Building a Translational Medicine Institute for the Next Decade

Recorded live December 2, 2021

Webinar Summary

Metabolic disease, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and poor nutrition are global epidemics with significant health, quality of life and economic impacts. The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) was established by bringing together talents and knowledge from public and private sectors to deliver important answers to metabolic diseases.

Join us in a conversation with IBRI's leadership team and learn about their approach to building a world-class translational medicine institute. This webinar will be moderated by Dr. Janice Kranz, CEO of Eikonizo Therapeutics.

Featuring these leading scientists...

Janice Kranz, PhD

Co-Founder & CEO, Eikonizo Therapeutics

Janice Kranz co-founded Eikonizo Therapeutics to develop life-changing therapies by creating brain-penetrant small molecules and deploying in vivo target engagement techniques to accelerate the identification of therapeutics. The company's first program is focused on a disease-modifying therapeutic for neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Kranz has over 25 years of experience working in multiple roles across diverse life science organizations. She received her PhD in biology from Harvard University and her bachelor's degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Alan Palkowitz, PhD

President & CEO, IBRI

Alan Palkowitz has 30 years of experience in drug discovery and development in both industry and academia. He is passionate about translational research and is driven to build a world-class organization that catalyzes activities across the life sciences ecosystem.

In addition to his role at the IBRI, Dr. Palkowitz maintains his roles at the Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine as a senior research professor of medicine, where he directs the IUSM-Purdue TaRget Enablement to Accelerate Therapy Development for Alzheimer's Disease (TREAT-AD) Center.

Prior to joining the faculty at the IU School of Medicine, Dr. Palkowitz served as the vice president of Discovery Chemistry Research and Technologies at Eli Lilly and Company. He was responsible for the global small molecule drug discovery strategy and delivery of clinical candidates in disease areas including cancer, diabetes, immunology, pain and neurodegenerative disorders.

Dr. Palkowitz obtained his PhD in synthetic organic chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley.

Timothy Richardson, PhD

Scientific Director of Molecular Innovation, IBRI

Timothy Richardson is a Senior Research Professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at Indiana University School of Medicine where his primary responsibilities include leading the Medicinal Chemistry Core of the IUSM-Purdue TREAT-AD (Target Enablement to Accelerate Therapy Development for Alzheimer's Disease) Center.

Prior to that, he was a Research Fellow at Eli Lilly and Company. During his industrial career he contributed to discovery programs that delivered new molecular entities for the treatment of endocrine, musculoskeletal and autoimmune diseases. He led technology platform teams focused on gene regulation, epigenetics and nuclear receptors. 

Dr. Richardson finished his career at Eli Lilly and Company as a founding member of the RNA Therapeutics Team focused on oligonucleotide-based medicines. 

At IBRI, Dr. Richardson is applying his academic and industrial experience in collaboration with institute scientists and external research partners to drive translational science that rapidly advances novel therapeutics for unmet medical needs.

Michael Kalwat, PhD

Assistant Investigator, IBRI Diabetes Center

The Kalwat Lab is bridging genetic and small molecule high-throughput screening with target and pathway identification in specialized secretory cell types.

Prior to joining the IBRI, Dr. Kalwat trained as a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Melanie Cobb at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where he developed key reagents for assaying secretory cell function. His work yielded a cohort of distinct small molecule secretion modulators with impacts on calcium influx, cAMP generation and the unfolded protein response.

Dr. Kalwat received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Purdue University in 2007. Subsequently, he completed his PhD dissertation in Debbie Thurmond's lab in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Indiana University School of Medicine in 2012, where he focused on cytoskeletal regulation of exocytosis.