Peter Sampson Joins Agora as VP, Drug Discovery and Development [Press Release]
Toronto, Ontario – July 3, 2024 – M4K Pharma is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Peter Sampson as the new Vice President of Drug Discovery and Development its parent Canadian charity, Agora Open Science Trust (Agora).
In this role, Peter will lead the Medicines for Kids (“M4K”) Pharma initiative, which is using an open science partnership model to accelerate the discovery and development of affordable new treatments for childhood diseases not well served by current business models. Along with key partners including the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) and Charles River Laboratories (CRL), Peter’s work will include advancing M4K Pharma’s kinase inhibitor program targeting diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) through late preclinical and clinical development. He will also help launch an M4ND Pharma initiative, which will seek to identify and develop new drug opportunities for rare and underserved neurodegenerative diseases.
Peter brings over 20 years of experience in drug discovery and development. He began his career as a medicinal chemist at Albany Molecular Research Inc. (Curia) and has since held various R&D leadership roles at GlycoDesign Inc., Affinium Pharmaceuticals, the University Health Network (UHN), and Scientus Pharma. Notably, during his tenure at UHN, Peter led the CMC development programs for three small molecule kinase inhibitors. Most recently, he founded IntrinsiChem Consulting Inc., where he assisted several startup biotechnology companies in developing their research and business strategies.
Peter holds a BSc in Chemistry from St. Mary's University and an MSc and a PhD degree in Organic Chemistry from the University of Waterloo. He is the co-author of over 20 peer-reviewed publications and an inventor on over 20 patents.
“I am thrilled to join Agora and contribute to the mission behind M4K Pharma and M4ND Pharma,” said Peter. “The open science approach is truly innovative, and I look forward to working with the team to drive these programs forward.”
“Agora and its partners are dedicated to accelerating the discovery and development of affordable new medicines through open science,” said Max Morgan, CEO of Agora Open Science Trust. “Peter’s extensive experience and proven track record in discovery and development will be invaluable as we continue to advance our mission and expand our impact.”
For further information, please contact:
Sofia Melliou
Research Communications Specialist
About the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC)
The Structural Genomics Consortium is a global public-private partnership that seeks to accelerate drug discovery by fostering collaboration among a large network of scientists in academia and industry and making all research outputs openly available to the scientific community. The current SGC research sites are located at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Karolinska Institute, McGill University, University College, London, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, the University of Toronto and Unicamp.
About Agora Open Science Trust
Agora Open Science Trust is a Canadian charity affiliated with the SGC, with a mission is to accelerate the discovery and development of affordable new medicines through open science. Agora’s first initiative – M4K Pharma (‘Medicines for Kids’) – is using open science to drive preclinical development of a novel ALK2 inhibitor for the treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a rare pediatric brain cancer. Through the generous support of the Krembil Foundation, Agora is seeking to advance the M4K Pharma program into clinical development while establishing a second program focused on neurodegeneration called Medicines for Neurodegeneration (M4ND). Agora wholly owns subsidiary companies M4K Pharma Inc. and M4ND Pharma Inc., which act as the receptors for commercial translation of new therapeutic opportunities emerging from the M4K and M4ND initiatives, respectively. Agora’s charitable mission requires that any resulting drug products will be made affordable and accessible by these subsidiary companies and that all proceeds will be used to advance future open science initiatives and the public good.
About M4K Pharma Inc.
Based in Toronto, Canada, M4K Pharma is an open science drug development company wholly owned by Agora Open Science Trust and dedicated to finding pathways for the commercialization of affordable new medicines for rare childhood diseases. M4K is currently developing a treatment for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a rare and fatal pediatric brain cancer with no curative therapies.