Scientific Advisory Board
Pacific Edge Biotechnology has established a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). This board plays a key role in Pacific Edge’s discovery efforts and in setting objectives.
It comprises a group made up of the scientific founders and a small group of outside experts in fields related to Pacific Edge Biotechnology’s scientific and therapeutic areas of interest. The SAB meets regularly to discuss programmes and set technical priorities.
| Name | Title | Affiliation |
|---|
| Prof. Anthony Reeve | Director - Cancer Genetics Laboratory | Dept of Biochemistry, University of Otago, New Zealand |
| Ass. Prof. Parry Guilford | Director of Research | Pacific Edge Biotechnology |
| Prof. Murray Brennan | Chairman, Department of Cancer Surgery | Sloan Lettering Memorial Cancer Centre, New York, USA |
| Prof. Osamu Ogawa | Professor and Chairman Department of Urology | Kyoto School of Medicine, Japan |
| Dr. Paul Spence | Senior Vice President Research | NeuroMolecular, USA |
| Prof. Nik Kasabov | Head of Knowledge Engineering Discovery Research Institute (KEDRI.) Chair of Knowledge Engineering, School of Computer and Information Sciences | Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand |
| Dr. Ian Morison | Senior Research Fellow
Haematologist | Cancer Genetics Laboratory, Dept of Biochemistry, University of Otago, New Zealand
Southern Community Laboratories |
| Dr. Mike Sullivan | Senior Lecturer in Pediatrics | Christchurch School of Medicine – University of Otago |
| Prof. Han Seung Yoon | Associate Professor Pathology
Clinical Director of Anatomical Pathology | School of Medicine – University of Otago.
Dunedin Public Hospital |
Professor Anthony Edmund Reeve, FRSNZ, ONZM
Professor Reeve is head of the Cancer Genetic Laboratory in the Dept of Biochemistry at the University of Otago. He is Chairman of the founders of Pacific Edge Technology and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board. He is widely viewed as one of the leading cancer geneticists in the world. He has been a leader in the study of the genetics of Embryonal Tumours and his laboratory continues to make significant contributions to research into the genetic basis of multiple cancers. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and was recently made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. He received this honour for his ground-breaking work in cancer genetics at the University of Otago.
Professor Nikola Kasabov, PhD, FRSNZ –Founder and Co-chair.
Professor Kasabov is a world leader in the field of complex multivariate data analysis, neural and intelligent systems. He has published more than 300 papers, books and patents. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the International Neural Network Society and the Asia Pacific Neural Network Assembly, a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand and a senior member of the IEEE. Kasabov is the Founding Director of the Auckland based research institute KEDRI and holds a personal chair at the Auckland University of Technology.
Kasabov and his team developed the analytical software which is the basis for Pacific Edge's gene profiling capabilities as well as the prognostic and predictive software being built for clinical use. Prof. Kasabov did his undergraduate and graduate training at the University of Sofia culminating in a PhD in Mathematical Science.
Ian Morison, MB ChB, PhD, FRCPA
Dr. Morison is a haematologist/clinical pathologist at Southern Community Laboratories Limited where he has extensive experience in the evaluation of diagnostic tests. He has a research appointment in the Cancer Genetics Laboratory in the Dept of Biochemistry at the University of Otago.
He received his undergraduate and graduate medical degrees from the University of Otago, studied clinical pathology at the University of Washington in Seattle and received his PhD from the Cancer Genetics Laboratory under Prof. Reeve. Dr Morison has worked extensively in the genetic origins of blood disorders. His research interests have included childhood leukaemia and thrombocytopenia.
Professor Han-Seung Yoon, MD, PhD, FRCPA - Consultant Anatomical Pathologist
Dr Yoon is Consultant and Medical Director of the Anatomical Pathology Department at Dunedin Public Hospital and a member of the faculty at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago. Dr Yoon is a critical part of Pacific Edge Biotechnology’s discovery process. It is his role to study every tissue specimen which is included in the screening process to ensure that the characterisation process is accurate and thorough.
Michael Sullivan, MB ChB, PhD, FRACP
Dr. Sullivan is a Consultant Pediatric Oncologist and Director of Research for the Children's Cancer Research Group, University of Otago, Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He received his undergraduate and graduate medical degrees from the University of Otago, a Clinical Research Fellowship in Pediatric Oncology in Australia. He received his PhD in Cancer Genetics from the Cancer Genetics Laboratory under Professor Reeve.
Dr. Sullivan has a broad interest in the genetics of cancer, and has worked extensively on the genetics and epigenetics of solid tumours in children. His current research interests include the application of genetic analysis of tumours to clinical decision making. He also has an active interest in decision support systems and the role of computing based systems in clinical practice.
Professor Osamu Ogawa, MD, Kyoto University
Professor Ogawa is Chairman of the Department of Urology of Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Kyoto University. His clinical responsibilities span a very large portion of the Japanese population and provide an excellent research base for the study of various forms of cancer. Dr Ogawa is collaborating with Pacific Edge Biotechnology on the bladder cancer project. He provides a clinical and research perspective as well an overview of the Japanese clinical and medical practices.
Paul Spence, D.Phil
Paul Spence is head of Research and leads clinical development programs at NeuroMolecular, a private pharmaceutical company specialising in drugs modulating glutamate signaling in the CNS. He has worked in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the US and Europe for the last 20 years. He has a D.Phil. in molecular virology from Oxford University in the UK.
Previously Dr Spence lead Maxygen's human therapeutics product discovery and development programmes. Dr Spence was also the Vice President of biotechnology at Pharmacia Corporation and a member of the Pharmacia Research Leadership team which was responsible for managing all of Pharmacia's research projects. He also helped establish an antibody therapeutics programme in collaboration with Cambridge Antibody Technology.
Dr Spence received his PhD in molecular virology from Oxford University.
Bryan Williams, PhD, Cleveland Clinic
Dr Williams holds a BSc with honours and a PhD from the University of Otago. He currently holds the position of Director of the Monash Institute of Medical Research. Dr Williams provides valuable insight into matters related to the molecular biology of cancer and microarray technology.
Murray Brennan, MD Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, NY
Dr Brennan holds degrees from the University of Auckland and the University of Otago from which he received his medical training. Dr Brennan’s distinguished career includes teaching and clinical work in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. He has also been honoured for his achievements in Europe, Brazil and the US and has participated in numerous government and privately sponsored commissions and study groups. He currently serves as Chief of Surgery at Sloan-Kettering and as Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Surgery. In 2002, he was elected to the presidency of the American College of Surgeons. Dr Brennan contributes valuable insights into the clinical practice of oncology and an overarching perspective on Pacific Edge Biotechnology’s markets.
