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Memorial added to Dr. Thorpe’s UTSW Lab Page

UTSW-MC/Dallas - Thorpe Lab
In Memorium: Philip E. Thorpe, Ph.D., 1951 – 2013
http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/labs/thorpe


The entire UT Southwestern Medical Center community mourns Dr. Thorpe's passing. His achievements in drug targeting, angiogenesis, and antibody-based therapeutics had global impact, and his loss will be felt deeply on our campus and well beyond. Dr. Thorpe’s research focused on the development of novel drugs targeting tumor blood vessels. His laboratory made the remarkable discovery that a fatty lipid molecule, phosphatidylserine, is preferentially expressed on cancer blood vessels, where it can serve as a target to increase the specificity of drugs to the tumor.

Private services were held. A memorial service will take place on campus at a later date.

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The goal of the Thorpe laboratory is to take novel concepts in drug design and try to create them into successful drugs. We focus mainly on drugs for treating cancer, but also work on imaging agents and novel antivirals. Over the years, 5 drugs developed wholly or partially in our laboratory have entered clinical trials. To do this work, we have assembled a multidisciplinary team of 12-14 researchers from around the world.

Our expertise covers everything from protein engineering, synthetic chemistry, pharmacological testing, cell biology, immunology and animal testing. We are supported in this work by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Dept. of Defense, the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas, and several foundations. However, to develop drugs for clinical use requires more than grant support. It requires the cooperation of a pharmaceutical company for manufacture, toxicology, and providing the infrastructure for interfacing with hospitals and the FDA.

Our commercial partner is Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, based in Tustin, Calif., with whom we have worked closely for 15 years. Between the Thorpe lab and the company, we have the expertise to design new drugs, and take them through all stages of preclinical and clinical testing to the community.
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= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =PEREGRINE:
“In Memoriam
Philip E. Thorpe, Ph.D.
1951-2013
Founder, scientist, and friend”
http://www.peregrineinc.com



http://www.peregrineinc.com/technology/philip-e-thorpe-1951-2013.html


Philip E. Thorpe: 1951 – 2013

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals today mourns the loss of Dr. Philip E. Thorpe, scientific advisor to the company and inventor of our phosphatidylserine (PS)-targeting technology on which our lead drug candidate bavituximab is based. Phil was a Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, was associated with the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and held The Serena S. Simmons Distinguished Chair in Cancer Immunopharmacology. Phil’s achievements were numerous and included advances in drug targeting, angiogenesis, and antibody-based therapeutics which had a global impact. His loss will be felt deeply by all of us.

Phil’s research focused on the development of novel drugs targeting tumor blood vessels. It was his laboratory that made the remarkable discovery that a fatty lipid molecule, phosphatidylserine, is preferentially expressed on cancer blood vessels, where it can serve as a target to increase the specificity of drugs to the tumor.

Phil was firmly dedicated to the translation of his novel concepts in drug design into practical drug therapies for cancer, imaging agents, and anti-virals. His expertise covered a wide range of fields including protein engineering, synthetic chemistry, pharmacological testing, cell biology, and immunology. Five drugs developed wholly or partially in Phil’s laboratory have entered clinical trials and he is included in over 200 issued and pending worldwide patents, including dozens in the U.S. He is the author of more than 200 publications including articles in the fields of drug targeting, angiogenesis, and antibody-based therapeutics.

Phil was a tireless advocate as a scientific advisor to Peregrine for over 15 years.

Among other honors, Phil was one of the first recipients of the Pierce Immunotoxin Award, presented every two years for outstanding contributions to immunotoxin research, in 1998, and he received the Texas State Legislature Award for Research Excellence in 1997 as well as the American Cancer Society Award of Excellence in 1999.

Phil graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology from the University of Liverpool in 1972, and he received a Ph.D. in Immunology from the Clinical Research Centre in London in 1976. He served as a Medical Research Council Fellow at Chester Beatty Research Institute in London (now The Institute of Cancer Research) until 1981, then as Director of the Drug Targeting Laboratory, Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London until 1991, when he first joined UT Southwestern as Professor of Pharmacology. Phil also served as Associate Director of the Center for Molecular Medicine at Maine Medical Center Research Institute from 1998-1999.

Phil will be sorely missed as a colleague and friend. At Peregrine, each of us is pursuing Phil's dream of bringing important drugs to patients who need them based on his basic research. We are more motivated than ever to see this dream through.
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From a Colleague: ”We are all fortunate to have interacted with such a brilliant, fun-loving and positive spirit. May the lives that he touched continue to strive, like him, to change the world for the better.”