Senior Scientist Specializing in Molecular and Cellular Biology, With Focus to: Immunology, Neurobiology, Molecular Parasitology, and Oncology

Expertise

• More than 20 years' experience in the fields of molecular and cellular biology, immunology and infectious diseases.
• 14 years' experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical Industry.
• Assay development and drug discovery/development specifically for immunology and autoimmune diseases.
• Immunoassay development and validation to support PK/TK/Immunogenicity studies.
• Biotherapeutic drug development.
• Biomarker research and development.
• Autoimmunity, immunology and inflammation research and development.
• Genomics.
• Infectious diseases research and development.

Experience

Undisclosed Company, Director Immunochemistry Services, 2006 - Present

• Head of staff of 76 running two sites, servicing biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients.
• Assay validation and sample analysis fully GLP compliant per FDA guidelines of 2001.
• Ensures the scientific quality and expertise of the department and consults with clients on drug discovery or development needs and establishes appropriate immunochemistry assays or programs.
• Collaborates on sales and marketing activities to assure financial and budget expectations are met.

Mountain State University, Martinsburg, WV, Adjunct Professor-Microbiology, 2005 - 2006

• Instructor teaching Microbiology and Microbiology Lab to Nursing students.

Metrigenix, (Gene Logic), Gaithersburg, MD, Vice President and Scientific Director, 2001 - 2005

• Leadership positions in both clinical and biomarker research and development and inflammation and immunity Groups.
• Developed business case for biomarkers in managing and monitoring autoimmune diseases as well as utility in diagnosis.
• Worked with business analyst to develop business model, define market size, market adoption rates and predict revenue over 5 year period.
• Collaborated with academic clinician to design initial Systemic Lupus Validation study on 300 patients; patient sampling completed, gene expression data pending final build of gene array platform.
• Served as Principal Scientist on due diligence team involved in acquisition of another company.
• Filed IP for Systemic Lupus gene set.
• Designed the Inflammation DataSuite based on gene expression profiles obtained from affymetrix microarrays.
• Worked closely with academic collaborators to acquire content, for production in moving samples through processing onto microarrays.
• Developed a proposal to use gene expression profiles for monitoring patients with autoimmune disease to find diagnostic markers for: Flare vs. remission, disease stratification and therapeutic responsiveness.
• Analyzed microarray data using bioinformatics programs developed at Gene Logic.
• Discovered sets of genes diagnostic for rheumatic autoimmune diseases such as Systemic Lupus Wegener's Granulomatosus, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriasis.
• Data analyzed using Partek for principal component analysis, Eisen's program for hierarchical clustering and cluster analysis visualized by TreeView.
• Co-inventor on patent (pending) for processing whole blood to obtain gene expression data.

Bayer Biotechnology, Berkeley, CA, Principal Research Scientist-Group Leader Immunology/Neurobiology, 2000 - 2002

• Built a group (10 people) in Immunology and Neurobiology research at Bayer Biotechnology from the ground up. Group covers cancer immunology, immunoscreening and neurobiology.
• Initiated a cell-based screening program in immunology to detect novel protein function in immunostimulation as well as immunosuppression assays.
• Initiated a cell based screening program using neural stem cells to find protein activity that guides neural differentiation. All of the Immunology leads currently obtained through screening at Berkeley have come from these two programs.
• Scientific Liaison to Bayer Central Nervous System - Therapeutic Research Area (CNS - TRA, Wuppertal, Germany).
• Member of strategic planning group to uncover new areas of CNS research pertinent to biotechnology.

Berlex Biosciences, Richmond, CA, Scientist (Level III)-Project Team Leader, 1994 - 1998

Management and Leadership skills

• Led a project team to discover inhibitors of RANTES expression utilizing high capacity screening.
• This multidisciplinary team consisted of 25 members from immunology, high throughput screening, medicinal chemistry and pharmacology.
• Developed the cell-based assay used in this screen and designed the screening tree.
• Successfully identified a compound that proceeded to chemical optimization.
• Member of Scientific Advisor committee which assessed all ongoing scientific projects at Barlex.

Scientific Research

• Evaluated astrocytoma cell lines and primary astrocytes for their ability to produce various cytokines and chemokines.
• Developed concept research examining TNF-cx and IL-1β cross-desensitization in astrocytes/astrocytoma cell lines.
• Determined the chemokine profile of the adjuvant-induced arthritis Lewis rat model and developed a chemokine specific polyclonal antibody that ameliorates disease.

MacArthur Foundation, Infection and Immunity Unit, Australia, Research Fellow, 1989 - 1993

• Genetic and biochemical analysis, proved high-level chloroquine resistance in malaria, not mediated by the P-glycoprotein homologue as previously supposed.
• Designed and executed malaria drug sensitivity assays utilizing the FACScan.
• Cloned, sequenced and expressed a member of a novel multi-gene family which was amplified in highly chloroquine resistant lines of malaria.
• Coordinated and managed two technicians on a project to map chromosome 9 of malaria using YACs and PFGE.

University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley, CA, 1980 - 1999

• Division of AIDS/Oncology, Visiting Scientist
• Intercampus Program in Molecular Parasitology, Nairobi, Kenya, Visiting Scientist
• Division of Infectious Diseases, Visiting Scientist
• Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Teaching Assistant

Honors & Publications

Academic and Professional Affiliations

• Consultant-Visiting Scientist, Division of AIDS/Oncology, San Francisco, CA.
• Characterized and expressed portions of the major receptor of Cryptosporidium parvum necessary for attachment/invasion to mammalian host cells.
• MacArthur Foundation Fellow in Infection and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia.
• Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
• USPHS Predoctoral Trainee.
• Graduate Student Representative and Social Chairman, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Berkeley, CA.
• Wilson and Albert M Flagg Scholarship from the Graduate Division, University of California, Berkeley, CA.
• United States Public Health Service (USPHS) Predoctoral Trainee.
• University Scholarship, University of California, Davis.

Publications

• Immunology/Neuroimmunology/Oncology- over 8 publications written.
• Infectious Diseases-over - 11 publications written.

Invited Presentations

• Immunology - 3 presentations.
• Infectious Diseases - 4 presentations.
• Molecular Biology - 1 presentation.

Patents

• Cryptosporidium species and isolates and for diagnosis of Cryptosporidium infections.
• Methods for enhancing gene expression analysis.
• Co-inventor on patent (pending) for processing whole blood to obtain gene expression data.

Education

• Ph.D. Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
• B.S. Bacteriology, University of California, Davis, CA