Matthew J. Cukierski, Ph.D.

Senior Fellow, Development

Primary Responsibilities:

Dr. Cukierski is head of Takeda San Diego's (TSD's) Development department. He supports the progression of TSD's discovery stage compounds into Takeda's global drug development pipeline. His group's mission is to ensure that TSD discovered compounds are sufficiently safe to progress into the development pipeline and, ultimately, advance into clinical trials. To achieve this goal, his group must interface with a wide variety of Discovery and Development functions, both within TSD and at other Takeda sites in the US and overseas.

Experience:

Dr. Cukierski has over 22 years of experience in drug development and has directly contributed to nonclinical safety portions of regulatory submissions for multiple FDA approved small molecule drugs and an FDA approved anti-neoplastic radioimmunotherapeutic monoclonal antibody. During his career, he has helped develop drugs intended to treat patients with cancer, gastrointestinal motility disorders, genitourinary dysfunction, metabolic and central nervous system diseases.

Prior to joining Takeda San Diego in 2008, Dr. Cukierski served as Director of Drug Safety at Theravance, Inc. in South San Francisco, CA. He was also head of nonclinical drug safety departments at Roche Palo Alto, Corixa Corp, and Coulter Pharmaceutical (acquired by Corixa), in South San Francisco. Dr. Cukierski spent the first decade of his career supporting development of ALZA's drug delivery technologies, in the process developing a strong appreciation of how delivery techniques can impact the safety, efficacy, and commercial success of a drug.

Education:

• B.S. in Biological Sciences from Stony Brook University
• Ph.D. in Anatomical Sciences from University at Buffalo, School of Medicine, Department of Anatomical Sciences
• Postdoctoral Research Morphologist and Director, Electron Microscopy Facility at University of California, Davis, Unit of Developmental and Reproductive Biology

Boards/Committees/Organizations:

• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
• Society of Toxicology
• Southern California Chapter of the Society of Toxicology
• Teratology Society
• The New York Academy of Sciences

Accomplishments/Awards:

For a Development scientist, having compounds approved by regulatory authorities for marketing authorization is the ultimate benchmark of success. Dr. Cukierski is proud to have been associated with multiple NDA/BLA approvals during his career. For his contributions towards progressing IND/NDAs, he received corporate recognition awards from both ALZA and Roche. He is also very proud of the accomplishments of the many employees that he has hired, trained, and supervised over the years. He attributes his success in large measure to their dedication, hard work, and intelligence.

In my own words:

• Aspirations for the Group I Lead:

  • My desires for the Development group are simple in scope, but are difficult to achieve. I want my group to contribute their considerable talents and experience to enable regulatory approval of TSD-discovered compounds for the betterment of patient's lives. I also want to foster a sense of pride in this site and the greater Takeda organization.

• Why I Chose My Profession:

  • Choosing science as a career was simple. I have always been interested in the association between structure and function—hence my degree from an Anatomy Department. For example, my dissertation project was an examination of the ultrastructural/electrophysiological relationships in heart muscle cells. However, my professional path as a Development Scientist has been more complex. As a graduate student, I assumed that I would have a career in academia, but during my postdoctoral fellowship, I became involved in pharmaceutical industry sponsored research studies. I was impressed at the level of detail, thought, technical precision, and peer review/oversight associated with these projects. The scientific rigor and directed nature of the pharmaceutical industry research resonated with me at that time. It still does. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the career guidance and the opportunities provided to me by a number of generous people throughout my career. Never underestimate the value of working for/with quality people – especially those willing to take a risk on you and your career. Many of my supervisors provided me with opportunities to leave my "comfort zone" – thus enabling me to acquire new skills. This wasn't always an easy process, but it has served me well in both scientific and administrative aspects of my career.

• Favorite Quote:

  • The following are two quotes that I like, both applicable to my career.

    Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity. — Louis Pasteur

    Drug development is difficult, complex, taxing work. The results of our efforts might not be realized for many years, if ever. Being tenacious is an attribute consistent with the process of drug development, and this trait has helped me prosper in this industry for more than two decades. Also, as an American working for a Japanese based corporation, I believe that perseverance is a trait valued by Takeda and it is reflected as part of a corporate history that dates back to 1781.

    Why, a four-year-old child could understand this report. Run out and find me a four-year-old child. — Groucho Marx

    A large portion of my professional life has been spent reading, editing, or writing technical reports. Frequently, people make simple things complex, rather than the reverse. At those times, I think of Groucho's request.

• The Other Side of Me:

  • Away from Takeda, my world revolves around my wife and daughter, my close friends (two and four legged variety), my home, great food and wine, music, and the beauty of exceptional design. Between work, traveling, and keeping my household running, I currently don't have much time for hobbies. I'm generally content working around the house taking care of all the "fix-it" tasks that come my way.