VP Biology

Dr. Kostura obtained his Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County under Dr. Nessly Craig, where he studied mechanisms of translational control.    Following his degree, Dr Kostura studied with Dr. Michael Mathews and Dr. Bruce Stillman at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories.  There he engaged in research to identify the biological activity of proteins identified by reactivity with  auto-antibodies from patients with autoimmune diseases.  Once such protein, PCNA, was shown to be a cofactor for DNA polymerase and as such was one of the first proteins identified as being part of the mammalian DNA replication complex.  During this time as well, Dr. Kostura completed the  first full purification and characterization of an interferon induced protein kinase, PKR,  which is involved in regulation of protein synthesis in response to viral infections.  This work clarified  the fundamental role of this kinase on protein synthesis in response to a viral infection and the mechanism by which adenovirus inhibited the kinase using small RNA transcripts.   Following his post-doctoral training Dr. Kostura joined Merck Research Laboratories in the Department of Immunology and Inflammation Research.  There he was the first to isolate and ultimately characterize interleukin-1 converting enzyme  and supported the  identification of novel inhibitors of ICE.  During this period, Dr. Kostura also characterized the  cell biology surrounding secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1beta. This lead to the first clear description of the route of IL-1 secretion and the role of ICE in the processing and secretion of IL-1beta through the plasma membrane.   During this time, Dr. Kostura began to address the use of  cell-based assays  to identify novel chemical compounds that inhibited IL-1 secretion. These first discoveries ultimately were proven to be inhibitors of p38 protein kinase.  The work lead to an increased realization of the role of high-content cell biology assays in the drug-discovery process and Dr. Kostura's transition to GlaxoSmithKline where he joined the Department of High Throughput Biology.  There,  Dr. Kostura lead a diverse, multi-disciplinary group that utilized primary cell-culture, high content imaging assays and multiplexed RNA expression analysis to identify and evaluate lead and candidate compounds for biological activity.    Dr. Kostura has over 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry,  is the author of numerous papers and presentations and is an inventor on several patents and patent applications.