Les Browne
Encyclopedia
Leslie Johnston Browne is a chemist
and entrepreneur
. Browne made important drug discoveries throughout the late 20th and early 21st century in the pharmaceutical industry. His most well known commercialized contributions include drugs for the treatment of various forms of cancer and cardiovascular disease. In addition to the discovery of Fadrozole, the first marketed non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor for the treatment of estrogen-dependent breast cancer, he led the team that discovered Diovan, the second angiotensin II antagonist ever to be marketed. He has been a pharmaceutical industry leader and visionary for the last decade making public speaking appearances at both business and technical conferences across the globe.
Browne is widely considered to be one of the drug discovery's most versatile leaders of the early 21st century combining world leading acumen in hands on drug discovery with some of the managerial acumen of a seasoned entrepreneur. He is also a prolific writer having authored numerous publications and patents covering a broad range of therapeutic areas including CNS
, cardiovascular disease
, inflammation
and cancer
. He currently has 17 patents to his name.
Dr. Browne has over twenty years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and has devoted the most distinguished years of his career to entrepreneurship in the pharmaceutical space. He was the President and CEO of Pharmacopeia Drug Discovery. Dr. Browne was the Chief Operating Officer at Iconix Pharmaceuticals, a leading chemogenomics company, where he led the research, development and informatics operations and launched Iconix's first product, DrugMatrix.
Dr. Browne started his career working for the pharma giants. Before joining Iconix Dr. Browne held several positions at Berlex/Schering AG, including Corporate Vice President, Berlex Laboratories, Inc. and President of Schering Berlin Venture Corporation. At Berlex Biosciences he rebuilt the drug discovery operation and championed a number of important pharma-biotech deals for Berlex, including a combinatorial chemistry collaboration with Pharmacopeia. Before Berlex, he was with Ciba-Geigy, where he discovered Fadrozole, the first marketed non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor for the treatment of estrogen-dependent breast cancer. He also managed cardiovascular research at Ciba-Geigy Ltd., in Basle, where one of the group's achievements was the discovery of Diovan, the second angiotensin II antagonist ever to be marketed.
Dr. Browne received his B.Sc. at Strathclyde University, in Glasgow
, Scotland
. After receiving his Ph. D. from the University of Michigan
, he was a National Institutes of Health
postdoctoral fellow at Harvard with the Nobel laureate Professor Robert Burns Woodward
.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. Browne made important drug discoveries throughout the late 20th and early 21st century in the pharmaceutical industry. His most well known commercialized contributions include drugs for the treatment of various forms of cancer and cardiovascular disease. In addition to the discovery of Fadrozole, the first marketed non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor for the treatment of estrogen-dependent breast cancer, he led the team that discovered Diovan, the second angiotensin II antagonist ever to be marketed. He has been a pharmaceutical industry leader and visionary for the last decade making public speaking appearances at both business and technical conferences across the globe.
Browne is widely considered to be one of the drug discovery's most versatile leaders of the early 21st century combining world leading acumen in hands on drug discovery with some of the managerial acumen of a seasoned entrepreneur. He is also a prolific writer having authored numerous publications and patents covering a broad range of therapeutic areas including CNS
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
, cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease
Heart disease or cardiovascular disease are the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels . While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system , it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis...
, inflammation
Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
and cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. He currently has 17 patents to his name.
Dr. Browne has over twenty years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and has devoted the most distinguished years of his career to entrepreneurship in the pharmaceutical space. He was the President and CEO of Pharmacopeia Drug Discovery. Dr. Browne was the Chief Operating Officer at Iconix Pharmaceuticals, a leading chemogenomics company, where he led the research, development and informatics operations and launched Iconix's first product, DrugMatrix.
Dr. Browne started his career working for the pharma giants. Before joining Iconix Dr. Browne held several positions at Berlex/Schering AG, including Corporate Vice President, Berlex Laboratories, Inc. and President of Schering Berlin Venture Corporation. At Berlex Biosciences he rebuilt the drug discovery operation and championed a number of important pharma-biotech deals for Berlex, including a combinatorial chemistry collaboration with Pharmacopeia. Before Berlex, he was with Ciba-Geigy, where he discovered Fadrozole, the first marketed non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor for the treatment of estrogen-dependent breast cancer. He also managed cardiovascular research at Ciba-Geigy Ltd., in Basle, where one of the group's achievements was the discovery of Diovan, the second angiotensin II antagonist ever to be marketed.
Dr. Browne received his B.Sc. at Strathclyde University, in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. After receiving his Ph. D. from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, he was a National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
postdoctoral fellow at Harvard with the Nobel laureate Professor Robert Burns Woodward
Robert Burns Woodward
Robert Burns Woodward was an American organic chemist, considered by many to be the preeminent organic chemist of the twentieth century...
.