BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for the Senior/key personnel and other significant contributors.
Follow this format for each person. DO NOT EXCEED FOUR PAGES.
NAME
Claes Wahlestedt
eRA COMMONS USER NAME (credential, e.g., agency
login)
clawah
POSITION TITLE
Leonard M. Miller Professor (Pending),
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing,
include postdoctoral training and residency training if applicable.)
DEGREE
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
MM/YY
FIELD OF STUDY
(if applicable)
University of Lund, Sweden
M.D.
01/86
Medicine
University of Lund, Sweden
Ph.D.
05/87
Pharmacology
Kyoto University, Institute for Immunology, Kyoto,
Post-Doctoral #1
06/88
Biotechnology
Japan
Georgetown University, Fidia-Georgetown Institute
Neuropharmacology
Post-Doctoral #2
05/89
for the Neurosciences, Washington D.C., USA
& Molecular Biology
Please refer to the application instructions in order to complete sections A, B, C, and D of the Biographical
Sketch.
A. Personal Statement
I am a pharmacologist, molecular biologist, genome researcher and neuroscientist. In addition to my academic
career, I have held several leadership positions in the pharmaceutical industry and I have been involved with
smaller biotechnology companies.
B. Positions
Positions and Employment
1989-1993
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Cornell University Medical
College, New York, NY, USA (Prof. D. J. Reis, Prof. F. Plum)
1993-1997
Founding Director and Head, Astra-Zeneca Research Centre Montreal, (~150 scientists)
Montreal, Canada
1994-1997
Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal
1994-1997
Adjunct Professor of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal
1997-2004
Director, Genomics and Biotechnology, Global R&D; served on various Leadership Teams,
Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc./Pharmacia Corp./Pfizer Inc., Stockholm, Sweden/Peapack, NJ, USA
1997-2005
Founding Director, Department Chair and Professor, Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics
(~200 Scientists), Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm,
Sweden
2004-2010
Adjunct Chief Scientist, RIKEN Genomic Sciences Center, Yokohama and Wako/Tokyo, Japan
2005-2011
Professor and Director of Neuroscience Discovery, Departments of Neuroscience & Molecular
Therapeutics, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA
2011Leonard M. Miller Professor (Pending); Associate Dean for Therapeutic Innovations; Vice Chair
for Research, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Center Director, Hussman
Institute of Human Genomics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
Selected Other Recent Experience
1997- Present Core contributor to the international Fantom Mammalian Genomics/Transcriptomics Consortium,
Japan, Sweden, USA.
2000-2006
Chair, Nobel Conference Committees (Stockholm)
2000- Present Selected scientific advisory assignments for National programs: Genome Canada (Canada);
Functional Genomics Program, FUGE (Norway); Genoma Espana (Spain); Academy of Finland
(Drug 2000 Program Chair); Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, NWO (The
2006-Present
2006-2010
2008–Present
2009–Present
2006-Present
2008
2010–Present
2011
Netherlands); Netherlands Genomics Initiative, NGI (The Netherlands); Department of
Biotechnology (India); NIH Study Sections (USA): ZMH1 Special Emphasis Panel, 2009, 2010;
ETTN, 2009- Present; BGES, 2007-2010; MNG 2011-Present.
Advisory Board of Florida Center for Brain Tumor Research
Board of Directors, Florida Blood Centers, Orlando, FL
Board of Directors, St. Mary’s Medical Center, West Palm Beach, FL
Director and Program Chair (2009, 2011), Nature Publishing Group / University of Miami /
Scripps; Miami Winter Symposia
Chair, Florida Center for Universal Research to Eradicate Disease (FLCURED) (Florida
Department of Health), Tallahassee, FL)
Co-founded CURNA Inc. (acquired by OPKO Health in 2011)
Appointed by Governor Charlie Crist to the Biomedical Research Advisory Council of Florida
Carnegie Centenary Professorship Award, Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland,
Edinburgh, UK
C. Fifteen relevant peer-reviewed publications (from 193 of which 29 have been cited >100 times for a
total of >14,000 ISI citations).
1. Hollander JA, Im H, Amelio A, Kocerha J, Bali P, Lu Q, Willoughby D, Wahlestedt C, Conkright M, Kenny
PJ. Striatal microRNA controls cocaine intake through CREB signaling. Nature 466:197-202, 2010.
2. Faghihi M.A. and Wahlestedt C. Regulatory roles of natural antisense transcripts. Nature Reviews
Molecular Cell Biology 10(9):637-43, 2009.
3. FANTOM Consortium. The transcriptional network that controls growth arrest and differentiation in a
human myeloid leukemia cell line. Nature Genetics 41(5):553-62, 2009.
4. Kocerha J, Faghihi MA, Lopez-Toledano MA, Huang J, Ramsey AJ, Caron MC, Sales N, Willoughby DA,
Elmen J, Hansen HF, Orum H, Kauppinen S, Kenny PJ and Wahlestedt C. MicroRNA-219 modulates
NMDA receptor mediated neurobehavioral dysfunction. Proc Natl Acad Sci (USA) 106(9):3507-12, 2009.
5. Faghihi MA, Modarresi F, Khalil AM, Wood DE, Sahagan BG, Morgan TE Finch CE, Kenny PJ and
Wahlestedt C. Expression of a noncoding RNA is elevated in Alzheimer’s disease and drives rapid
feed-forward regulation of beta-secretase. Nature Medicine 14(7):723-30, 2008.
6. Shan G, Li Y, Zhang J, Li W, Szulwach KE, Duan R, Faghihi MA, Khalil AM, Lu L, Paroo Z, Chan AW, Shi
Z, Liu Q, Wahlestedt C, He C, Jin P. A small molecule enhances RNA interference and promotes
microRNA processing. Nature Biotechnology 26(8):933-40, 2008.
7. Wahlestedt C. Antisense and non-coding RNA transcripts as potential drug targets. Drug Disc Today 11,
(11-12), 503-8, 2006.
8. Carninci P, Sandelin A, Lenhard B, Katayama S, Shimokawa K, Ponjavic J, Semple CA, Taylor MS,
Engstrom PG, Frith MC, Forrest AR, Alkema WB, Tan SL, Plessy C, Kodzius R, Ravasi T, Kasukawa T,
Fukuda S, Kanamori-Katayama M, Kitazume Y, Kawaji H, Kai C, Nakamura M, Konno H, Nakano K,
Mottagui-Tabar S, Arner P, Chesi A, Gustincich S, Persichetti F,Suzuki H, Grimmond SM, Wells CA,
Orlando V, Wahlestedt C, et al. Genome-wide analysis of mammalian promoter architecture and
evolution. Nature Genetics 38, 626-635. 2006.
9. Katayama S, Tomary T, Kasukawa T, Waki K, Suzuki M, Nishida H, Kawai J, Suzuki H, Carninci P,
Hayashizaki Y, Wells C, Frith M, Ravasi T, Pang K, Mattick J, Hume D, Lipovich L, Engstrom PG, Mizuno
Y, Faghihi MA, Sandelin A, Chalk A, Mottagui-Tabar S, Lenhard B, Wahlestedt C. Antisense
transcription in the mammalian transcriptome. Science 309:1564-1566, 2005.
10. Carninci P*, Wahlestedt C*, et al. The transcriptional landscape of the mammalian genome. Science
309: 1559-1563, 2005. (*Core contributors)
11. Elmén J, Thonberg H, Ljungberg K, Frieden M, Westergaard M, Xu Y, Wahren B, Liang Z, Ørum H., Koch
T, Wahlestedt C. Locked nucleic acid (LNA) mediated improvements in siRNA stability and functionality.
Nucleic Acids Res 33(1), 439-447, 2005.
12. Okazaki Y*, Wahlestedt C*, et al. Analysis of the mouse transcriptome based on functional annotation of
60,770 full-length cDNAs. Nature 420:563-573, 2002. (*Core contributors)
13. Wahlestedt C, Salmi P, Good L, Kela J, Johnsson T, Hökfelt T, Broberger C, Porreca F, Lai J, Ren K,
Ossipov M, Koshkin A, Jakobsen N, Skouv J, Ørum H, Jacobsen MH, Wengel J. Potent and nontoxic
antisense oligonucleotides containing locked nucleic acids. Proc Natl Acad Sci (USA) 97: 5633-5638,
2000.
14. Wahlestedt, C., Pich, E.M., Koob G.F., Yee, F. and Heilig, M.: Modulation of anxiety and neuropeptide
Y-Y1 receptors by antisense oligodeoxynucleotides. Science, 259: 528-531, 1993.
15. Wahlestedt, C., Golanov, E., Yamamoto, S., Yee, F., Ericson, H., Yoo, H., Inturrisi, C.E. and Reis, D.J.:
Antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to the NMDA-R1 receptor channel protect cortical neurones from
excitotoxicity and reduce focal ischemic infarctions. Nature, 363: 260-263, 1993.
D. Research Support (I relocated to the USA from Sweden in 2005 and it was not possible to transfer
significant funding.)
ONGOING NIH SUPPORT
R01MH083733 (Wahlestedt/Kenny)
Role of noncoding RNAs in Schizophrenia
07/01/08 - 02/28/13
NIH/NIMH
R01DA025983 (Kenny/Wahlestedt)
09/15/08 - 06/30/13
Role of microRNAs in the Mechanisms of Drug Dependence
NIH/NIDA
R01NS063974 (Wahlestedt)
02/01/09 - 01/31/13
Regulatory RNAs as Mediators and Biomarkers in Alzheimer's Disease
NIH/NINDS
R01AA017943 (Wahlestedt)
06/01/09 - 05/31/11
NIH/NIAAA
Discovery and Development of Nociceptin Receptor Ligands in Alcohol Dependence
RC2AG03659 (Wahlestedt)
09/30/09 – 08/31/11
Noncoding RNAs As Epigenomic Modulators In Alzheimer's Disease
U01 AA018665 (Wahlestedt)
04/10/10-03/31/14
Discovery of Potent and Selective Neuropeptide Y Y2 Receptor Antagonist Probes
R01MH084880 (Wahlestedt)
04/26/10-01/31/15
Comprehensive Analysis of the FMR1 Locus Transcriptional Landscape
COMPLETED NIH SUPPORT
1 R21 NS056950-01 (plus two supplements)
07/01/06 - 06/30/09
Assay Development Relating to the HTS of the Neuropeptide Y-Y2 Receptor
1 R21 AGO29290-02
07/01/07 - 04/30/09
RNAi strategy for prolonged inhibition of BACE1
NIH/NIA
NIH/NIAAA
NIH/NIMH
NIH/NINDS
NIH/NIA
RL 1 AG032119-01 (with P. Hagerman)
09/30/07 – 06/30/10
NIH/NIA
C1 consulting subcontract: Development of targeted therapeutic agents for the treatment of FXTAS