M. Ross Johnson

M. ROSS JOHNSON, PH.D., is currently President, Chief Executive Officer
and member of the Board of Directors of Trimeris, Inc. Previously he
served as Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President of Research and
Development for Trimeris, Inc., Dr. Johnson was Chief Executive Officer
and President of Parnassus Pharmaceuticals. From 1987-1994 he was Vice
President of Chemistry at Glaxo Inc., Research Institute in North
Carolina, where he was part of the original scientific founding team.
Prior to 1987, Dr. Johnson serviced in key scientific and research
management positions with Pfizer Central Research (Groton, Conn.) from
1971-1987. Ross Johnson received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from the
University of California at Santa Barbara in 1970. Dr. Johnson has
served, with distinction, as Chairman of the Gordon Research Conference
on Natural Products and is a founder of both the International
Cannabinoid Study Group and the Glaxo-UNC Frontiers in Chemistry and
Medicine Symposia. His contributions to medicinal chemistry have been
recognized by his appointment as Adjunct Professor of Chemistry and
Adjunct Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1989, recognition for his contributions and
influence in solving problems of mutual interest in government, academia
and industry, Ross Johnson was named the first ‘Distinguished Research
Fellow’ in the Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute of
Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health.
He was an elected member of the Steering Committee of the Drug Discovery
Management Section of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturer’s Association and
has served on the Executive Committee of the American Chemical Society’s
Campaign for Chemistry. Dr. Johnson is best known for his discovery of
non-classical cannabinoid analgetics (levonantrado/Cp-55, 940) and his
extensive research resulting in the medicinal chemical
conceptualization, biochemical characterization, and the neuroanatomical
localizaton of the cannabinoid receptor. He is also discoverer of the
ultra short acting analgetic/anasthetic remifentanil (ULTIVA’), the oral
antidiabetic englitazone and the prostaglandin analog sulprostone, and
the use of viral membrane fusion inhibitors such as pentafuside (T-20)
in combination with other retrovirals. His extensive background in drug
discovery and development has resulted in over 300 scientific
publications, patents, and invited presentations. Dr. Johnson serves on
the following Boards: The Executive Committee of the Organic Chemistry
Division of the American Chemical Society, The College on the Problems
of Drug Dependence, the Inter-Company Collaboration for AIDS, the
Research Triangle Institute and the University of North Carolina
Graduate Education Advancement Board. He is a reviewer for scientific
papers to several major research publications and is on the Editorial
Advisory Boards of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, and the Journal
of Drug Development Research. He is currently chair-elect of The
Organic Division of the American Chemical Society.