On Aug. 9, 2015, Anton Simeonov, Ph.D.,became the scientific director at NCATS, where he has been serving as the acting scientific director since Jan. 6, 2015. Simeonov will lead the Center’s Division of Preclinical Innovation (DPI), which develops, demonstrates and disseminates new technologies that make the early stages of translational research more predictive and efficient. Together with collaborators worldwide, NCATS DPI scientists “de-risk” novel targets and therapeutic development projects, making them more attractive for commercial investment.
“Anton brings with him more than 17 years of translational experience in the public and private sectors, including development of novel detection chemistries and techniques, assays and devices for diagnostics, assay miniaturization, and novel catalytic approaches to screening and therapeutics development,” said NCATS Director Christopher P. Austin, M.D. “Adding to this his collaborative spirit, relentless focus on innovation and vision for achieving NCATS translational science goals, he is the perfect fit to lead NCATS’ preclinical science initiatives.”
“I believe strongly in the NCATS mission to address translational research problems through innovative technologies and solutions that all researchers can use,” Simeonov said. “I look forward to continuing my work with such a talented group of researchers who share the NCATS goal of getting more treatments to more patients more quickly.”
Simeonov first came to NIH in 2004 to work for the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) as group leader — and eventually branch chief — for bioorganic chemistry and assay technologies in the NIH Chemical Genomics Center, which is now the NCATS Chemical Genomics Center. Prior to joining NIH, he was a senior scientist at Caliper Life Sciences, a leading developer of microfluidic technologies, where he was responsible for both basic research on novel assay methodologies and development of microfluidic products for research and clinical diagnostics.
Simeonov is the author of more than 120 peer-reviewed scientific publications and the inventor behind 15 patents, and he has been recognized with multiple awards from NIH, NCATS and NHGRI directors. He received a B.A. in chemistry from Concordia College and a Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry from the University of Southern California, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at The Scripps Research Institute with Richard Lerner, M.D., and Kim Janda, Ph.D.
For more information, visit Simeonov’s Staff Profile page or watch the new video Inside the NCATS Laboratories.
Posted August 2015
