Experience

Tregeutix Inc.

• Biotechnology Research
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Co-Founder, Director

  • May 2017 - Present

  United States Tregeutix (pronounced ti·rəˈgyoo·tiks or trəˈgyoo·tiks) 🔴 Helps explain exactly how microbiota & Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are together essential for maintaining health. 🔴 Advances unique, first-in-kind antigen-specific immunotherapeutic approaches.



Sanofi Pasteur

• Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
• 200 - 300 Employee

• Principal Scientist, VaxDesign Campus

  • Sep 2011 - Oct 2015

  Orlando, Florida Area Basic Research 🔴 Immune responses in the newborn • Led team efforts to develop a novel Cord Blood-based Neonatal MIMIC® construct • Team comprised 6 to 8 colleagues, including Senior Scientists, Scientists, Associate Scientists and Research Associates 🔴 Novel approaches for in vitro human T Follicular Helper (TFH) cells • Successful in vitro antigen-specific human adult and Cord Blood-derived TFH generation • Successful in vitro antigen-specific antibody responses… Show more Basic Research 🔴 Immune responses in the newborn • Led team efforts to develop a novel Cord Blood-based Neonatal MIMIC® construct • Team comprised 6 to 8 colleagues, including Senior Scientists, Scientists, Associate Scientists and Research Associates 🔴 Novel approaches for in vitro human T Follicular Helper (TFH) cells • Successful in vitro antigen-specific human adult and Cord Blood-derived TFH generation • Successful in vitro antigen-specific antibody responses using in vitro-derived TFH cells in T:B co-cultures Technological Innovations 🔴 Novel Transwell-based MIMIC® PTE (Peripheral Tissue Equivalent) • Led team efforts in designing, developing and validating this novel in vitro construct • Enables detailed Mode of Action assessments of Immune Stimulators • Team comprised 6 colleagues, including Scientists and Research Associates • Directly trained and oversaw training of 20 colleagues 🔴 Mode of Action of Immune Stimulators such as Adjuvants • Led team efforts in use of proprietary and novel in vitro MIMIC® collagen- and Transwell-based PTE immunoassays to assess novel vaccine adjuvant candidates • Developed novel in vitro assays to assess Modes of Action and Innate Immune Signatures • Team comprised 8 colleagues, including Senior Scientists, Scientists, Associate Scientists and Research Associates

• Senior Scientist, VaxDesign Campus

  • Sep 2010 - Aug 2011

  Orlando, Florida Area 🔴 MIMIC® automated, collagen-based PTE® (Peripheral Tissue Equivalent) • Instrumental in designing, establishing and benchmarking this proprietary construct • Simulates peripheral vaccination sites • Enables interrogation of innate immune responses generated therein • Concurrently trained 6 new hires in its use 🔴 Novel two day intracellular cytokine staining immunoassay protocol • Led the effort to develop and validate • More sensitive • More streamlined work flow



VaxDesign Corporation

• United States
• Research
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior Scientist

  • Aug 2010 - Sep 2010

  Orlando, Florida Area Biotechnology company acquired by Sanofi Pasteur shortly after I joined.



NIH

• Civic and Social Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Research Fellow, Research Associate (ORAU, Kelly)

  • Feb 2002 - Dec 2009

  Scientific collaborations across a gamut of adaptive immunity 🔴 About MHC class II antigen processing & presentation • HLA-DM, an antigen processing molecule, renders BALB/c mice susceptible to the protozoan parasite, Leishmania major • Antigen processing molecules have a potent disease modulating role • Published in the Journal of Immunology in April 2009 🔴 About CD8 T cells • Brief or prolonged stimulation promotes very different mouse CD8 T cell effector functions… Show more Scientific collaborations across a gamut of adaptive immunity 🔴 About MHC class II antigen processing & presentation • HLA-DM, an antigen processing molecule, renders BALB/c mice susceptible to the protozoan parasite, Leishmania major • Antigen processing molecules have a potent disease modulating role • Published in the Journal of Immunology in April 2009 🔴 About CD8 T cells • Brief or prolonged stimulation promotes very different mouse CD8 T cell effector functions • Antigenic load has a critical immunomodulatory function in CD8 T cell responses • Published in the Journal of Immunology in April 2008 Independent immunological innovations 🔴 Mouse Hock Immunization • A novel and humane alternative to mouse footpad injection • Targets a non-load-bearing site • Minimizes unrelieved pain & distress • Induces equivalent immune responses • Recommended by the NIH Office of Animal Care and Use (OACU) Guidelines for the Research Use of Adjuvants (revised 11/14/2007, 11/13/2010, 04/10/2013, 08/24/2016, 04/24/2019) • Published (single author) in the Journal of Immunological Methods in Dec 2007 🔴 Novel Modular Lymphocyte Purification Protocol • Published (single author) in the Scandinavian Journal of Immunology in March 2008 🔴 Extensive experience in developing novel experimental models & immunoassays • Novel Mouse & Sheep immunological tolerance models that explored how the immune system tolerates self-antigens such as milk proteins that the body makes only later in life • Novel sandwich ELISAs for mouse & sheep antibody isotypes, & mouse cytokines • Extensive experience with T cell cloning, T cell hybridoma generation, T cell peptide library screens

• Visiting Fellow

  • Mar 1997 - Feb 2002

  🔴 Trained in Immunology at NIAID, NIH • Basic immunology research • Developed original sheep and mouse models of immunological tolerance • The sheep model studies contributed to a patent for oral treatment of hemophilia • Learned in vitro & in vivo immunology techniques