Michael Mullan
Dr. Mike Mullan is a recognized authority on Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. Dr Mullan is a co-discoverer of the first ever genetic causes of Alzheimer's disease. Consequently, he was a co-inventor on the original patents,[1][2] covering three mutations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene. He also co-authored the nature and nature genetics paper describing these three genetic errors,[3][4][5] He was senior author on two of those manuscripts.[4][5]
Dr. Mullan's Alzheimer work resulted in identifying the most widely mutation known as the Swedish Mutation [5] that is present in familial form. Transgenic Animal models for Alzheimer Disease frequently use the Swedish Mutation to reproduce features of the disease.
Dr. Michael Mullan was trained as a physician in England receiving his medical degree from London University. He subsequently gained a PhD in molecular genetics, also from London University. He is an inventor on the patents covering the first ever genetic mutations linked to familial Alzheimer's disease. He has co-authored over 200 papers on Alzheimer's disease and related disorders—on many of which he served as senior author. He has held positions a Professorial Chair and positions as professor of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Pathology. He cofounded the Roskamp Institute, a not-for-profit, stand-alone biomedical research Institute and served in the past as the Director and CEO. The institute is funded by multiple agencies, including the NIH and the Department of Defense. The Roskamp Institute is dedicated to the discovery and development of new treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, Gulf War illness and a variety of related conditions. Dr Mullan serves as the CEO of Archer Pharmaceuticals, a for-profit spin-off of the Roskamp Institute. Archer Pharmaceuticals developed a drug which is currently in phase 3 clinical trials in nine countries in Europe.
Dr. Michael Mullan along with a team of neuroscientists at the Roskamp Institute invented the Brain Reserve Index, a numerical index that indicates risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease.
Dr. Mike Mullan has published over 200 research papers mostly on the causes and potential treatments of Alzheimer’s disease and other central nervous system diseases.
Dr. Michael Mullan is currently the CEO and Chairman of the Board for Rockcreek Pharmaceuticals.
Patent Misconduct
The United Stated District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania found Dr. Mullan to have engaged in a conspiracy to deprive Imperial College and Athena Neurosciences of ownership of the patent for the Swedish Mutation.[6] The patent was initially filed listing Mullan as the sole inventor. However, a federal jury found that Prof. John Hardy (Mullan’s Ph.D. supervisor) was a co-inventor, and that this omission was deliberately made as “a step in the furtherance of the conspiracy” as Hardy was employed by Imperial College at the time. British patent law stipulates that such inventions would be owned by the employer and not the employee.[7] The same court also ruled that Hardy and Mullan arranged to perform crucial gene sequencing in Florida rather than the UK in furtherance of that scheme.
References
- ↑ US 5877015, John Anthony Hardy, Marie-Christine Chartier-Harlin, Alison Mary Goate, Michael John Owen, Michael John Mullan, "APP770 mutant in alzheimer's disease", published 1999-03-02
- ↑ US 5795963, Michael John Mullan, "Amyloid precursor protein in alzheimer's disease", published 1998-08-18
- ↑ Goate A, Chartier-Harlin MC, Mullan M, Brown J, Crawford F, Fidani L, Giuffra L, Haynes A, Irving N, James L (1991). "Segregation of a missense mutation in the amyloid precursor protein gene with familial Alzheimer's disease". Nature 349: 704–706. doi:10.1038/349704a0. PMID 1671712.
- 1 2 Chartier-Harlin MC, Crawford F, Houlden H, Warren A, Hughes D, Fidani L, Goate A, Rossor M, Roques P, Hardy J, Mullan, M (1991). "Early-onset Alzheimer's disease caused by mutations at codon 717 of the beta-amyloid precursor protein gene". Nature 349: 844–846. doi:10.1038/353844a0. PMID 1944558.
- 1 2 3 Mullan M, Crawford F, Axelman K, Houlden H, Lilius L, Winblad B, Lannfelt L (1992). "A pathogenic mutation for probable Alzheimer's disease in the APP gene at the N−terminus of Beta-Amyloid". Nature Genetics 1 (5): 345–347. doi:10.1038/ng0892-345. PMID 1302033.
- ↑ https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/pennsylvania/paedce/2:2010cv06908/398886/345/0.pdf?ts=1376352919
- ↑ UK Patents Act, 1977, c.37
External links
- About the Roskamp Institute on the rfdn.org website.
- About the Mullan's Alzheimer Research on the Mullan Alzheimer Research.
- The mouse that trolled: the long and tortuous history of a gene mutation patent that became an expensive impediment to Alzheimer's research