George Yancopoulos Explained

Education:Columbia University (BA, MD, PhD)
Occupation:Biomedical scientist
Employer:Regeneron

George D. Yancopoulos (born 1959) is a Greek-American biomedical scientist who is the co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.[1]

Yancopoulos is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and the holder of more than 100 patents.[2] He is a principal inventor and developer of Regeneron's ten FDA-approved or -authorized treatments, as well as of Regeneron's foundational technologies for target and drug development, such as its proprietary TRAP technology, and the VelociGene and VelocImmune antibody technologies.[3] [4]

Early life and education

Yancopoulos is the son of Greek immigrants, and spent his early childhood in Woodside, New York. As a student at the Bronx High School of Science, Yancopoulos was a top winner of the 1976 Westinghouse Science Talent Search. Intel and then Regeneron later assumed the title sponsorship for the Science Talent Search.[5]

After graduating as valedictorian of both the Bronx High School of Science and Columbia College, Yancopoulos received his MD and PhD degrees in 1987 from Columbia University's College of Physicians & Surgeons. He then worked in the field of molecular immunology at Columbia University with Dr. Fred Alt, for which he received the Lucille P. Markey Scholar Award.

Scientific career

He was elected to both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2004. According to a study by the Institute for Scientific Information, he was the eleventh most highly cited scientist in the world during the 1990s, and the only scientist from the biotechnology industry on the list.[6]

Yancopoulos was a graduate student in Fred Alt's laboratory at Columbia University in the 1980s. Much of Yancopoulos and Alt's work in immunology, including common recombination, accessibility control of recombination and scanning or tracking of recombinant action, has been recently validated.[7]

Yancopoulos joined Regeneron in its earliest days. Once there, he cloned novel families of growth factors, neurotrophic factors, ephrins/Ephs and angiopoietins, and elucidated the basis of how many receptors work.[8] His work has included study of how nerves regenerate[9] and how muscles connect to nerves.[10]

For example, the very first paper from his work at Regeneron documented the cloning of NT3 (Neurotrophic factor 3), a neurotrophic factor in the Nerve growth factor family.[11] His group also cloned receptors for neurotrophic factors, such as TrkB, the receptor for BDNF, and showed that they were sufficient to mediate signaling without the requirement of the Low affinity Nerve Growth Factor receptor (LNGFR).[12]

Yancopoulos and his colleagues discovered a receptor tyrosine kinase which they named "MuSK" (Muscle Specific Kinase, or MuSK protein). They went on to show that MuSK is required for the formation of the neuromuscular junction, the key structure which allows motor neurons to induce skeletal muscle to contract.[13] They next demonstrated that the ligand for MuSK is agrin, a protein secreted by the motor neuron to induce formation of the neuromuscular junction.[14]

What was also noteworthy from this period was the cloning of the receptor for the ciliary neurotrophic factor CNTF.[15] The understanding of this receptor induced Yancopoulos and his colleagues to use the receptor in a novel fashion, by making a secreted form so as to "trap" or inhibit the ligand's action. This documented the invention of the "receptor trap",[16] a concept which was used importantly in making a trap to inhibit the action of VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factor).[17] The "VEGF Trap" was then used to design a medicine to treat Acute Macular Degeneration (AMD), a disease which causes blindness.

Yancopoulos was the first to propose making mouse models with genetically human immune systems ("Human mice").[18] This research led to Yancopoulos at Regeneron developing "the most valuable mouse ever made," bred to have immune systems that respond just as a human's would, so that it can be used for testing how the human body might react to various pharmaceuticals and other substances.

Several important human antibodies, which were then tested for their use as medicines, have come from these mice. For example, a "cocktail," or mixture of three distinct antibodies to the Ebola virus resulted in treatment for Ebola.[19] More recently, Yancopolous and his colleagues developed a cocktail of antibodies, using the mouse with a human immune system, to block the SARS-CoV-2 virus in order to treat COVID-19.[20]

Career

Yancopoulos left academia in 1989 to become the founding scientist and chief scientific officer of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals with founder and chief executive officer Leonard Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D. In 2016, Yancopoulos was also named president of the company.[21]

Yancopoulos plays an active role in Regeneron's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Education commitments, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search, America's oldest high school science and math competition.[22]

In 2014, Yancopoulos led the launch of the Regeneron Genetics Center, a major initiative in human genetic research that has sequenced exomes from over 1,000,000 people .[23] [24]

Forbes magazine states Yancopoulos' financial stake in Regeneron has made him a billionaire. He is the first research and development chief in the pharmaceutical industry to become a billionaire.[25]

Awards

Yancopoulos won a NY/NJ CEO Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.[26]

Yancopoulos has been awarded Columbia University's Stevens Triennial Prize for Research and its University Medal of Excellence for Distinguished Achievement.[27]

In 2016, Leonard Schleifer and George Yancopoulos were named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurs of the Year 2016 National Award Winners in life sciences.[28]

The George D. Yancopoulos Young Scientist Award is given at the Westchester Science & Engineering Fair.[29]

He was inducted into the Bronx Science Hall of Fame in 2017 and was recognized by the Yale School of Management, CEO Institute as a Legends in Leadership Award in 2017.[30] [31]

In 2019, he received the Alexander Hamilton Award,[32] Columbia's highest honor for contributions to science and medicine, and was recognized by Forbes as one of America's 100 Most Innovative Leaders.[33]

Yancopoulos was recognized by Fortune in 2020 as one of the World's 25 Greatest Leaders: Heroes of the Pandemic.[34]

In 2021, Yancopoulos won the Roy Vagelos Humanitarian Award for REGEN-COV, Prix Galien Foundation[35] and the New York Intellectual Property Law Association's Inventors of the Year for REGEN-COV.[36]

Boards

Yancopoulos serves on a number of Boards, including on Regeneron's Board of Directors. He currently serves on the Columbia University Medical Center Board of Visitors, as Vice Chair starting in 2012;[37] the Board of Trustees for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, since 2015;[38] the Scientific Advisory Council, Alliance on Cancer Gene Therapy, since 2007;[39] the Scleroderma Research Foundation, Scientific Advisory Board, starting in 2004;[40] and the Pershing Square Cancer Research Alliance, Advisory Board, since 2018.[41]

Controversies

In 2020, Donald Trump and others in his administration were treated with REGEN-COV, Regeneron's experimental COVID-19 therapeutic, raising concerns that Regeneron had provided them with privileged access to the drug.[42] [43] At the time, the drug was undergoing clinical trials in humans and not yet under an FDA emergency use authorization (EUA). However, as is typical for experimental drugs, the FDA "expanded access" regulation, technically known as 21 CFR 312.310, allowed Trump's physicians to request "compassionate use" of REGN-COV.[44] Compassionate use is granted by the FDA (not the drug developer) to individual patients when it is determined that "the probable risk to the person from the investigational drug is not greater than the probable risk from the disease or condition."[45] REGN-COV was developed using the same patented VelocImmune technology which produced the world's first cure to the Ebola virus.[46] The successful track record of VelocImmune technology at producing safe and effective monoclonal antibody treatments against viruses presumably contributed to the FDA's decision to grant compassionate use to Donald Trump.

Yancopoulos received unusual and preferential treatment from New York state related to his personal COVID-19 testing.[47]

Key Papers

References

Notes and References

  1. News: Exclusive: Biotech Regeneron on verge of big leagues . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305203144/http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-regeneron-exclusive-idUKTRE64B37U20100512 . dead . March 5, 2016 . Reuters . May 12, 2010 . May 1, 2011.
  2. News: George Yancopoulos . . July 25, 2018.
  3. News: Regeneron Investment: Healthcare With Wealthcare . Toni Nasr . . February 5, 2018.
  4. News: Our Team . . July 26, 2018.
  5. Web site: Regeneron Named as Science Talent Search Sponsor. The Wall Street Journal. Ron Winslow. May 26, 2016.
  6. Web site: Cusp Speaker Series Presents: 2005–2006.
  7. Beyond Hypothesis: Direct Evidence That V(D)J Recombination Is Regulated by the Accessibility of Chromatin Substrates. Michael S. Krangel. Journal of Immunology. December 1, 2015. 195. 11. 5103–5105. 10.4049/jimmunol.1502150. 26589747. 39216064. free.
  8. Web site: George D. Yancopoulos. National Academy of Sciences. September 17, 2018.
  9. News: George Yancopoulos: Doing Well by Trying to Do Good . Scientific American . October 6, 2008 . May 1, 2011.
  10. News: How Nerve Meets Muscle and Begins to Talk . New York Times . May 21, 1996 . May 1, 2011.
  11. Maisonpierre PC, Belluscio L, Squinto S, etal . Neurotrophin-3: a neurotrophic factor related to NGF and BDNF . Science . 247 . 4949 Pt 1 . 1446–51 . March 1990 . 2321006 . 10.1126/science.2321006. 1990Sci...247.1446M . 37763746 .
  12. Glass DJ, Nye SH, Hantzopoulos P, etal . TrkB mediates BDNF/NT-3-dependent survival and proliferation in fibroblasts lacking the low affinity NGF receptor . Cell . 66 . 2 . 405–13 . July 1991 . 1649703 . 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90629-D. 43626580 .
  13. DeChiara TM, Bowen DC, Valenzuela DM, etal . The receptor tyrosine kinase MuSK is required for neuromuscular junction formation in vivo . Cell . 85 . 4 . 501–12 . May 1996 . 8653786 . 10.1016/S0092-8674(00)81251-9. 17455481 . free .
  14. Glass DJ, Bowen DC, Stitt TN, etal . Agrin acts via a MuSK receptor complex . Cell . 85 . 4 . 513–523 . May 1996 . 8653787 . 10.1016/S0092-8674(00)81252-0. 14930468 . free .
  15. Davis S, Aldrich TH, Valenzuela DM, etal . The receptor for ciliary neurotrophic factor . Science . 253 . 5015 . 59–63 . July 1991 . 1648265 . 10.1126/science.1648265. 1991Sci...253...59D .
  16. Economides AN, Carpenter LR, Rudge JS, etal . Cytokine traps: multi-component, high-affinity blockers of cytokine action . Nature Medicine . 9 . 1 . 47–52 . January 2003 . 12483208 . 10.1038/nm811. 6541399 .
  17. Holash J, Davis S, Papadopoulos N, etal . VEGF-Trap: a VEGF blocker with potent antitumor effects . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America . 99 . 17 . 11393–11398 . August 2002 . 12177445 . 123267 . 10.1073/pnas.172398299. 2002PNAS...9911393H . free . }
  18. Web site: How Two Guys From Queens Are Changing Drug Discovery. Matthew Herper. Forbes. August 14, 2013.
  19. FDA approves antibody cocktail for Ebola virus. 10.1038/d41573-020-00197-8. 2020. Mullard. Asher. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 19. 12. 827. 33144717.
  20. 7299284. 2020. Hansen. J.. Baum. A.. Pascal. K. E.. Russo. V.. Giordano. S.. Wloga. E.. Fulton. B. O.. Yan. Y.. Koon. K.. Patel. K.. Chung. K. M.. Hermann. A.. Ullman. E.. Cruz. J.. Rafique. A.. Huang. T.. Fairhurst. J.. Libertiny. C.. Malbec. M.. Lee. W. Y.. Welsh. R.. Farr. G.. Pennington. S.. Deshpande. D.. Cheng. J.. Watty. A.. Bouffard. P.. Babb. R.. Levenkova. N.. Chen. C.. Studies in humanized mice and convalescent humans yield a SARS-CoV-2 antibody cocktail. Science. 369. 6506. 1010–1014. 10.1126/science.abd0827. 32540901. 2020Sci...369.1010H. 1.
  21. Web site: George D. Yancopoulos. Bloomberg L.P.. July 23, 2018.
  22. Web site: Regeneron Founded by Two STS Alumni. Society for Science & the Public. July 27, 2018.
  23. Web site: Regeneron Genetics Center. 2023 .
  24. Web site: Regeneron Genetics Center Surpasses 250K Exomes Sequenced, and Ramping Up. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. Alex Philippidis. November 15, 2017.
  25. Web site: Mathew. Herper. Regeneron's George Yancopoulos Becomes Pharma's First Billionaire R&D Chief. forbes.com. 28 July 2015.
  26. Web site: Marc Tessier-Lavigne receives lifetime achievement award from biotech executives.
  27. Web site: Dr. George D. Yancopoulos, Founding Scientist, Regeneron Laboratories, to Be Honored by Burke Rehabilitation Center. 3 June 2013. Burke Rehabilitation Hospital. June 3, 2013 .
  28. Web site: Regeneron's Schleifer, Yancopoulos share Entrepreneur of Year award. John Golden. Westfair Online. November 22, 2016.
  29. Web site: Advisory Council: George D. Yancopoulos, MD, PhD. LifeSci NYC. July 31, 2018.
  30. Web site: George Yancopoulos '76. Sofie Levine. The Science Survey. May 30, 2018.
  31. Web site: Legend in Leadership Recipients. December 15, 2017. Yale School of Management.
  32. Web site: Dr. George D. Yancopoulos CC'80, GSAS'86, VPS'87 honored at Alexander Hamilton Dinner . November 22, 2019. Columbia College.
  33. Web site:
    1. 20 George Yancopoulos
    . April 20, 2020. Forbes.
  34. Web site:
    1. 8 George Yancopoulos
    . April 20, 2020. Fortune.
  35. News: Laureates since 2007 . October 13, 2022 . The Galien Foundation. October 13, 2022. en.
  36. News: Inventor of the Year Award . October 13, 2022 . The New York Intellectual Property Law Association . October 13, 2022 . en.
  37. News: Leadership and Administration . October 12, 2022 . Columbia University. October 12, 2022 . en.
  38. News: Regeneron's Dr. George D. Yancopoulos elected to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Board of Trustees . October 12, 2022 . Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory . October 12, 2022 . en.
  39. News: George D. Yancopoulos, MD, PhD . October 12, 2022 . Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy. October 12, 2022 . en.
  40. News: Bio. October 12, 2022 . Scleroderma Research Foundation. October 12, 2022 . en.
  41. News: Prize Advisory Board. October 12, 2022 . Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance . October 12, 2022 . en.
  42. News: Sheryl Gay Stolberg (December 9, 2020) "Trump and Friends Got Coronavirus Care Many Others Couldn't" The New York Times. The New York Times. 10 December 2020. Stolberg. Sheryl Gay.
  43. Web site: Alison Bateman-House, et al. (October 8, 2020) "Trump's Regeneron Treatment Is a Tangled Ethical Mess" Barron's.
  44. News: Jon Cohen (October 5, 2020) "Update: Here's what is known about Trump's COVID-19 treatment" Science . Science.
  45. Web site: CFR – Code of Federal Regulations Title 21 . U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
  46. Web site: Our Rapid Response to COVID-19 . Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.
  47. News: J. David Goodman, et al. (March 25, 2021) "Executive With Ties to Cuomo Got Special Access to Virus Testing" The New York Times. The New York Times. 25 March 2021. Goodman. J. David. Ferré-Sadurní. Luis. McKinley. Jesse.

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