Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> June 2, 2003
Dr. STANLEY T. CROOKE is Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
of Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Isis is a development stage
biopharmaceutical company that is focused on a new paradigm in drug
discovery, antisense oligonucleotides. Since Dr. Crooke and his
colleagues founded Isis in 1989, the company has grown rapidly,
completing its initial public offering in May 1991, and has reported
broad progress in antisense technology and its rapid conversion to
therapeutic product opportunities. Isis was the first company to
commercialize an antisense drug and has achieved a number of important
corporate collaborative relationships. Dr. Crooke is currently a member
of the Board of Directors of Antisense Therapeutics Limited, Toorak,
Victoria, Australia; EPIX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cambridge,
Massachusetts; Axon Instruments, Inc., Union City, California, Northern
Arizona University Arts and Sciences Advisory Council, Flagstaff,
Arizona, and BIOCOM, San Diego, California. He is a member of the IBC
Advisory Council, Current Drugs Advisory Board, the Editorial Advisory
Board of Journal of Drug Targeting and Antisense Research and
Development, the Editorial Board of Gene Therapy and Molecular Biology.
He is also Editor-in-Chief of Current Opinion in Anticancer Drugs and
Section Editor for Biologicals and Immunologicals for Expert Opinion on
Investigational Drugs. He has been appointed by the American Association
for Cancer Research to serve as a member of the California State
Legislative Committee. Prior to founding Isis, Dr. Crooke was President
of Research and Development for SmithKline Beckman Corporation (SKB). He
also coordinated the research and development activities of SKB
including its instruments, diagnostics, animal health and clinical
laboratory businesses. Prior to joining SKB, Dr. Crooke helped establish
the anticancer drug discovery and development program at Bristol Myers,
which succeeded in bringing to market a significant number of drugs. Dr.
Crooke received his MD and Ph.D. from Baylor College of Medicine,
Houston, Texas and his BS in Pharmacy from Butler University,
Indianapolis, Indiana. Profile
and how it is applied in Isis Pharmaceuticals' operations?
Dr. Crooke: Antisense technology is a new technology for
