I. Scientific Advisory Board
Chair: David W. Moskowitz, M.D. (physician-scientist who identified angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) as a “master” disease gene; President and CEO of GenoMed; St. Louis, MO)
Frank Johnson, M.D.
Dr. Johnson is a leading academic surgeon with special expertise in cancer surgery. He is currently Professor of Surgery at St. Louis University School of Medicine, and Chief of Surgery at the St. Louis VA Medical Center.
Dr. Johnson received both his undergraduate degree (with Phi Beta Kappa honors) and his M.D. degree from the University of Minnesota. He then trained in general and oncologic surgery at UCLA, the University of Washington in Seattle, and the University of Colorado in Denver. He spent four years as a Surgical Research Fellow, first at the University of California, San Francisco, and then at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. His surgical training was interrupted for two years in 1969-71. He spent those two years on active duty as a Navy surgeon, in part with the First Marine Division in DaNang, Vietnam, for which he received the Bronze Star and the Navy Commendation Medal.
Dr. Johnson is the author of over 200 journal articles and a dozen books and book chapters. He has been featured in 14 videos demonstrating advanced surgical techniques, and he received an award for excellence in student teaching for three years in a row at St. Louis University School of Medicine. He is on the editorial boards of 6 surgical journals, and a member of 31 professional societies, including serving as co-founder of the Children’s Heart Fund in Minneapolis, a non-profit organization now known as Children’s Heart Link. As a Visiting Professor supported by the Royal College of Surgeons in 1986-87 and by the Central Surgical Association Foundation in 1995, he has taught at more than a dozen of the finest surgical hospitals in England, Wales, Italy, and the Netherlands. In 1982, he was a Visiting Professor in Brazil. His scientific interests range from the molecular aspects of cancer to the cost of cancer surgery.
Alan Prem Kumar, BSc., MSc., Ph.D.
Alan Prem Kumar earned his BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from University of North Texas, USA under the mentorship of Dr. Gerard A. O’Donovan. From his Ph.D. work, he discovered a novel regulatory protein, PyrR for the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway in Pseudomonas. Because pyrimidine biosynthesis is an essential step in the progression of secondary Pseudomonas infections, PyrR presents an attractive antipseudomonal drug target. Dr. Kumar then made a research focus switch from Microbiology to pursue Postdoctoral training in Cancer Research at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, California, USA with Dr. Wanda Reynolds. He was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship for his work on the role of nuclear receptors in the transcriptional regulation of human myeloperoxidase, a leukocyte enzyme implicated as causative agent in atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
Following his postdoctoral years, Dr. Kumar relocated back to Singapore to join the Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore as an independent Principal Investigator to continue on his expertise on nuclear receptor and cancer biology. His current research interest includes the role of nuclear receptors involved in the regulation of target genes and to elucidate mechanism and associated signal pathways.
Another area of interest is to have a greater understanding of these nuclear receptors – aimed to develop new derivative drugs with hopefully fewer side effects. From a commercialization perspective, he recently co-filed a patent on a new potent PPARgamma ligand for treatment of diabetes and cancer. Dr. Kumar has also successfully set up a Singapore-USA collaboration agreement (covering patent issues as well) for another 16 new derivatives drugs – activators and inhibitors of PPARgamma for treatment of diabetes and cancer, thence to a clinical trial here in Singapore. In addition, he has also set up research collaboration between NUS and his collaborator in the USA to identify new synthetic ligands for HNF4alpha and PPARdelta for translation into the clinic. Over the years, Dr. Kumar and his laboratory have forged several relationships with scientists in cancer research and with cancer advocacy groups in Singapore.
Read more about Dr. Alan Prem Kumar’s research.
II. Business Development Advisory Board
Alan Prem Kumar earned his BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from University of North Texas, USA under the mentorship of Dr. Gerard A. O’Donovan. From his Ph.D. work, he discovered a novel regulatory protein, PyrR for the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway in Pseudomonas. Because pyrimidine biosynthesis is an essential step in the progression of secondary Pseudomonas infections, PyrR presents an attractive antipseudomonal drug target. Dr. Kumar then made a research focus switch from Microbiology to pursue Postdoctoral training in Cancer Research at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, California, USA with Dr. Wanda Reynolds. He was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship for his work on the role of nuclear receptors in the transcriptional regulation of human myeloperoxidase, a leukocyte enzyme implicated as causative agent in atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
GenoMed’s Business Development Advisory Board creates the architecture to ensure improved access and availability of genomic technology to the public. Until now, medicine has battled disease symptoms late in the natural course of chronic diseases without knowing the genetic causes of various diseases, as well as the patient’s own genetic predisposition to disease. Knowledge can transform the battle to the patient’s advantage, especially when safe, effective treatment can be given before symptoms arise.
Currently, a robust business model for preventive medicine is lacking. Almost by definition, disease prevention takes several years to see a return on investment (ROI). Accordingly, disease prevention is a hard sell to health plans when employer groups and patients switch health plans every few years in search of cheaper premiums. Without prevention, healthcare premiums will continue to skyrocket.
GenoMed’s Business Development Advisory Board assists the Company to introduce Next Generation DMtm, which offers financial incentives for physicians to deliver effective, genomics-based preventive medicine.
David W. Moskowitz, M.D. (GenoMed, Inc., St. Louis, MO) ex officio
Jason Birnholz, M.D.
Jason Birnholz, M.D., FACR, FRCR (UK), FACOG (Assoc) was educated at MIT, Johns Hopkins, and Harvard and served as Professor of Radiology at Stanford, Harvard, and Rush Medical Schools. He is credited with introducing electronic scanning ultrasound in 1978, which since became the international standard of practice. During his academic career, Dr Birnholz has published numerous scientific papers, held visiting professorships, and delivered keynote lectureships in North America, Europe, and Asia, emphasizing general screening and early diagnosis of cancer with computer aided imaging procedures. Dr Birnholz was the first in the world to perform ultrasound-guided intrauterine repairs of selected fetal anomalies; some of his unique ultrasound images are on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Modern American History.
Dr Birnholz consults with the medical electronics industry including Varian, Hewlett Packard, Siemens, General Electric, and Philips.
Dr Birnholz is co-founder and president of the e-GAL Corporation which develops concepts and products for women’s health including microbicidal gels for prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases, and techniques and software for 3D ultrasound reconstruction, fetal growth monitoring, predicting early pregnancy loss, assessing premature delivery risk, and risk of breast cancer.