Dr. Verkhivker is currently Professor of Computational Biosciences and Translational Medicine at Chapman University

Dr. Verkhivker is currently Professor of Computational Biosciences and Translational Medicine at Chapman University and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at the Department of Pharmacology, UC San Diego. He received his PhD in Physical Chemistry from Moscow University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in computational biophysics from University of Illinois at Chicago in 1992. Dr. Verkhivker was one of the founding scientists at Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc, in early 1990s and played a leading role in establishing computer-aided structure-based design technology. In 1993-2006, Dr. Verkhivker has held various research and management positions at Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Warner- Lambert, Pfizer Global Research and Development, La Jolla Laboratories.  Since 2002, he has been Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, UC San Diego. In 2006, he joined School of Pharmacy and Center for Bioinformatics, The University of Kansas as a Full Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Bioinformatics.  In 2011 Dr. Verkhivker assumed position of Full Professor of Computational Biosciences & Translational Medicine at Schmid College of Science & Technology and Professor at the Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Chapman University School of Pharmacy. Dr. Verkhivker authored more than 150 peer reviewed publications and is recognized for his research contributions in the fields of translational bioinformatics, computational biophysics and structure-based drug discovery of molecularly targeted and personalized anti-cancer agents. His most recent research activities are in the areas of   computational systems biology, translational bioinformatics and   systems pharmacology with the focus on   integration of computational and experimental systems biology approaches in translational research.

 

Article : A new addition to the Center faculty – Dr. Gennady Verkhivker

A new addition to the Center faculty – Dr. Gennady Verkhivker

https://bioinformatics.drupal.ku.edu/past-news

August 1, 2006

The Center for Bioinformatics is announcing the recruitment of Dr. Gennady Verkhivker, a world leading scientist in modeling of biomolecular interactions, structure-based drug design, bioinformatics and computational pharmacogenomics. Dr. Verkhivker earned his PhD in theoretical physical chemistry from the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Russian National Academy of Sciences in 1986. He subsequently received there postdoctoral training and rose to the rank of a Group Leader in Theoretical Chemistry. Dr. Verkhivker continued pursuing his scientific interests in the laboratory of Prof. Ron Elber at the Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago in 1990-1992. Upon starting his industrial career at Agouron Pharmaceuticals in 1993, Dr. Verkhivker established a distinguished professional record in pharmaceutical industry. He played a leading role in establishing computer-aided drug design technology and building the largest computational group in pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Verkhivker has held various research and management positions of increasing responsibility at Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Warner-Lambert, Pfizer Global Research and Development and served most recently as an Associate Research Fellow and Group Leader in the Department of Computational Chemistry at Pfizer Global R&D, La Jolla Laboratories. His distinguished research accomplishments and pharmaceutical industry experience have been highly regarded in the academic world. Dr. Gennady Verkhivker was appointed as an Adjunct Full Professor of Pharmacology at the Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego and the UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Dr. Verkhivker is a highly distinguished scientist who is widely recognized for his research and important contributions in areas of computational chemistry, bioinformatics and computational biology with numerous high-profile publications in top peer-reviewed journals and presentations at many prestigious international conferences. Dr. Verkhivker is extremely active in the national and international scientific community, organizing many international symposia and workshops. He has been a reviewer of numerous scientific papers in leading journals and a member of review panels in major granting agencies.

Dr. Verkhivker joins The Center for Bioinformatics in October, as Full Professor with Tenure, with a joint appointment in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry.

Biography

My beat is to cover the good, the bad and the ugly of the   intertwined world where academic interests meet business needs of biotech and big pharma. I will investigate and report on the science and business behind   biomedical research and drug development in academia, biotech, and big pharma through straight talk on how advances in life sciences and new trends in college education   can address business problems of biotech and big pharma while debunking misinformation about vaccines and drug development.

 

I am a proven technology leader and drug discoverer, having held management positions at Pfizer Global Research and Development and am currently a Full Professor of Computational Biology in the Schmid College of Science and Technology at Chapman University in Orange, California. My laboratory consists of undergraduate and graduate students interested in understanding the molecular signature of human disease to promote personalized medicine that address significant unmet medical need.

 

I have co-authored numerous peer-reviewed research articles with my current and former students that address the design and discovery of personalized cancer therapies. Our hope is to translate the disease knowledge we study to promote cancer therapies that ultimately make the world a better place.

 

My aim as a Huffington contributor is to cover the science and business behind drug development and health. Having worked in industry in leading management positions within Pfizer Global Research and Development for over 20 years prior to transitioning to academia, I am a leading expert in the areas of computational cancer biology, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

 

My aim is to cover the science and business behind   biomedical research and drug development in academia, biotech, and big pharma through straight talk on how advances in life sciences and new trends in college education   can address business problems of biotech and big pharma while debunking misinformation about science and business behind drug development and other misunderstood topics in big pharma. I bring a blend of institutional industry knowledge having worked Pfizer, one of the largest pharmaceutical corporations, along with academic experience – having been a Tenured Professor for over 10 years.

 

My beat is to cover the good, the bad and the ugly of the pharmaceutical industry. I strongly believe that this is biology’s century and that Huffington Post readers will benefit from written scholarship that makes medical and pharmaceutical research and business developments straight and to the point. My writing is engaging and will offer a thoughtful analysis and expert advice of the developments within the pharmaceutical industry. I won’t be covering breaking news, but instead providing relevant scientific findings that are clear, offering expert knowledge that can distill nuanced topics for a general readership.

Verkhivker CV

CURRICULUM VITAE

Gennady Verkhivker, PhD

Positions: Professor, Computational Biology, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and
Computer Science & Engineering, Schmid College of Science
&Technology, Chapman University
Professor Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University
School of Pharmacy

Business Address

Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science & Engineering
Schmid College of Science &Technology
Chapman University
One University Drive
Orange CA 92866
Email: verkhivk@chapman.edu
Phone : (714) 516-4586

 

 

EDUCATION

M.S. in Physical Chemistry, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Russian National
Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, 1980
Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Russian National
Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, 1980-1986
Dissertation: “Thermodynamics and kinetics of host–guest molecular interactions:
theoretical studies of macroheterocycles in complexation reactions with alkali metal ions
and small molecules”

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE AND PRINCIPAL POSITIONS HELD:

1980-1986 PhD student, Institute of Physical Chemistry, Russian National

Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.

1986-1988 National Academy of Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Russian

National Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.

1987-1990 Senior Research Investigator and Assistant Professor,
Institute of Physical Chemistry, Russian National Academy of
Sciences, Moscow, Russia

1990-1992 Research Fellow, Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at

Chicago, IL, Chicago

1992-1993 Research Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of

Illinois at Chicago, IL, Chicago

1993-2000 Associate Director, Head Structure-Based Drug Design Group, Agouron

Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Warner-Lambert, Inc.

2000-2006 Director Computational Chemistry and Bioinformatics, Pfizer Global
Research and Development, La Jolla Laboratories, La Jolla, CA
2006-2010 Professor, Center for Bioinformatics, Bioinformatics Graduate Program,

The University of Kansas

2006-2010 Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of

Pharmacy, The University of Kansas

2006-2010 Full Member, The University of Kansas Cancer Center (KUCC), Drug

Discovery, Delivery and Development (D4) Program

2008-2010 Director Computational Biology, Drug Discovery Program, The University
of Kansas Cancer Center (KUCC), Institute for Advancing Medical
Innovation

2010-2011 Visiting Faculty, Scripps Genomic Medicine, The Scripps Translational

Science Institute, San Diego, CA

2003-present Adjunct Professor, Department of Pharmacology, University of California
San Diego, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
University of California San Diego

2011-present Professor Computational Biology, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics, and
Computation, Schmid College of Science &Technology, Chapman
University

2016-present Professor Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chapman University

School of Pharmacy

2012-present Member of the Molecular Profile Tumor Board at The Hyundai Cancer
Institute of Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) and Chao
Family Comprehensive Cancer Center , University of California Irvine

HONORS AND AWARDS:
1986-1988 National Academy of Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Institute of
Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian National Academy of Sciences, Moscow,
Russia.

1985 Russian National Academy of Sciences, National Young Investigator

Award in Theoretical Chemistry

1987 Russian National Academy of Sciences, Outstanding Young Investigator

National Award in Computational Chemistry

1989 Russian National Academy of Sciences, Outstanding Young Investigator

National Award in Computational Chemistry

ACADEMIC EXPERTISE AND SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS:
The challenge of understanding biological systems at the molecular and systems level
as well as the integration of computational and experimental approaches for bridging
basic and clinical cancer research is what motivates my research program. My scientific
interests and contributions are in the areas of Computational Cancer Biology and
Pharmacogenetics, Computational Genomics and Pharmacology, Translational
Bioinformatics and Computational Medicine with the focus on the development and
integration of computational and experimental approaches for (a) system-based
analysis of evolutionary, genetic, molecular and clinical signatures associated with
human disease; (b) modeling of complex phenotypes and prediction of cancer
biomarkers; (c) design and discovery of targeted and personalized cancer therapeutics
and development of expert systems for personalized medicine; (d) integration of
computational biology and translational informatics with chemical biology and
chemical genomics in translational cancer research; (e) enabling information-driven
biomedical research on the “bench to bedside” path.
Computational Cancer Biology and Pharmacogenetics
 Integrative analysis of genetic and molecular signatures of human disease at
sequence, structure, functional and clinical levels for understanding the molecular
basis of cancer and developing new tools for translational research.
 Computational chemical genomics and pharmacogenetics : development
computational approaches and tools for the identification, prediction and functional
analysis of cancer variants to enable design of personalized cancer medicine
targeting specific genomic profiles.
 Pathway-based and network-based approaches for analysis of human disease to
identify functionally related gene modules targeted by somatic mutations in cancer.
Translational Bioinformatics and Computational Medicine
 Translational bioinformatics approaches in the genome-wide functional analysis of
cancer variants and prediction of cancer biomarkers.
 Computational genomics, proteomics and systems biology approaches for molecular
profiling and drug discovery of protein kinases and molecular chaperone inhibitors.
 Targeted polypharmacology of signal transduction networks and pathway-targeted
discovery of anti-cancer therapeutics.
 Integration of computational biology and translational informatics with chemical
biology and chemical genomics in the discovery of personalized anti-cancer cancer
agents targeting specific genomic profiles
 Development of knowledge-based personalized medicine decision systems for
clinical and translational research.

INDUSTRIAL EXPERTISE:
 Played a leading role in building one of the largest computational groups in the
pharmaceutical industry and establishing computer-aided structure-based drug
discovery technologies at Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
 Provided scientific leadership to computational biology and bioinformatics
groups at Pfizer Global Research and Development in the development of
structure-based drug design platforms for translational and clinical research.
 Led the development and application of innovative computational biology and
pharmacogenetics approaches on drug discovery programs in oncology,
virology, and diabetes that led to drug candidates, including HIV-1 protease
drug viracept and a kinase drug Crizotinib, a first personalized anti-cancer
therapeutic agent against anaplastic large-cell lymphoma and neuroblastoma.
 Developed escientific and managerial experience in coordinating computational
and information technology project teams in building enterprise-based
biomedical informatics infrastructure at Pfizer Global Research and
Development, La Jolla Laboratories.
 Initiated and led effective strategic partnership programs between academia
and pharmaceutical industry
MEETINGS ORGANIZER (Selected)
2001 CoOrganizer, Symposium on Energy Landscapes and Drug Design, Institute for
Complex Adaptive Matter, Center for Nonlinear Studies, Los Alamos National
Laboratory and UC San Diego.
2003 CoOrganizer and Chair of the Symposium “Structure-Based Drug Design in
Signal Transduction and Cell Cycle” Computers in Chemistry Division, American
Chemical Society Meeting.
2003 CoOrganizer and Section Chair “Chemical Biology and Inhibitors”, Protein Kinase
Phosphorylation Meeting, Pacific Grove, CA
2005 CoOrganizer and Chair of the Symposium “Structure-Based Drug Design in”
Computers in Chemistry Division, American Chemical Society Meeting
2007 CoOrganizer, Member of Program Committee and Scientific Advisory Committee,
4th International Meeting on Computational Intelligence Methods for
Bioinformatics and Biostatistics (CIBB-2007), Italy.
2008 CoOrganizer and Co-Chair 5th International Meeting on Computational
Intelligence Methods for Bioinformatics and Biostatistics (CIBB-2008), Italy.
2008 CoOrganizer and Program Committee Chair, International Joint Conference on
Neutral Networks (IJCNN) at WCCI, Hong Kong 2008.
2009 CoOrganizer and CoChair 6th International Meeting on Computational
Intelligence Methods for Bioinformatics and Biostatistics (CIBB-2009), Italy.
2014 Organizer and Chair of Modern Drug Discovery & Development Summit (M3D)
2014-
2017 Chair and Organizer Protein Kinase Inhibitor Design & Screening Conferences

Series

2017 Chair and Organizer CECAM Workshop on Multiscale Simulations and Allosteric

Regulation, Lugano, Switzerland