The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has named Giulio Draetta, M.D., Ph. D. as chief scientific officer (CSO), a new position that champions innovation, develops strong partnerships and provides focused leadership on the science and clinical translation of research programs.
He held appointments at Pharmacia and Merck, as vice president and as worldwide head of oncology drug discovery, and he has served as an investigator at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg, Germany, and the European Institute of Oncology.
Draetta spearheaded fundamental research in the biology of the eukaryotic cell division cycle and of DNA damage induced checkpoints. His research led to the discovery of the first mammalian cyclin-dependent kinase and demonstrated that cyclin-dependent kinases and cyclins physically interact and regulate multiple cell cycle transitions in eukaryotes.
He has co-founded and led biotechnology companies that have developed into successful partnerships with several pharmaceutical companies and has headed numerous drug discovery and development programs, which led to two drug approvals.