Cindy Zhang received her B.S. in Wuhan, China and M.S. in Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok, Thailand. Both degrees were in the area of Aquatic Biology with a focus on fish genetics, disease, and nutrition. In 1995, she obtained a M.S. in Immunology and Molecular Pathology from the University of Florida, where she evaluated the protective effects of interleukin-1 on hematopoietic cells treated with the anti-oncologic agent, L-phenylalanine mustard. From 1995 to 1998, she worked in the Center for Cancer Treatment and Research in Richland Memorial Hospital, which is affiliated with the University of South Carolina. Cindy engaged in various cancer research projects, which included working with modified stem cells for long-term hematopoietic reconstitution. Cindy has subsequently worked in industry at GlaxoSmithKline and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) in the departments of Drug Safety Assessment and Discovery Toxicology, where her research projects have been mainly focused on assay development in hematotoxicity testing and teratogen screening using in vivo animal models, primary cells, cell lines, as well as in vitro rat or zebra fish embryo cultures.
Currently Cindy is engaged in evaluation and selection of predictive statistical models for supporting refined in vitro teratogenicity screen assays and generating guideline documents describing the criteria associated with the morphological score systems used in the rat and zebrafish embryo culture screening assays developed by BMS. Cindy's interests include advances in flow cytometry as well as studying mechanisms of teratogenesis and toxicity. Her memberships in Professional societies have included the International Society of Experimental Hematology, International Society for Hematotherapy & Graft Engineering, and International Society for Analytical Cytology.
Cindy X. Zhang, M.S.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Discovery Toxicology
Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization
311 Pennington Rocky Hill Rd
Pennington, NJ 08534-2130
Email: cindy.zhang@bms.com
Julieta Panzica-Kelly obtained a B.S. in biology from Pennsylvania State University. She subsequently joined BMS where she has worked in the investigative reproductive toxicology group for the last several years. During this time, she has been engaged in the development, optimization and validation of novel developmental toxicology assay and statistical model development including the zebrafish embryo culture assay and molecular embryonic stem cell assay (MESCA) described in this essay. She is also completing efforts toward obtaining a Masters' degree in developmental and cell biology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her thesis project is designed to pursue the molecular underpinning of adverse developmental outcome associated with methotrexate by applying data from experiments designed in MESCA. These data are likely to provide new, novel and potentially very important observations on adverse effects associated with a known human teratogen. Julie is currently engaged in completing the internal pre validation efforts supporting the MESCA assay and is completing her Masters thesis work. Julie's research interests include molecular pathways of development and how they relate to mechanisms of teratogenicity. Julie is an associate member of the Teratology Society and a Member of the Mid Atlantic Teratology Society.
Julieta Panzica-Kelly, B.S.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Discovery Toxicology
Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization
311 Pennington Rocky Hill Rd
Pennington, NJ 08534-2130
julie.panzica@bms.com
Karen Augustine received her B.S. in biology from Stockton College in 1990 and Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Anatomy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1994. Her doctoral research established approaches to evaluate gene function by antisense oligonucleotide knockdown in cultured rodent embryos. With these methods, she evaluated functions and interactions of wnt signaling in axial development. She was a post doctoral fellow in Discovery at Amgen from 1994-1997 where she was engaged in gene discovery and generation of transgenic animal models and conducted expression and functional characterization of novel targets associated with cancer and diabetes. She joined SmithKline Beecham/GSK in 1997 where she headed the Molecular Teratology group. In 2002, she joined BMS as the Associate Director of the Reproductive Toxicology group and is currently a Research Fellow of the Investigative Reproductive Toxicology group in Discovery Toxicology. Her current research focuses are in the establishment of methods and strategies to proactively assess teratogenicity profiles of discovery compounds as well as oversee studies associated with evaluating mechanisms of teratogenicity. She has been engaged in a number of professional society stewardship activities including the editorial board for The New Anatomist and Publications Committee for the journals, Teratology and Birth Defects Research. She was recently a member of Council for the Teratology Society and a Member at Large for the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI). In association with HESI, her group, as well as a number of colleagues in industry, are currently engaged in a cross-Pharma pre validation effort to optimize and further evaluate the zebrafish teratogenicity assay for future use across sectors.
Karen Augustine-Rauch, Ph.D.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Discovery Toxicology
Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization
311 Pennington Rocky Hill Rd
Pennington, NJ 08534-2130
Email: karen.augustine@bms.com
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