Brief Biography for Dr. Bruce E. Maryanoff, Ph.D.

Dr. Bruce E. Maryanoff was born on 26 February 1947 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up there. He earned a B.S. degree in chemistry from Drexel University (1969) and continued at Drexel to earn his Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry (1972) working with Prof. Robert Hutchins. At Drexel, he met Cynthia A. Milewski at the chemistry lab-bench and they married on 15 May 1971. After postdoctoral studies for two years at Princeton University with Prof. Kurt Mislow, Dr. Maryanoff joined McNeil Laboratories, a Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Company, in 1974 as a process research chemist, working on improved syntheses for TOLECTIN¨ tolmetin sodium, a marketed antiarthritic drug. He transferred into medicinal chemistry in 1976 and advanced through the ranks of the scientific ladder in McNeil Laboratories, McNeil Pharmaceutical, and the Janssen Research Foundation (all J&J Companies) to Distinguished Research Fellow, the highest scientific-ladder position in the company. Dr. Maryanoff became part of the R. W. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute in 1990 and Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development (J&JPRD) in 2001. From 1976 to 1992, his drug discovery efforts were focused mainly on therapeutic agents for treating disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). In 1992, he moved to the field of vascular research and has directed drug discovery efforts on therapeutic agents for the treatment of disorders of the cardiovascular system (CVS). Presently, he is a Distinguished Research Fellow and Team Leader of the Vascular Research Team in J&JPRD.

During his 29 years with Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Maryanoff has made numerous contributions to a diversity of research areas, including: heterocyclic chemistry (e.g., pyrroles, isoquinolines, indoles, and imidazoles); boron-based reducing agents; N-acyliminium ion cyclizations; affinity labels for the opiate receptor; stereochemistry and mechanism of the Wittig olefination reaction; carbohydrate and nucleoside chemistry; various agents for treating disorders of the CNS (antidepressants, antiepileptics, anxiolytics, and antipsychotics); inhibitors of cytochrome P-450 (anticancer agents); inhibitors of gluconeogenesis (antidiabetic agents); inhibitors of glycohydrolases (antiviral agents); inhibitors of various serine proteases, such as thrombin, factor Xa, tryptase, cathepsin G, and chymase (antithrombotic and antiinflammatory agents); antagonists of fibrinogen and thrombin receptors (antithrombotic agents); antagonists of vasopressin receptors (cardiovascular agents); antagonists of vitronectin receptors (anticancer agents); antagonists of VLA-4 (antiinflammatory agents); peptides and peptidomimetics.

Dr. Maryanoff discovered TOPAMAX¨ topiramate, a unique sugar sulfamate drug that is marketed worldwide for the treatment of epilepsy. Additionally, he has pursued drug discovery efforts responsible for: (1) mazapertine succinate, a potential antipsychotic drug for treating schizophrenia, which advanced into Phase 2 clinical trials; (2) RWJ-53308 (elarofiban), a platelet GP IIb/IIIa antagonist with potential as an oral antithrombotic drug, which advanced into Phase 2 clinical trials; (3) two second-generation GP IIb/IIIa antagonists that entered preclinical development; (4) two antidepressants (McN-5707 and McN-5652-Z) that entered preclinical development; (5) a tryptase inhibitor for treating asthma that entered clinical development, and (6) four vasopressin receptor antagonists that entered development. Dr. Maryanoff was instrumental in developing a research collaboration with COR Therapeutics, Inc., which placed RWJPRI in a leadership position in the field of protease-activated receptors, including thrombin receptor (PAR-1) research. He also was involved in establishing research collaborations with Actelion, Ltd., in the area of endothelin receptor antagonists, and 3-Dimensional Pharmaceuticals, in the area of oral thrombin and factor Xa inhibitors. Dr. Maryanoff has published over 190 scientific papers, is an inventor on 57 U.S. patents (issued or pending), and has presented 115 invited lectures at universities and conferences. He served as the inaugural editor of the book series Advances in Medicinal Chemistry.

Dr. Maryanoff was twice a recipient of J&J's prestigious Philip B. Hofmann Research Scientist Award (1978, 1987). In 1997, he was honored with the Johnson Medal for Research and Development, the highest award in J&J, for his contributions to the discovery and development of TOPAMAX¨. In 1984, he received the prestigious Philadelphia Section Award of the American Chemical Society (ACS). He also received the Drexel University Distinguished Chemistry Alumni Award (1994), the Philadelphia Organic Chemists' Club Award (1995), the Drexel University Distinguished Alumni Award for Service to the Profession (1999), two RWJPRI Discovery Awards (1990), a J&J Excellence in Science Award (1994), a J&J Achievement Award for TOPAMAX¨ (1996), and an RWJPRI Achievement Award for RWJ-53308 (1999). He was honored by the American Chemical Society with a Heroes of Chemistry 2000 Award and the 2003 ACS Award in Industrial Chemistry. Dr. Maryanoff was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 1989. He has served: on the Editorial Advisory Boards of six journals/books (J. Med. Chem., J. Org. Chem., Heteroatom Chem., Solid-Phase Organic Syntheses, and Recent Research Developments in Org. Chem.; Current Topics in Med. Chem.); a four-year term on the Advisory Board of the Petroleum Research Fund of the ACS, a four-year term on the Medicinal Chemistry Study Section of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); and on the Board of Directors of the ACS Philadelphia Section. He was Chairman of the 1989 Gordon Research Conference on Organic Reactions and Processes, and has organized/chaired several symposia at ACS national and regional meetings.