Speakers

Scott Thacher has 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical R&D. The Orphagen team created first-in-class development programs for three orphan and/or unexplored nuclear receptors, including: steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1), where the antagonist OR-449 is approaching a Phase 1 trial; a selective antagonist to a retinoid receptor subtype which holds promise for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease; and ROR-gamma, where Orphagen partnered the first discovery program for this highly competitive target for autoimmune disease. In addition to discovery and development partnerships for Orphagen. Scott has been awarded 20+ NIH/SBIR and other grants to create Orphagen’s IP assets. Previously Scott directed programs in dermatology and metabolic disease at Allergan, focusing on nuclear receptor-based therapeutics. He supported the successful NDA filing for Tazorac® (tazarotene), a topical retinoid for psoriasis and acne. He is author on 30+ publications in cell biology and pharmacology, including the discovery of transglutaminase type 1 (TGase1). Scott was previously faculty at the Texas A&M College of Medicine and holds a Ph.D. (biophysics, Harvard) and a B.S. (physics, Stanford). Scott was co-founder and first President of the San Diego Entrepreneurs Exchange, a non-profit enabling new technology company formation and growth.