John D. Furber, M.Sc.
John D. Furber, M.Sc. is the founder of
Legendary Pharmaceuticals. He
is an entrepreneur and scientist who has been studying the biology of
aging and regeneration for more than 20 years.
John earned his
Bachelor of
Arts degree in Physics and Mathematics from the University of California
at Santa Cruz in 1975, and his Master of Science degree in Biological
Sciences from the University of California at Irvine in 1990. Between
degrees, he served the United States Congress as a Technology Policy
Analyst in the Congressional Office of Technology
Assessment.
Legendary Pharmaceuticals is engaged in the discovery of
pharmaceutical drugs and gene therapies able to repair and reverse
accumulating molecular damage to subcellular mitochondria, lysosomes,
nuclei, and extracellular proteins in order to prevent and treat
serious, late-onset diseases commonly associated with
aging.
Teaching: During the 1990’s, he taught Human Biology at Skyline
College,
near San Francisco, and taught Management Decision Making at Menlo
College, near Stanford. During the 1980’s he taught Biology laboratory
courses at the University of Kentucky and the University of California.
He also started and ran a successful private tutoring service which over
the years has helped many students to learn Physics, Mathematics,
Statistics, Chemistry, Biology, and Computers.
Early career: He served four years on Capitol Hill at the Office
of
Technology Assessment. In 1979, he joined Solar Electric International,
which set up photovoltaic-powered irrigation systems for World Bank
projects in developing countries. He also started Pleasant Valley
Software Corporation (1984) with a consortium of investors from Europe,
India, Canada, and the US.
Laboratory training: In the mid-1980’s he changed careers and
began
graduate school to study the biology of aging and regeneration, first at
the University of Kentucky, and then at UC Irvine. During graduate
school, his studies emphasized Developmental and Molecular Biology. His
early laboratory projects included:
- Investigating distribution patterns of developmental pattern-formation signaling molecules during limb regeneration in the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis.
- Screening the genome of the freshwater hydra for homeobox genes which might be involved in developmental pattern-formation.
- At Genentech, he participated in purification and analysis of the cloned human insulin receptor protein.
- Teaching Biology laboratory courses at the University of Kentucky and the University of California.
