News Archives
SENOMYX, INC. APPOINTS DR. KLAUS GUBERNATOR, LEADING COMBINATORIAL CHEMIST, AS VICE PRESIDENT OF CHEMISTRY
LA JOLLA (June 28, 2000) – Senomyx, Inc. announced today the appointment of Klaus Gubernator, Ph.D. to the position of Vice President, Chemistry. Dr. Gubernator was formerly Executive Director of Advanced Technology at Dupont Pharmaceuticals Research Labs in San Diego, California. As Vice President of Chemistry at Senomyx, Dr. Gubernator will direct Automated Chemistry, Chemoinformatics, Bioinformatics, and High Throughput Screening.
"Dr. Gubernator's broad background in combinatorial lead discovery, structure-guided design, and bioinformatics as well as extensive operating experience in both large and small research organizations in Europe and the U.S. are perfectly suited for his role as head of Chemistry at Senomyx," said Dr. Mark J. Zoller, Vice President of Research. "It is a great pleasure to have Klaus join our research team."
"We are most pleased that Dr. Gubernator has come on board to lead a major new initiative at Senomyx. Klaus is a highly innovative synthetic chemist with a keen understanding of how to interweave combinatorial chemistry, receptor biology, and informatics, and a record of accomplishment in fast-paced discovery," said Dr. Lubert Stryer, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Scientific Officer.
Dr. Gubernator stated, "I was intrigued by the incredible discovery opportunities that the recently identified taste and olfactory receptors offer. Emerging technologies of rapid target identification, validation, screening, and lead optimization could be applied to these receptors with unique efficiency. Chemosensation offers an unparalleled potential of rapid functional testing and feedback to discovery. Tight integration of a complete suite of discovery disciplines is the midterm goal at Senomyx. I am very excited to have the privilege to join a scientific team of distinguished experts and a very experienced and dynamic management team."
Before joining Dupont Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Gubernator was Vice President, Advanced Technology at CombiChem, Inc. where he directed the high throughput synthesis laboratory as well as internal discovery projects. Prior to joining CombiChem, Dr. Gubernator was a research section head at Hoffmann-La Roche AG in Basel Switzerland in the area of biostructural research. He was actively involved in discovery projects in the cardiovascular and antibacterial area. The research groups that he directed were involved in developing new methods in structure-based design, computer-assisted planning of target-directed combinatorial libraries, and bioinformatics. Dr. Gubernator received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Heidelberg, Germany in 1982. He has published over 40 scientific papers, holds multiple patents, and has recently edited the monograph "Structure-Based Ligand Design", along with Hans-Joachim Boehm.
Senomyx is dedicated to becoming the world leader in the discovery and commercialization of products and services relevant to the biology, genomics and chemistry of chemosensation in a broad range of markets including consumer food, fragrance, cosmetic, therapeutic, household, agricultural and industrial applications. The Company is assembling a matrix of technologies including proprietary chemoreceptors involved in the detection, quantification, signal transduction, and perception of mediators and modulators of taste, olfaction and other sensory modalities.
Senomyx has exclusive agreements with Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Rockefeller University, and the University of California regarding various enabling technologies in the field of chemosensation. Senomyx will utilize a range of recent advances in cellular and molecular biology, genomics, combinatorial chemistry, biomolecular screening, informatics, and other areas to create the first consumer genomics company. These technologies, developed to their full potential, will enrich the quality of life for consumers.
back to News Archives