WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FORMA Therapeutics announced today that Christopher Dinsmore, Ph.D., has been appointed to the position of Vice President, Medicinal and Computational Chemistry. Dr. Dinsmore joins FORMA after a distinguished 19 year career at Merck & Co. Inc., where he helped build the Merck Research Laboratory in Boston.
“Chris is an experienced chemist and team leader with a broad background in the identification and development of therapeutics for oncology and cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer's, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis,” said Kenneth W. Bair, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Research and Development at FORMA Therapeutics. “As a founding member of Merck’s Boston site, he helped build highly integrated and collaborative new approaches to discovery research, which is precisely what FORMA strives to accomplish.”
“It is with enthusiasm that I join FORMA’s dynamic team, who are focused on innovative science and pioneering chemistry across extensive panels of protein target families,” said Chris Dinsmore. “I look forward to applying my expertise in medicinal chemistry to FORMA’s programs across several exciting areas of disease biology, as compounds advance toward optimization and clinical trials.”
Prior to joining FORMA, Dr. Dinsmore was Executive Director of Discovery Chemistry at Merck, where he led the discovery and advancement of seven compounds evaluated in clinical trials as well as several additional preclinical candidates. Dr. Dinsmore has held various scientific and managerial leadership positions including membership in strategic committees managing external research partnerships and oncology in-licensing opportunities. He has co-authored over 50 publications in chemistry and drug discovery and is a co-inventor on nearly 60 issued or pending patents. Dr. Dinsmore received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University.
About FORMA
FORMA Therapeutics' scientists are passionate about discovering and developing medicines that will make a difference in oncology and other genetically driven therapeutic areas. The Company's drug discovery engine drives screening and structure-based approaches across broad families of targets involved in tumor metabolism, epigenetics, protein homeostasis and protein-protein interactions. Leveraging a world class network of academic investigators, clinical experts and corporate partners, FORMA combines deep biological insight and chemistry expertise to rapidly create high quality, innovative drug candidates.
FORMA is headquartered in Watertown, MA near the epicenter of the Cambridge Life Sciences cluster, with additional chemistry operations in Branford, CT. www.formatherapeutics.com
