Wesley Frederick Seidel

Profile.  Mr. Seidel has devoted 35 years to sleep research.   He was a member of the Stanford University Sleep Disorders & Research Center from 1976-2002.   For the first 12 years at Stanford, Mr. Seidel was under the mentorship of Dr. William C. Dement — discoverer of REM sleep and by many considered the father of sleep disorders medicine. As laboratory director of the human sleep research facility, he conducted pharmacological studies that measured sleep and wakefulness across the entire 24 hour cycle.   He has 33 peer-reviewed publications, nine as first author.   His paper in Science reported the first head-to-head hypnotic drug efficacy trial based on an induced circadian rhythm insomnia, which thus emphasized daytime wakefulness as an efficacy measure for sleeping pills.

In 1988 he joined Dale Edgar at Stanford and helped to develop a world class automated pre-clinical bioassay of rodent sleep-wakefulness.   ‘SCORE’ gathers multiple concurrent physiological and behavioural variables in experimental animals.   During the development of this assay at Stanford University, he composed computer code (in C and C++) to automate quality control processing and graphical visualization of the data, designed and administered a relational database, and wrote SAS code to manage and to statistically evaluate the data.  

In 2001, a startup venture, Hypnion, Inc., obtained an exclusive license for the SCORE technology, owned by Stanford.   Upon joining Hypnion in February 2002, Mr. Seidel began to optimize the use of the bioassay for efficient reporting of results to senior management, and furthered all phases of the subsequent development of SCORE at Hypnion, including hardware, software and database capabilities.   He took on the additional responsibility of acting director of Hypnion’s animal research facility for a year.   In 2007, Hypnion concluded a successful drug discovery program and was purchased by Eli Lilly & Co. for $315 million.

The SCORE-2004™ technology was thereupon moved to the Lilly UK neuroscience research facility in Surrey, where Mr. Seidel assisted in the successful transition and further development of this ‘transforming’ technology.   Its state-of-the-art reliance on a database to control the flow of automated analysis of multivariate physiological data in real time has become within the company a model of the future of in vivo research.   In December 2009, he localised to the UK to continue this work.

Work & Education

Research Advisor, Eli Lilly,   2007 - current
Starting from wood crates in lab space designed to our specifications, we built a cross-functional team to operate the SCORE bioassay, integrating specialists from IT, statistics, research animal facility, mechanical, facilities engineering, and Charles River Labs (Margate).

Research Scientist, Hypnion, Inc.,   2002 - 2007
In a start-up biotech that succeeded, I managed a cross-functional team which operated the SCORE bioassay, integrating specialists from IT, research animal facility and mechanical engineering, and reported to senior management.

Life Science Research, Stanford University,   1990 - 2002
Co-invented and managed the SCORE bioassay, its database, and data visualization software (C/C++) with integrated statistical analysis.

Clinical Research, Stanford University,   1977 - 1990
Managed a human sleep research laboratory, including grant proposals, software development (C), data analysis (SAS), and peer reviewed research publications (20).

B.A. from Clark University,   ( Massachusetts, U.S.A. ), Biology / Mathematics.

Pharmacology of human and animal sleep and wakefulness
Physiology and anatomy of sleep-wake circadian rhythms
Computerized methods for data acquisition, statistical analysis, and display
Occasional reviewer for Electroencephalography & Clinical Neurophysiology, and Sleep
Drug discovery (Hypnion, Inc. and Lilly UK)

Contents

• Publications
• Publications (as co-author)
• Published notes
• Oral papers
• Extra-mural research collaborations

Publications

Seidel WF, Maze M, Dement WC, Edgar DM. Alpha-2-adrenergic modulation of sleep: time-of-day-dependent pharmacodynamic profiles of dexmedetomidine and clonidine in the rat. J Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics 1995; 275: 263-273. Full text.

Seidel WF, Cohen SA, Bliwise NG, Dement WC. Direct measurement of daytime sleepiness after cetirizine and hydroxyzine using a standardized EEG assessment. J Allergy & Clinical Immunology 1990; 86: 1029-33.

Seidel WF, Cohen SA, Bliwise NG, Dement WC. Cetirizine effects on objective measures of daytime sleepiness and performance. Annals of Allergy 1987; 59: 58-62.

Seidel WF, Cohen SA, Bliwise NG, Roth T, Dement WC. Dose-related effects of triazolam and flurazepam on a circadian rhythm insomnia. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics 1986; 40: 314-20.

Seidel WF, Roth T, Zorick F, Roehrs T, Dement WC. Treatment of a 12-hour shift of sleep schedule with benzodiazepines. Science 1984; 224: 1262-1264.

Seidel WF, Cohen SA, Bliwise NG, Dement WC. Buspirone: an anxiolytic without sedative effect. Psychopharmacology 1985; 87: 371-3.

Seidel WF, Cohen SA, Wilson L, Dement WC. Effects of alprazolam and diazepam on the daytime sleepiness of non-anxious subjects. Psychopharmacology 1985;87: 194-7.

Seidel WF, Ball S, Cohen SA, Patterson N, Yost D, Dement WC. Daytime alertness in relation to mood, performance, and nocturnal sleep in chronic insomniacs and non-complaining sleepers. Sleep 1984; 7: 230-8.

Seidel WF, Dement WC. Sleepiness in insomnia: evaluation and treatment. Sleep 1982; 5: s182-s190.

Publications (as co-author)

Vanover KE, Edgar DM, Seidel WF, Hogenkamp DJ, Fick DB, Xia H, Lan NC, Gee KW, Carter RB. Response rate suppression in an operant paradigm as a predictor of soporific potency in rats and the identification of three novel sedative-hypnotic neuroactive steroids. J Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, 1999; 291: 1317-1323.

Olive MF, Seidel WF, Edgar DM. Compensatory sleep responses to wakefulness induced by the dopamine autoreceptor antagonist (-)DS121. J Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics 1998; 285: 1073-1083.

Edgar DM, Seidel WF. Modafinil induces wakefulness without intensifying motor activity or subsequent rebound hypersomnolence in the rat. J Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics 1997; 283: 757-769.

Edgar DM, Seidel WF, Gee KW, Lan NC, Field G, Xia H, Hawkinson JE, Wieland S, Carter RB, Wood PL. CCD-3693: an orally available analog of the endogeneous neuroactive steroid, pregnanolone, demonstrates potent sedative hypnotic actions in the rat. J Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics 1997; 282: 420-429.

Trachsel L, Edgar DM, Seidel WF, Dement WC. Sleep homeostasis in suprachiasmatic nuclei-lesioned rats: effects of sleep deprivation and triazolam administration. Brain Research 1992; 589: 253-261.

Edgar DM, Seidel WF, Dement WC. Triazolam-induced sleep in the rat: influence of prior sleep, circadian time, and light/dark cycles. Psychopharmacology 1991; 105: 374-380.

Bliwise DL, Carskadon MA, Seidel WF, Nekich JC, Dement WC. MSLT-defined sleepiness and neuropsychological test performance do not correlate in the elderly. Neurobiology of Aging 1991; 12: 463-468.

Dement WC, Seidel WF, Cohen SA, Bailey RR, Rountree M, Yost D. Effects of alprazolam, buspirone and diazepam on daytime sedation and performance. Drug Investigation 1991; 3: 148-156.

Edgar DM, Seidel WF, Martin CE, Sayeski PP, Dement WC. Triazolam fails to induce sleep in SCN-lesioned rats. Neuroscience Letters 1991; 125: 125-128.

Bliwise DL, Seidel WF, Cohen SA, Bliwise NG, Dement WC. Profile of mood states changes during and after 5 weeks of nightly triazolam administration. J Clinical Psychiatry 1988; 49: 349-55.

Bliwise D, Feldman DE, Bliwise NG, Carskadon MA, Kraemer HC, North CS, Petta DF, Seidel WF, Dement WC. Risk factors for sleep disordered breathing in heterogeneous geriatric populations. J American Geriatrics Soc 1987; 35: 132-41.

Dement WC, Seidel WF, Cohen SA, Bliwise NG, Carskadon MA. Sleep and wakefulness in aircrew before and after transoceanic flights. Aviation, Space & Environmental Medicine (suppl) 1986; 57: B14-B28.

Bliwise D, Petty D, Seidel WF, Dement WC. Periodic leg movements during sleep in the elderly. Archives Gerontology & Geriatrics 1985; 4: 273-81.

Bliwise D, Seidel WF, Greenblatt DJ, Dement WC. Nighttime and daytime efficacy of oxazepam and flurazepam in chronic insomnia. American J Psychiatry 1984; 141: 191-5.

Mitler MM, Seidel WF, van den Hoed J, Greenblatt DJ, Dement WC. Comparative hypnotic effects of flurazepam, triazolam and placebo: a long-term simultaneous nighttime and daytime study. J Clinical Psychopharmacology 1984; 4: 2-13.

Dement WC, Seidel WF, Carskadon MA. Issues in the diagnosis and treatment of insomnia. In: Hindmarch I, Ott H, Roth T (eds), Sleep, Benzodiazepines and Performance (Psychopharmacology suppl 1). Springer-Verlag: Berlin; 1984, pp 12-43.

Johnson LC, Spinweber CL, Seidel WF, Dement WC. Sleep spindle delta changes during chronic use of a short-acting and a long-acting benzodiazepine. Electroencephalography & Clinical Neurophysiology 1983; 55: 662-667.

Bliwise D, Seidel WF, Karacan I, Mitler M, Roth T, Zorick F, Dement WC. Daytime sleepiness as a criterion in hypnotic medication trials: comparison of triazolam and flurazepam. Sleep 1983; 6: 156-163.

Guilleminault C, Seidel WF, Chernik DA, Dement WC. Objective long-term nocturnal and daytime evaluation of flunitrazepam. In: Koella W (ed), Sleep 1982. Karger: Basel, 1983.

Bliwise D, Seidel WF, Schanfald D, Dement WC. Short-term trial of estazolam in geriatric insomniacs. Current Therapeutic Res 1983; 34: 1009-1012.

Carskadon MA, Seidel WF, Greenblatt DJ, Dement WC. Daytime carryover of triazolam and flurazepam in elderly insomniacs. Sleep 1982; 5: 361-371.

Dement WC, Seidel WF, Carskadon MA. Daytime alertness, insomnia and benzodiazepines. Sleep 1982; 5: s28-s45.

Dement WC, Seidel WF, Carskadon MA, Bliwise D. Changes in daytime sleepiness/alertness with nighttime benzodiazepines. In: Usin E, Skolnick P, Tallman JF, Greenblatt DJ, Paul SM (eds), Pharmacology of Benzodiazepines. Macmillan: London; 1982, pp 219-28.

Published notes

Seidel WF, Dement WC. Daytime carryover of triazolam and flurazepam: the multiple sleep latency test. Sleep Research 1981; 10: 80.

Oral papers presented at professional meetings

“H3 histamine receptors and compensatory sleep responses.” Paper presented to the Association of Professional Sleep Societies, New Orleans, June 21, 1998.

“NonREM-sleep recovery in rats after various wake-promoting agents.” Paper presented to the Association of Professional Sleep Societies, Washington D.C., May 31, 1996.

“Triazolam-induced sleep in the rat: influence of prior sleep, circadian time, and light/dark cycles.” Paper presented to the Association of Professional Sleep Societies, Toronto, June 18, 1991.

“Direct measurement of daytime sleepiness after cetirizine and hydroxyzine using a standardized EEG assessment.” Paper presented at a Pfizer symposium, Naples, October 11, 1989.

“Cetirizine: effects of an investigational antihistamine on daytime wakefulness and performance.” Paper presented at a Pfizer symposium, Naples, May 29, 1987.

“Portable EEG monitoring (Medilog 9000): visual scoring reliability and recording quality.” Paper presented to the Sleep Research Society, Columbus, Ohio, June 22, 1986.

“Aircrew sleep and wakefulness before and after transoceanic flights.” Paper presented to Aerospace Medical Association, Nashville, April 23, 1986.

“Transient and persistent insomnia." Paper presented at a Wyeth-International symposium, Nuremburg, Germany, October 11, 1985.

“Computerization projects in sleep research: the state of the art at Stanford.” Paper presented to the Sleep Research Society, Seattle, July 9, 1985.

“Dose-related effects of benzodiazepines on a circadian rhythm insomnia.” Paper presented to the Sleep Research Society, Seattle, July 7, 1985.

“Treatment of simulated jet lag with benzodiazepines.” Paper presented to the Sleep Research Society, Toronto, May 30, 1984.

“Long-term efficacy of triazolam, flurazepam and placebo.” Paper presented to the Association for Psychophysiological Study of Sleep, San Antonio, June 17, 1982.

“Daytime sleepiness in chronic insomniacs.” Paper presented to the Association for Psychophysiological Study of Sleep, San Antonio, June 16, 1982.

“Benzodiazepine hypnotics and daytime sleepiness.” Paper presented to the Association for Psychophysiological Study of Sleep, Hyannis, Mass., May 26, 1980.

Extra-mural research collaborations