Page 8 - 2020 Winter CMTA Report

GAME-CHANGER PROFILE:

Drug Therapy Expert Mark Scheideler

BY CLARK SEMMES research organizations. The TEB explaining the structural require-
also evaluates the “translational” ments for receptor and ion
s an endurance athlete, merit of proposed and ongoing channel function. These are hugely
Mark Scheideler—the research projects for how directly important classes of drug targets in
chairman of the CMTA’s they advance CMT therapies. the nervous system, and this work
Therapy Expert Board Based on his decades of drug reflected his developing interest in
A (TEB)—sees the race for a discovery and development experi- learning how to directly manipu-
cure for CMT not as a sprint but ence, Mark believes there is a high late them when it appeared they
as a marathon. And as Mark probability of finding an approach were involved in a disease process.
guides the CMTA toward the fin- to treat or solve CMT in the next He then spent more than a
ish line at a record-setting pace, few years. He says the CMTA is dozen years out of the country.
one thing is certain: This is a race currently in the “sweet spot” After receiving a career and life-
that Mark intends not just to fin- between the identification of a dis- changing offer to join a world-class
ish but to win. ease cause and the discovery of an drug discovery organization, he
As head of the TEB, Mark effective treatment or cure. This is moved to Copenhagen, Denmark,
guides the formation of therapy due, he says, to the CMTA’s strate- to work for Novo Nordisk. He
development partnerships that gic alliances with both large and headed its cellular and biochemical
bridge efforts by the CMTA’s small pharmaceutical companies, pharmacology team, working with
STAR (Strategy to Accelerate which allow it to marry the lead- projects uniquely partnered in
Research) network, pharmaceutical ing-edge scientific know-how of alliances with other pharma com-
companies and specialty contract STAR with the multi-disciplinary panies to design new drugs for
expertise and approach those com- nervous system disorders. At this
panies bring to drug development. point, the former high school ath-
Mark Scheideler leads According to Mark, it’s a “unique lete had to give up running due
the CMTA’s Therapy
Expert Board approach among disease-oriented to wear and tear on his knees. He
non-profits that we have effec- pivoted to bicycling and enjoyed
tively implemented, and one that exploring the country on two
will hopefully pay off big in the wheels, a sports interest he main-
years to come.” tains to this day, along with
Mark earned a BA in bio- sculling regularly on the Potomac.
chemistry and molecular biology Mark later received another
from Northwestern University in dream job offer, this time as the
Chicago and a PhD in biochem- head of neurobiology research at
istry from the University of SmithKline Beecham (now GSK),
Chicago. He was then a biochem- directing its unit based in Milan,
istry research fellow at the Duke Italy. Leveraging internal company
University School of Medicine, alliances across Europe and the
and later went back to school to United States, he started the com-
earn a certificate in finance and pany’s first clinical development
accounting from The Wharton project in neuropathic pain and its
School at the University of entry into pain therapy as a major
Pennsylvania. company effort. He also guided
Leaving Duke, Mark began a drug discovery and pre-clinical
five-year stint as a research assis- research across four therapy areas,
tant professor at the Albert leading to multiple drug candi-
Einstein College of Medicine in dates entering clinical
New York, working on studies development. He also learned to
sponsored by the National Insti- love Italian food, particularly
tutes of Health (NIH) aimed at dishes incorporating the local deli-

8 THE CMTA REPORT WINTER 2020