Working Life: Dr John Sinden
pharmafile | May 19, 2010 | Feature | Research and Development |Â Â ReNeuron, Working Life, careerÂ
ReNeuron’s chief scientific officer discusses his career to date.
How did you find your way into your current role?
It really took off when ReNeuron arose from our scientific work at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London. Often academic founders don’t leave the security of a permanent academic post for a start-up.
Fortunately we had at least the security of a blue-chip VC investor and for me, running science leading up to the clinic was such an exciting challenge, I didn’t baulk when the offer was made.
Sure, it’s been a long time to get to where we are today, but the whole field has had to start from scratch; I feel I have had a personal role in some of the key positive developments arising from stem cell research.
How is your field changing?
It has changed immeasurably in terms of the scientific and public profile of stem cell research worldwide. In a recent interview in the Journal Stem Cells (2010; 28:3-4), I expressed my views as to how the recent discoveries underpinning the ‘induced pluripotency’ inherent in many, if not all, mature cell types has radically altered our views of stem cells and cell biology generally.
As a stem cell therapy company, ReNeuron are leaders in stem cell clinical translation, and I encourage all young scientists keen to enter the stem cell field to look at stem cell translation. It is as an under-resourced field at present, but it is destined for many exciting developments in the near future.
What are the most enjoyable things about your role?
I enjoy representing the company’s science in many settings: academic meetings, commercial conferences and events, investor meetings, etc. I also front up meetings with a variety of regulatory authorities worldwide and I feel, after a cautious start, we are making real progress in getting towards clinical trials both for ourselves and also for those who are following.
The biggest event in my working life so far is imminent: the start of our first clinical trial, by direct injection of our stem cell product into patients with stroke disability. This is the culmination of six years of painstaking preparation and has really transformed ReNeuron into one of a small cohort of clinical stage stem cell companies.
And the least enjoyable?
The last few years have had a number of disappointments in terms of not achieving real success as quickly as we had hoped, not because of lack of effort but more because the regulatory scene has been less amenable to clinical developments in the stem cell field than we had predicted.
What are the most common misconceptions about your field and the people who work within it?
There’s a lot of frustration in the public about the lack of progress in moving stem cell therapies into the clinic. Every day you hear of desperate patients heading off for unproven, expensive and possibly dangerous stem cell treatments in a number of countries that have notoriously lax legal safeguards. There are also a number of misconceptions among scientists about how easy or how difficult it is to get stem cells into clinical trials.
Is there someone in your field who has inspired you or taught you a lot?
I have been lucky to have had a number of mentors in the past who have inspired me to move forward creatively in science. The late Jeffrey Gray was someone who supported me enormously from when I first joined him as a postdoc in Oxford to pretty much throughout my academic life. He really was instrumental in forcing us to write a patent that resulted in the founding of ReNeuron and used his contacts to get the City of London interested in us.
Similarly, is there someone outside your field who has been a source of inspiration for you?
My children are my greatest joy and greatest inspiration to succeed. They have also been understanding when I’m not always around for them.
What is the secret to a happy working life?
An eye on the ball all the time. Unfortunately it means 24/7 with few breaks.
If you had advice for anyone starting out in your field now, what would it be?
Don’t be frightened to see things differently to others, be original and creative.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr John Sinden is a scientific co-founder of ReNeuron and has been a director of the ReNeuron Group since October 1998.
Prior to joining ReNeuron as Chief Scientific Officer in October 1998, he was Reader in Neurobiology of Behaviour at the Institute of Psychiatry at Kings College London.
He graduated in Psychology from the University of Sydney and completed a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Paris at the College de France.
He subsequently held post-doctoral appointments at Oxford University and the Institute of Psychiatry prior to joining the permanent staff of the Institute in 1987.
If you would like to contribute to a future Working Life, please contact Brett Wells via e-mail at: bwells@wiley.com.
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