Mymetics Corp (MYMX)

[bow-tie]

Shinji Okitsu
Global Head of Exploratory Immunology at EMD Serono, Inc.
Burlington, Massachusetts

EMD Serono, Inc.
Total Duration7 yrs 4 mos
TitleDirector
Full-time
Dates EmployedJul 2020 – Present
Employment Duration2 mos
TitleAssociate Director
Dates EmployedJan 2019 – Jul 2020
Employment Duration1 yr 7 mos
LocationBillerica, Massachusetts
- Manage a global team of scientists to propose and validate new targets for drug development.
- Change management for strategic repositioning of therapeutic area.
- Manage drug development programs and teams to advance through milestone progressions.
- Manage global academic collaborations (USA, China, Europe)
- Support BD activities with scientific expertise.
- Concept generation and IND preparation for COVID-19 drug repositioning
- Collaborate with Clinical Development team to educate clinical trial physicians and sites about candidate drug profile and biology
- Successful launch of an internal online information and collaboration hub for R&D scientists
Target identification and validation of new therapies in autoimmune disease using genomic and proteomic screening tools.
- Led a drug development project and team through milestone progressions.
- Development of a new biologics platform for identification and isolation of human monoclonal antibodies.
- Founder of VigiLNt, a cross-functional innovation project leveraging expertise in biopharma and life science divisions.
- Manage global academic collaborations.
- Led development of a company-wide online research collaboration hub.
- Member of a small team that set up a site-wide cytometry and imaging core lab including hiring of staff.
UC San Diego
Total Duration1 yr 2 mos
TitleAssistant Project Scientist
Dates EmployedMar 2013 – Apr 2013
Employment Duration2 mos
LocationLa Jolla, CA
- Managed a team to develop screening systems for the identification of malaria transmission blocking drugs.
TitlePostdoctoral Researcher
Dates EmployedMar 2012 – Feb 2013
Employment Duration1 yr
LocationLa Jolla, CA
- Developed screening systems to identify compounds that block transmission of P. falciparum sexual stage parasites
- Set up a pipeline for the discovery of new targets for malaria vaccine development using monoclonal antibody technologies
Graduate Student
Company NameSwiss Tropical Institute
Dates Employed2002 – 2006
Employment Duration4 yrs
LocationBasel Area, Switzerland
- Cloned, expressed and characterized hypothetical malaria protein vaccine candidates
- Collaborated with multiple laboratories in academia and industry to develop a malaria vaccine through structure-based lead optimization
- Organized and conducted immunogenicity assays of a phase I and II clinical trial with an experimental malaria vaccine
Universität Basel
Degree NameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)Field Of StudyMicrobiology
Dates attended or expected graduation2002 – 2006

Activities and Societies: Research committee of the Swiss Tropical Insitute
Title: Development of a synthetic malaria vaccine.
Department of Molecular Immunology Swiss Tropical Institute, Basel, Switzerland.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Gerd Pluschke

Universität Bern
Degree NameMaster of Science (MSc)Field Of StudyMedical Microbiology
Dates attended or expected graduation2000 – 2001

Title: Escherichia coli heat labile toxin: Structure and mucosal adjuvanticity.
R&D Immunology, Berna Biotech Ltd., Bern Switzerland
Supervisor: PD Dr. Alois Lang

https://www.linkedin.com/in/okitsu/

EMD Serono Initiates First Clinical Trial of TLR7 and 8 Inhibitor as a Potential Treatment for Severe Symptoms of Covid-19 Infection
Published: Jun 25, 2020
https://www.biospace.com/article/releases/emd-serono-initiates-first-clinical-trial-of-tlr7-and-8-inhibitor-as-a-potential-treatment-for-severe-symptoms-of-covid-19-infection/