Michael Cowley

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Michael Cowley FTSE is an Australian physiologist. He is best known for his mapping of the neural circuits involved in metabolism and obesity and diabetes treatment. He is a professor in the Department of Physiology at Monash University [1] in the Faculty of Biomedical and Psychological Sciences. [2] He is also a director of the Australian diabetes drug development company, Verva Inc, and director of the Monash Obesity & Diabetes Institute] (modi). [3]

Contents

Cowley is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, a Veski Innovation Fellow and, in 2009, was awarded The Australian Science Minister's Prize for Australian Life Scientist of the Year. [4] In 2014 Cowley was the recipient of the inaugural Jacques Miller Medal for Experimental BioMedicine from the Australian Academy of Science. [5]

Cowley's work has mapped the neural circuits in the brain that sense nutrients and fat to control appetite and body weight. He has published more than 75 papers and chapters, is the inventor of 85 patents, and the co-founder of Orexigen Therapeutics, a publicly listed (NASDAQ: OREX) San Diego biotech company, where he served as the chief scientific officer until December 2008, when he returned to Monash University.[ citation needed ]

Cowley has a significant focus on public outreach, the promotion of science in schools, and better metabolic health.[ citation needed ]

Education

Cowley has a Bachelor of Science from both the University of Melbourne and Monash University. He obtained his PhD at Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research at Monash Medical Centre, before obtaining a post-doctoral fellowship at The Vollum Institute in Oregon.[ citation needed ]

Career

Cowley began his research career at Monash University and at the Prince Henry Institute of Medical Research. He then went to the US, where he was assistant professor at Oregon Health and Science University. He also worked at the biopharmaceutical company Neurocrine Biosciences in California. He later founded his own company, Orexigen Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: OREX), [6] which he took public in April 2007, raising US$255M to fund the drug development program. He is the inventor of 10 families of patent applications, has published more than 75 papers, with 85 patents relating to obesity. [7]

In 2014 Cowley was the recipient of the inaugural Jacques Miller Medal for Experimental BioMedicine from the Australian Academy of Science. [5]

In 2009 he was awarded the (Australian) Science Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year [8] and a Pfizer Australia Senior Research Fellowship.

Cowley was the inventor of several drugs, including Contrave®, which the FDA approved in 2014. [9] Previous positions held by Cowley include core director, and associate scientist at Oregon Health & Sciences University.[ citation needed ]

Memberships and affiliations

Cowley is a member of the scientific advisory board of The Centre for Obesity Research and Education (CORE), The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, and Gubra ApS, Denmark. He is also a non-executive director of Verva Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., a Victorian-based clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies to treat metabolic diseases.[ citation needed ]

Professor Cowley is member of the Society for Neuroscience and The Endocrine Society. He is a senior editor for Neuroendocrinology, and was a member of the editorial board of Endocrinology and The American Journal of Physiology.[ citation needed ]

Qualifications

Career highlights, awards, fellowships and grants

Cowley has secured funding support in excess of $18m.[ citation needed ]

Research highlights

Cowley's greatest research achievements have been to describe the fundamental physiological mechanisms of homeostasis of weight, temperature, blood pressure and heart rate. His work has shown new light on how these basic processes are physiologically regulated, and some of the causes of diseases and disorders of these processes. He has described the neural mechanisms and circuits that decode the body signals of weight (fat) and glucose stores, which has led to new treatments for both obesity and diabetes.[ citation needed ]

Cowley has invented and developed novel drugs to redress aberrant weight control and food cravings, and one of these drugs, Contrave, was approved by the FDA in 2014. [9] Cowley established and led a multinational drug target discovery program with a US University and with a global pharmaceutical company, spanning five years.[ citation needed ]

Other achievements include:[ citation needed ]

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References

  1. ↑ "Breaking the link between fat and diabetes". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 28 October 2009.
  2. ↑ Faculty of Biomedical and Psychological Sciences, www.med.monash.edu.au
  3. ↑ Monash Obesity & Diabetes Institute (modi), www.modi.monash.edu.au
  4. ↑ Australian Life Scientist of the Year, www.theaustralian.com.au
  5. 1 2 Jacques Miller Medal for Experimental BioMedicine, Australian Academy of Science
  6. ↑ Orexigen Therapeutics Inc, www.orexigen.com
  7. ↑ "Life Scientist of the Year announced - awards, diabetes, molecular biology, Neuroscience - Australian Life Scientist". www.lifescientist.com.au. Archived from the original on 31 October 2009.
  8. ↑ "CSIRO scientist wins top award for wifi technology | The Australian". Archived from the original on 8 October 2011.
  9. 1 2 "Contrave Prescribing Information" (PDF). U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
  10. 1 2 3 Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year award citation
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