UNTHSC Pre-Clinical Services management / senior staff are represented by:
William J. Weiss, MS
Director
Bill was most recently Director of Drug Evaluation at Cumbre Pharmaceuticals Inc.. He was responsible for animal efficacy models, pharmacology and all pre-clinical microbiology research and development efforts focused on the discovery and development of new antimicrobial agents. Previously, he was a Group Leader in Infectious Disease Discovery Research at Wyeth Research, Lederle Laboratories and Schering-Plough and has held various positions of responsibility in antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal discovery research for over 28 years. His responsibilities included leading in vitro and in vivo evaluation of novel compounds from medicinal synthetic and natural products chemistry. He has worked on numerous antibacterial programs including the development of the marketed products, Suprax, Zosyn and Tygacil. His expertise encompasses the development of animal models, the evaluation compounds in those animal models as well as pharmacokinetic / pharmacodynamic analysis. He has authored / co-authored over 80 research presentations and journal articles.
Mark E. Pulse, MS
Assistant Director
Mark holds a Masters of Science degree in molecular microbiology and immunology, and his research at the University of North Texas Health Science Center has primarily been focused on bacterial pathogenesis and pre-clinical drug evaluation within in vivo models. For the last 5 years he has been directly involved in the development of several in vivo models that have included GI- and respiratory-associated infectious diseases, device-associated (biofilm) infections, and pharmacokinetic studies within multiple animal species. He also has experience with survival surgery in multiple animal species, including USDA species. In addition to in vivo research, his in vitro work has involved the use of multiple molecular techniques to determine important virulence pathways associated with Staphylococcus aureus infections.
Paul J. Renick, MS
Project Manager
Paul holds a Master’s Degree in Microbiology and Immunology and has worked in antibacterial pharmaceutical research for the past 15 years. The last 7 years of his career has been spent on the development of both acute and chronic in vivo infection models in rodents and large animals with an emphasis on the preclinical development of systemic and topical antibacterials. He has been directly involved in the development of a variety of models including sepsis, lung infections, skin and skin structure infections, G.I diseases, device related infections and PK/PD models. In addition to his in vivo research, he also has an extensive in vitro research background with emphasis on antimicrobial methods including biofilm models, CLSI testing methods, biochemical assays and whole cells assay methods targeting essential bacterial pathways. Paul has co-authored 23 research presentations and journal articles.
Jerry W. Simecka, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Jerry received his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and eventually became a Research Assistant Professor. In 1995, he joined the Department of Microbiology at University of North Texas Health Science Center. He is currently a Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology and Immunology. His research is focused on respiratory disease and immunity using in vivo models of infections and vaccination. In addition, research on biofilm infections is ongoing. In collaboration with Cumbre Pharmaceuticals Inc, Dr. Simecka’s lab established several in vivo models of infections and pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic analysis for discovery research. His expertise also includes analysis of immune function, mucosal immunity and immunization. He has authored over 60 manuscripts and book chapters, is a member of several grant review panels, and a past Chair of Division G of the American Society for Microbiology.