Dr. Kevin P. Foley

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Synta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
In Vivo Pharmacology
DirectorAppointed: 2004
Professional Headshot of Kevin P. Foley

Mailing Address

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp.
45 Hartwell Avenue
Lexington, Massachusetts 02421
United States

Contact Information

Phone: (781) 541-7231
Fax: (781) 274-8228
kfoley@syntapharma.com

Qualifications

Ph.D., Northwestern University, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology, 1993.
B.S., Michigan State University, Biochemistry, 1986.

Expertise and Research Interests

Biography:
Dr. Foley is Director of In Vivo Pharmacology at Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Boston, MA), an ~130 employee biopharmaceutical company, where his research has focused on the discovery and development of small molecule drugs for the treatment of cancer, diabetes and autoimmune disorders. Drug development programs for which he is currently Lead Biologist include: STA-9090, a heat shock protein 90 inhibitor for the treatment of solid tumor and hematological cancers that is in multiple Phase 1 clinical trials; and STA-9584, a tumor vascular disrupting agent that is in preclinical development. In previous positions at Millennium Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, MA) and ZymoGenetics (Seattle, WA), he employed the mouse as a model system for the in vivo validation of drug targets and to develop improved models of human disease. Over the course of his career, he has created almost 200 different mouse models. Of particular note, Dr. Foley and his colleagues at ZymoGenetics developed a novel mouse model of the autoimmune disease, systemic lupus erythematosus. This work implicated the B cell cytokine BLyS (BAFF) as a key player in B cell-mediated autoimmunity, and a BLyS antagonist, Atacicept, is now in multiple Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. As a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Foley studied the function of the Myc oncogene network with Drs. Robert N. Eisenman and Philippe Soriano at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, WA). He received his Ph.D. in Dr. J. Douglas Engel's laboratory at Northwestern University (Evanston, IL), where he studied the transcriptional regulation of globin gene switching. Dr. Foley has also served as a grant reviewer for the NIH and BARDA, a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for a biotechnology startup company, and an advisor for the AAAS/Science Magazine's Science Careers Forum. His career-related commentary can be read at:

http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/tools_resources/forum/home

Keywords

COS Keywords:

Animal Models, Autoimmunity, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology, Cancer or Carcinogenesis, Cell Biology, Clinical Trial, Developmental Biology, Diabetes, Disease Model, Genetics, Genomics, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Oncology, Pharmaceuticals, Pharmacology, Transgenics.

Additional Terms:

Autoimmune, Drug Discovery, Efficacy Models, Knockout, Mice, Mouse, Pharmacology, Preclinical, Xenograft.

Memberships

American Association for Cancer Research
American Association for Laboratory Animal Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists

Honors and Awards

2009, Grant reviewer, Biomedical Advanced Research & Development Authority (BARDA)
2007, Supernova Award, Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp.
2006-2009, Advisor for Science Magazine's Science Careers Forum, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
2003-2004, Scientific Advisory Board Member Juvensa, Inc.
2002-2006, Grant reviewer, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
1994-1997, Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, American Cancer Society
1993-1994, Postdoctoral National Research Service Award Fellowship, National Institutes of Health
1989-1991, Predoctoral National Research Service Award Traineeship, National Institutes of Health
1988-1989, Predoctoral Fellowship, United States Army Research Office

Previous Positions

2004-2007, Associate Director, Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., In Vivo Pharmacology
2004-2004, Principal Scientist, Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., In Vivo Pharmacology
2001-2003, Group Leader, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Mouse Models
2001-2003, Senior Scientist, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Mouse Models
1998-2001, Staff Scientist, ZymoGenetics, Inc., Genetics
1993-1998, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Basic Sciences Division, Laboratory of Robert N. Eisenman
1987-1993, Graduate Student, Northwestern University, Laboratory of J. Douglas Engel, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology

Publications

  • McCleese JK, Bear MD, Fossey SL, Mihalek RM, Foley KP, Ying W, Barsoum J, London CA (2009) The novel HSP90 inhibitor STA-1474 exhibits biologic activity against osteosarcoma cell lines., International Journal of Oncology, In Press
  • Lin TY, Bear M, Du Z, Foley KP, Ying W, Barsoum J, London C (Oct 2008) The novel HSP90 inhibitor STA-9090 exhibits activity against Kit-dependent and -independent malignant mast cell tumors., Experimental hematology, 36 (10), 1266-77 Abstract
  • Gu W, Geddes BJ, Zhang C, Foley KP, Stricker-Krongrad A (2004) The prolactin-releasing peptide receptor (GPR10) regulates body weight homeostasis in mice., Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN, 22 (1-2), 93-103 Abstract
  • McArthur GA, Foley KP, Fero ML, Walkley CR, Deans AJ, Roberts JM, Eisenman RN, MAD1 and p27(KIP1) Cooperate To Promote Terminal Differentiation of Granulocytes and To Inhibit Myc Expression and Cyclin E-CDK2 Activity, Molecular and Cellular Biology, 22(9), 3014-23, May 2002 Abstract
  • Gross JA, Dillon SR, Mudri S, Johnston J, Littau A, Roque R, Rixon M, Schou O, Foley KP, Haugen H, McMillen S, Waggie K, Schreckhise RW, Shoemaker K, Vu T, Moore M, Grossman A, Clegg CH (Aug 2001) TACI-Ig neutralizes molecules critical for B cell development and autoimmune disease. impaired B cell maturation in mice lacking BLyS., Immunity, 15 (2), 289-302 Abstract
  • Gross JA, Johnston J, Mudri S, Enselman R, Dillon SR, Madden K, Xu W, Parrish-Novak J, Foster D, Lofton-Day C, Moore M, Littau A, Grossman A, Haugen H, Foley K, Blumberg H, Harrison K, Kindsvogel W, Clegg CH, TACI and BCMA are receptors for a TNF homologue implicated in B-cell autoimmune disease, Nature, 404(6781), 995-9, 2000 Abstract
  • Foley KP, Eisenman RN (May 1999) Two MAD tails: what the recent knockouts of Mad1 and Mxi1 tell us about the MYC/MAX/MAD network., Biochimica et biophysica acta, 1423 (3), M37-47 Abstract
  • Queva C, Hurlin PJ, Foley KP, Eisenman RN, Sequential expression of the MAD family of transcriptional repressors during differentiation and development, Oncogene, 16(8), 967-77, 1998 Abstract
  • Foley KP, McArthur GA, Queva C, Hurlin PJ, Soriano P, Eisenman RN, Targeted disruption of the MYC antagonist MAD1 inhibits cell cycle exit during granulocyte differentiation, Embo Journal, 17(3), 774-85, 1998 Abstract
  • McArthur GA, Laherty CD, Queva C, Hurlin PJ, Loo L, James L, Grandori C, Gallant P, Shiio Y, Hokanson WC, Bush AC, Cheng PF, Lawrence QA, Pulverer B, Koskinen PJ, Foley KP, Ayer DE, Eisenman RN, The Mad protein family links transcriptional repression to cell differentiation, Cold Spring Harbor Symposia On Quantitative Biology, 63, 423-33, 1998 Abstract
  • Hurlin PJ, Foley KP, Ayer DE, Eisenman RN, Hanahan D, Arbeit JM, Regulation of Myc and Mad during epidermal differentiation and HPV-associated tumorigenesis, Oncogene, 11(12), 2487-501, 1995 Abstract
  • Foley KP, Pruzina S, Winick JD, Engel JD, Grosveld F, Fraser P, The chicken beta/epsilon-globin enhancer directs autonomously regulated, high-level expression of the chicken epsilon-globin gene in transgenic mice, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), 91(15), 7252-6, 1994 Abstract
  • Ayer, D.E., Hurlin, P., Foley, K.P., Quéva, C., Eisenman, R.N, The Max transcription factor network functions in proliferation and differentiation, In Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference of the International Society of Differentiation. ISD, Japan, pp. 41-43, 1994
  • Foley KP, Leonard MW, Engel JD, Quantitation of RNA using the polymerase chain reaction, Trends in Genetics, 9(11), 380-5, November 1993 Abstract
  • Foley KP, Engel JD (May 1992) Individual stage selector element mutations lead to reciprocal changes in beta- vs. epsilon-globin gene transcription: genetic confirmation of promoter competition during globin gene switching., Genes & development, 6 (5), 730-44 Abstract
  • Engel JD, Beug H, LaVail JH, Zenke MW, Mayo K, Leonard MW, Foley KP, Yang Z, Kornhauser JM, Ko LJ (1992) cis and trans regulation of tissue-specific transcription., Journal of cell science. Supplement, 16, 21-31 Abstract
  • Gallarda JL, Foley KP, Yang ZY, Engel JD, The beta-globin stage selector element factor is erythroid-specific promoter/enhancer binding protein NF-E4, Genes and Development, 3(12A), 1845-59, December 1989 Abstract
  • Engel JD, Choi OR, Endean DJ, Foley KP, Gallarda JL, Yang ZY, Genetics and biochemistry of the embryonic to adult switch in the chicken epsilon- and beta-globin genes, Progress in Clinical and Biological Research, 316A, 89-103, 1989 Abstract
  • Engel JD, Choi OR, Endean DJ, Foley KP, Gallarda JL, Yang ZY (1989) Genetics and biochemistry of the embryonic to adult switch in the chicken epsilon- and beta-globin genes., Progress in clinical and biological research, 316A, 89-103 Abstract

Profile Details

Last Verified: 6/9/2009

COS Expertise ID #992389
Reference this profile directly: http://myprofile.cos.com/kpfoley