|
Dr. George D. Yancopoulos, MD,
PhD
After graduating as
valedictorian of both the Bronx High
School of Science and Columbia
College, Dr. Yancopoulos received
his MD and PhD degrees in 1987 from
Columbia University’s College of
Physicians & Surgeons. Following
widely-recognized work in the field
of molecular immunology at Columbia
University with Dr. Fred Alt, for
which he received the Lucille P.
Markey Scholar Award, Dr.
Yancopoulos left academia in 1989 as
a founding scientist for Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals, where he is now the
Chief Scientific Officer and
President of Regeneron Laboratories.
Dr. Yancopoulos is also an Adjunct
Full Professor at Columbia
University, and was recently awarded
Columbia University’s Stevens
Triennial Prize for Research and its
University Medal of Excellence for
Distinguished Achievement. According
to a study by the Institute for
Scientific Information, Dr.
Yancopoulos was the eleventh most
highly cited scientist in the world
during the 1990's (citation rates
reflect how often a scientist’s work
is referred to by other scientists,
and is widely regarded as the best
way to rank scientists), and the
only scientist from the
biotechnology industry on the list.
Dr. Yancopoulos’ scientific
contributions were recently
recognized by his election in 2004
to both the National Academy of
Sciences and the American Academy of
Sciences.
Dr. Yancopoulos is
widely regarded as a world leader in
many fields of biology, and has
authored more than 300 scientific
manuscripts. Dr. Yancopoulos’
scientific efforts have focused on
the discovery and characterization
of novel families of “growth
factors” and their receptors (e.g.,
neurotrophins and their Trk
receptors, the CNTF/IL6 family and
their gp130-related receptor
complexes, ephrins and their Eph
receptors, agrin and MuSK as its
receptor, collagens and their DDR
receptors, the ROR receptors, and
the angiopoietins and their Tie
receptors). He has also worked to
define the molecular pathways
activated by these growth factors,
as well as their biologic roles in
normal life and in disease. These
efforts have provided insights into
the growth, function and
regeneration of many critical cell
populations in the body, ranging
from neurons in the brain to
cartilage, muscle and blood vessel
cells. Dr. Yancopoulos’ diverse work
has led to unifying models of
molecular and biologic function, as
well as to new approaches for
treating human disease, and is
enabled by his development of
breakthrough technologies (such as
the use of epitope tags for cloning
receptors and doing the first
pulldown assays). Most recently, his
group has developed the VelociGene
and VelociMouse technologies, which
allows for the rapid generation of
almost any genetic change or
humanization in mice, allowing for
the creation of new models of
disease and gene function in the
mouse. These technologies have
culminated in the development of the
VelocImmune mouse, in which the
mouse’s immune system has been
genetically humanized by replacing
more than 6 megabases of the mouse
genome by its human immune gene
counterparts, providing a new
platform for the efficient
production of fully human
antibodies.
Many of the
discoveries of Dr. Yancopoulos and
his group have resulted in
therapeutic candidates now in
clinical trials, such as the VEGF
Trap for cancer and blinding eye
diseases including age-related
macular degeneration (AMD), and the
IL1-Trap for inflammatory diseases. |
