Friday, September 19, 2008

The Mover

Drug development drives former Novartis executive Hughes to Zafgen

By Amy Castor, Special to Mass High Tech

Thomas Hughes developed a desire for understanding how drugs cure diseases and then bringing them to market at an early age. Now at 49, his two decades of experience in drug delivery should make him a perfect fit in his new role as the first CEO of Zafgen Inc. The Cambridge-based biotech startup, which focuses on treatments for obesity, is preparing its first drug for clinic next year. 

Growing up in Pennsylvania, Hughes was always curious about science and medicine. “When I was a kid, I got sick a lot,” he said. “I had pretty bad allergies and asthma, so I ended up spending a lot of time around doctors. I liked the experimental approaches they used to treat my allergies.”

When it came to education, he chose research over medical school, and went on to earn a Ph.D. in nutritional biochemistry at Tufts University. That’s when he became enamored with drug development.
“I wanted to build something,” he said. “I wanted to fix things. I wanted to identify drugs that would improve people’s lives.”  

Those aspirations led him to Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. (then Sandoz Research Institute). Thinking he would be there a few years, he ended up staying for 20. “I knew there would be growth opportunities, but I thought in five years or so, I would knock off a couple of drugs and then teach or take a job in biotech.”

He soon learned drug making is a long, involved process, and few projects get off the research bench. “I didn’t appreciate how many different levels there were to understanding a disease to the point where you can discover a drug for it.” 

That’s when he dug in. Fifteen years later, his work as head of diabetes and metabolism research led to the development of Vildagliptin, a drug for treating Type 2 diabetes that is now on the market in Europe.
“That particular experience of taking a drug from the first assay the whole way through registration was really the big education I was looking for, and it was a remarkable experience,” he said.

With drug development under his belt, Hughes looks forward to a new chapter in biotech. “Zafgen has a unique strategy to treating obesity that’s interesting and timely,” he said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for me and the industry.”

 

Amy Castor is a freelance writer in Amherst.