About

Gregory J. Kaczorowski received his BS in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and his PhD in Biochemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Professor Christopher T. Walsh. He was a Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellow at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology with Professor H. Ronald Kaback before joining Merck in 1980. The Department he established focused on discovering modulators of voltage-gated potassium, calcium and sodium channels, as well as, of ligand-gated ion channels and transporters as therapeutic agents. Development candidates were identified against several targets from these efforts. His department also designed and validated a panel of ion channel assays to assess selectivity of internal ion channel development candidates, and for testing drug candidates not targeting ion channels with respect to their potential for eliciting ion channel-mediated safety concerns during their development. As well, Dr. Kaczorowski actively participated in external research collaborations with academic and biotech organizations, and in small molecule and technology licensing efforts. He has approximately 200 publications and 12 issued patents. Dr. Kaczorowski is presently President and CEO of Kanalis Consulting, L.L.C. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School in Newark, New Jersey, and an Adjunct Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey. He is a member of the scientific advisory board of Genionics AG, Zurich, Switzerland. He retired as Senior Director of Ion Channels at the Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway, New Jersey, May 1st, 2009.

Specialities:

• Ion channel drug discovery and development.
• Transporter drug discovery.
• Ion channel safety issues of drug development candidates.
• High throughput screening strategies.
• Physiology and pharmacology of ion channels/transporters.
• Licensing.
• Technology development.
• IP issues.