Leadership

William J. Weiss, Director

Before leading the PreClinical Research Services group, Bill was Director of Drug Evaluation at Cumbre Pharmaceuticals Inc. where he was responsible for animal efficacy models, pharmacology and all pre-clinical research and development efforts through IND submission focused on the discovery & development of new antimicrobial agents. Prior to this, he was a Group Leader in Infectious Disease Discovery Research at Wyeth Research (Pfizer), Lederle Laboratories and Schering-Plough (Merck), holding various positions of responsibility in antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal drug discovery research for over 40 years. His responsibilities included leading in vitro and in vivo evaluation of novel test articles from medicinal synthetic and natural products chemistry. He has worked on numerous antibacterial programs including the development of the marketed antibiotics; Suprax, Zosyn and Tygacil. His expertise encompasses the development of animal research models, evaluation of new and novel therapeutic agents as well as pharmacokinetic / pharmacodynamic analysis. He has authored / co-authored over 100 research presentations and journal articles.

Mark E. Pulse, Associate Director

Mark is currently the Associate Director of PreClinical Research Services group at UNTHSC where he has managed the execution of multiple in vitro and in vivo drug evaluation tests for the last 20 years. During that time, he designed and managed evaluation studies for the treatment of cancer, GI- and respiratory-associated infections, device-associated (biofilm) infections, and mold/yeast infections. He has extensive surgical experience with multiple species, has served as lead consultant on multiple internal and external projects, and mentored several undergraduate and graduate students in degree focused research projects. Mark has authored / co-authored over 60 research presentations and journal articles, and continues to annually serve as the microbiology categorial chair in the Fort Worth Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

Jerry W. Simecka, 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.