Chris Larson, Ph.D.
Chris Larson's Research Focus
Dr. Larson's scientific interests are unified by matching deep understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of unmet medical needs to the predicted consequences of target biology modulation. His recent drug discovery research efforts focus on ameliorating the metabolic, energy balance, and ion activity and transport deficits in highly respiring tissues that underlie numerous poorly treated cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
Chris Larson's Bio
Before joining Sanford Burnham Prebys, Dr. Chris Larson spent six years at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where he advanced numerous candidate drugs from research to global clinical development. His most recent position at Takeda was US head, and associate global head, of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases drug discovery, in which role he expanded the company’s US research enterprise into several new disease areas, introduced new drug and therapeutic modalities into the global cardiovascular and metabolic diseases portfolio, and pioneered an open innovation academic collaboration program and a Bioenergetics Center of Excellence at the research facilities in San Diego.
Prior to Takeda, Chris held research positions of increasing responsibility at several private and public biotechnology companies. Earlier in his career, Chris helped launch and grow Karus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company based in Southampton, England, that focused on two innovative classes of small molecule cancer drugs. Prior to that, he led discovery research projects and oversaw translation of the first clinical program at Kemia, Inc., a small biotech in San Diego.
Chris earned his B.A. and Ph.D. in chemistry from Carleton College and Harvard University, respectively, and did postdoctoral research at the Salk Institute in Cancer Biology.
Why do you do what you do?
My lifetime professional goal is to participate in the creation of a novel drug that saves and extends healthy lives, and to help others do the same.
Publications
A high-capacity column for affinity purification of sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins.
Larson CJ, Verdine GL
Nucleic Acids Res 1992 Jul 11 ;20(13):3525
Purification of the major histocompatibility complex class I transcription factor H2TF1. The full-length product of the nfkb2 gene.
Potter DA, Larson CJ, Eckes P, Schmid RM, Nabel GJ, Verdine GL, Sharp PA
J Biol Chem 1993 Sep 5 ;268(25):18882-90
A DNA-bending protein interacts with an essential upstream regulatory element of the human embryonic beta-like globin gene.
Dyer MA, Naidoo R, Hayes RJ, Larson CJ, Verdine GL, Baron MH
Mol Cell Biol 1996 Mar ;16(3):829-38
Using Target Engagement Biomarkers to Predict Clinical Efficacy of MetAP2 Inhibitors.
Farrell PJ, Zopf CJ, Huang HJ, Balakrishna D, Holub C, Bilakovics J, Fanjul A, Matuszkiewicz J, Plonowski A, Rolzin P, Banerjee U, Ermolieff J, Cheruvallath ZS, McBride C, Bartkowski D, Mazur C, Pachori A, Larson CJ
J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2019 Nov ;371(2):299-308
Disruption of NOTCH signaling by a small molecule inhibitor of the transcription factor RBPJ.
Hurtado C, Safarova A, Smith M, Chung R, Bruyneel AAN, Gomez-Galeno J, Oswald F, Larson CJ, Cashman JR, Ruiz-Lozano P, Janiak P, Suzuki T, Mercola M
Sci Rep 2019 Jul 25 ;9(1):10811
MetAP2 inhibition increases energy expenditure through direct action on brown adipocytes.
Huang HJ, Holub C, Rolzin P, Bilakovics J, Fanjul A, Satomi Y, Plonowski A, Larson CJ, Farrell PJ
J Biol Chem 2019 Jun 14 ;294(24):9567-9575
Translational Pharmacology and Physiology of Brown Adipose Tissue in Human Disease and Treatment.
Larson CJ
Handb Exp Pharmacol 2019 ;251:381-424
CX3CL1-Fc treatment prevents atherosclerosis in Ldlr KO mice.
Riopel M, Vassallo M, Ehinger E, Pattison J, Bowden K, Winkels H, Wilson M, de Jong R, Patel S, Balakrishna D, Bilakovics J, Fanjul A, Plonowski A, Larson CJ, Ley K, Cabrales P, Witztum JL, Olefsky JM, Lee YS
Mol Metab 2019 Feb ;20:89-101
Chronic fractalkine administration improves glucose tolerance and pancreatic endocrine function.
Riopel M, Seo JB, Bandyopadhyay GK, Li P, Wollam J, Chung H, Jung SR, Murphy A, Wilson M, de Jong R, Patel S, Balakrishna D, Bilakovics J, Fanjul A, Plonowski A, Koh DS, Larson CJ, Olefsky JM, Lee YS
J Clin Invest 2018 Apr 2 ;128(4):1458-1470