Harleysville, Pennsylvania, United States
Experienced Contractor with a demonstrated history of working in the pharmaceuticals industry. Skilled in Cancer Research, Biotechnology, Immunofluorescence, Flow Cytometry, and Life Sciences. Strong professional with a Master of Science (M.S.) focused in Biochemistry from New York Medical College.
Innovative Senior Scientist with extensive pharmaceutical experience. Proven expertise and leadership in all aspects of In Vivo Pharmacology, from disease model development, to management of in-house and external rodent and non-human primate colonies and pharmacology studies. Extensive experience in Oncology models (implanted ectopic and orthotopic, and transgenics), support of small molecule, biologics and siRNA therapeutic programs, pharmacodynamics and efficacy studies, optical imaging (Xenogen), histology and histochemistry (IHC, IF, ISH), image analysis, cell separations, sorting and flow cytometry. Standard cell and molecular biology techniques Member of Merck West Point IACUC, Departmental Radiation Safety Officer and Coordinator of Co-op/Intern hiring for department.
Created and directed a high impact In vivo Pharmacology group within RNA Therapeutics. As the direct line manager for four scientists, my team and I established orthotopic xenograft models, immunohistochemical (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) techniques and specialized in vivo methods for the department, such as lung micro-instillation and light producing transgenic animal (LPTA mice) models. Managed the In vivo rodent studies done in house or at an external contractor site. Managed an annual budget of over a $1M and authored/co-authored the functional SOPs that led to over 40 external studies annually. Coordinated with support staff at our West Point facility to ensure successful execution of the more than 100 in house studies conducted annually. Authored and served as Principal Investigator on over 14 IACUC approved Animal Procedure Statements and was a full member of the MRL-West Point PA IACUC. Served as Principal Investigator for mouse GEM colonies bred by contract at an external site. Managed the annual budget of over $500K and worked closely with the vendors to bring costs in line with budget resources. Coordinated the implementation of Luciferase bio-luminescence In vivo Imaging studies which led to the identification of the siRNA delivery agents culminating in the development of the first pre-clinical candidate. Served as project manager for all NHP studies run externally at contractor sites. Managed an annual multimillion dollar budget and the 200 plus Rhesus and Cynomlogus Macaque colonies that enabled the successful completion of over 30 studies in 2 years. Completed the Becton Dickinson Key Operator course for the FACSJazz cell sorter.
Designed and executed as part of a multi-disciplinary team In vivo Pharmacologic studies using xenograft mouse models to identify lead small molecule inhibitors against specific targets of interest. Each program culminated in the identification of a pre-clinical candidate. Co-developed and conducted an IHC assay for the identification of small molecule inhibitors of mitosis from formalin fixed paraffin embedded tumor sections. Completed the Becton Dickinson Key Operator courses for the FACSCaliber and FACSCanto flow cytometers. Was the Key operator for both instruments. Maintained, trained and helped design studies for members of Cancer Research and others on the West Point campus. Conducted and helped design In vitro assays using immortalized human tumor cell lines to screen for lead candidates in a number of small molecule projects.
Conducted the Biochemical Quality Control Tests of Hepatitis A Virus Vaccine lots to determine suitability for use in Phase I/Phase II Clinical Studies in support of the MRL Inactivated Hepatitis A Virus Vaccine Program. This work led to the FDA approved vaccine - VAQTA for the prevention of Hepatitis A viral infection in man. Conducted recombinant DNA technology studies to support both HIV and Hepatitis A Vaccine programs. Established PCR as a standard research tool in the lab.