Stephen J. Gardell, PhD

Dr. Gardell received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences (NY, NY). His post-doctoral training in Molecule Biology was done at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he helped pioneer the use of site-directed mutagenesis to probe enzyme catalytic mechanisms. Dr. Gardell next spent 22 years in the drug discovery divisions of several major pharmaceutical companies (Merck, Bayer, Wyeth). The disease areas that were the target of his research pursuits included thrombosis, congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis, obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. In 2009, Dr. Gardell joined the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Research Institute (SBP) in Orlando, Florida where he investigated an enzyme, nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT), which is the rate-determining step in NAD+ biosynthesis. He and his colleagues discovered small molecule activators of NAMPT that raise intracellular NAD+ levels, an effect with potential utility for a wide variety of diseases and healthy aging. While at SBP, Dr. Gardell also established a network of diverse technology cores and helped to direct the research operation. In May 2018, Dr. Gardell joined the Translational Research Institute in Orlando, Florida as a Senior Investigator where he continues his drug discovery research on NAMPT. In addition, Dr. Gardell established a Metabolomics Core at the TRI-MD which is a powerful technology platform to measure metabolites which serve to elucidate disease pathophysiology and unveil promising disease biomarkers..