James Christensen
Director, Translational Pharmacology

Pfizer Global Research and Development, La Jolla, CA

A self-professed science geek, James Christensen is the director of Translational Pharmacology in the Pfizer oncology therapeutic area based in La Jolla, CA. He and his team are focused on identifying personalized medicines based on cancer genetics, combination approaches and biomarker discovery. Of his colleagues, James says, "These people are extremely dedicated and some of the hardest working people I've ever met. They want to see the projects and new therapies succeed and work everyday towards that goal."

One of the highlights of James' 15 years in cancer research has surely been his work on the initial development of compound SU11248 - which was approved in 2006 under the name Sutent.^TM

As James put it, "Being able to actually see the impact on people's lives from using Sutent and some of our other new agents is just amazing." For his efforts, he was awarded the Pfizer Global R&D Achievement Award in 2006.

While he always had an affinity for science, biology and chemistry in particular, it was a dynamic graduate school professor-Dr. Robert Smart at North Carolina State University-that initially fueled his passion for signal transduction and cancer research. Though his initial post-graduate work was in hazardous waste site assessment, James soon found his niche in oncology, where he attributes his achievements to "lots of dedication and hard work. And a curious mind."

Drive and ambition in the lab translates to a competitive spirit outside of work. In his free time James enjoys competing in sports such as biking, running, baseball, softball and coaching children.