of the Vanderbilt Program in Drug Discovery (VPDD), with a primary mission of facilitating translation of recent ­advances in basic science to novel therapeutics.

By 2011 the VPDD had grown to approximately 100 full time scientists and raised over $80M in research funding. In addition, the VPDD advanced novel molecules from three major programs into development for clinical testing in major brain disorders with industry partners. A fourth program reached development status and is advancing internally at Vanderbilt. To mark this growth and facilitate more fluid integration of drug discovery, development, and corporate partnerships, the VPDD achieved independent center status and was named the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery in January 2011. Dr. Conn is Editor in Chief of Molecular Pharmacology, Regional Editor (North America) of Current Neuropharmacology and serves on the editorial boards of 6 other international journals. He has served the Scientific Advisory Boards of multiple foundations and companies in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

He currently serves as the founding director of the scientific advisory board of Karuna Pharmaceuticals and on the advisory boards of Seaside Therapeutics and the Michael J. Fox Foundation. He served as Chairman of the Neuropharmacology Division of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET) and on multiple national and international committees.

He has received numerous awards, including the NARSAD Essel Distinguished Investigator Award, the ASPET-Astellas Award in Translational Pharmacology, the Pharmacia – ASPET Award for Experimental Therapeutics, the Charles R. Park Award for Basic Research Revealing Insights into Physiology and Pathophysiology, the PhRMA Foundation Award for Excellence in Pharmacology and Toxicology. He was named as an ISI Most-Cited Scientists in Pharmacology & Toxicology and the Lee University 2008 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.

Dr. Conn’s current research is focused on development of novel treatment strategies for schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, and other serious brain disorders.