FALLS CHURCH, Va., Dec. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Inova announced today that Milton L. Brown, MD, PhD, has joined Inova where he will serve as director of the new Inova Center for Drug Discovery and Development and as deputy director for Drug Discovery for the Inova Schar Cancer Institute (ISCI). Dr. Brown is a physician scientist who has expertise in the design, synthesis, and evaluation of new drugs and is one of only a handful of physician scientists in the United States who hold a PhD in synthetic chemistry and an MD. He comes to Inova from Georgetown University Medical Center where he was founding director of the Drug Discovery Program (DDP).

Dr. Brown will bring his team of more than 20 scientists including research instructors, post-docs, technicians, graduate students, and research assistant professors to Inova. The disciplines covered by these individuals include synthetic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, cancer biology, ADME toxicity specialization, animal pathology, and spectroscopy. This team will have a strong focus on cancer drug development and getting new therapies into clinical practice more quickly where they can benefit the most patients.

"The addition of Milt and his team puts Inova squarely on the forefront of drug discovery in the United States," said Knox Singleton, CEO at Inova. "And that means better treatment options and better outcomes for patients across the Commonwealth of Virginia."

"Having Milt and his team at the Inova Schar Cancer Institute will further differentiate cancer care at Inova," said Donald "Skip" Trump, MD, and CEO, ISCI. "Cancer is not one disease and we are discovering, through genomics, proteomics and other sophisticated approaches, new and important targets in cancer cells that drive the growth and spread of cancer. Dr. Brown's life's work is about finding and developing new drugs to block those drivers – the right drug for the right patient at the right time. It's about saving lives and improving the quality of life of our patients."

Dr. Brown will work closely with Inova investigators, university partners, and regional and national biotechnology and pharmaceutical collaborators to ensure that Inova delivers the highest quality and value in clinical therapeutics science. The goal is to incorporate this science into patient care throughout the Inova health system.

"Dr. Brown is a well-known former member of the UVA faculty, and we are delighted at the opportunity to work with him again through our partnership with Inova," said Rick Shannon, Executive Vice President for Health Affairs for the University of Virginia Health System.

Dr. Brown earned his medical degree from the University of Virginia and a PhD in synthetic chemistry from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He was on the faculty at the University of Virginia from 2000 through 2006, when he accepted the position as the founding director of the Drug Discovery Program (DDP) at the Georgetown University Medical Center. He was appointed as the Edwin H. Richard and Elisabeth Richard von Matsch Endowed Chair in Experimental Therapeutics, tenured associate professor in the Department of Oncology, and associate director for the experimental therapeutics program at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC).

Dr. Brown was appointed to a four-year term by the U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services to serve as a scientific counselor on the National Toxicology Program Board. He has also served as a scientific reviewer of grants and programs for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grants, Department of Defense (DOD), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 

About Inova

Inova is a premier, not-for-profit healthcare system that leverages precision medicine to predict, prevent and treat disease, enabling individuals to live longer, healthier lives. At Inova, we serve more than 2 million people each year from the Washington, DC, metro area and beyond.

We are shaping the future of health through our integrated network of hospitals, primary and specialty care practices, emergency and urgent care centers, outpatient services and destination institutes. Our commitment to health and wellness is further reflected in our sustainable practices. Inova is home to world-class researchers, expert medical specialists and renowned scientists who are driving innovation to improve patient care, prevent disease and promote wellness. For more information, visit inova.org, or find Inova on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Kelly Schlageter
kelly.schlageter@inova.org

SOURCE Inova

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