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BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY INTERACTIONS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNIVERSITY AND EXTRAMURAL COMMUNITIES The Role of Biotechnology Start-up Companies and The University I believe that in the fields of biotechnology, the lines between basic science and its applications are not as distinct as they are in other scientific endeavors, such as, say particle physics. Today’s basic science in molecular biology is immediately applied in biotechnology. Interactions with biotechnology companies are extremely valuable to today’s educational and training resources of a modern university.
Innovation should always be a possibility for students and faculty. I think that to foster and develop an environment where innovation and new growth can occur is a necessary part of growing a biotechnology program at the university. Many university faculty members have now developed companies related to their research areas. I think my past record and experience bring a lot to bear that could help the university in this area, such as licensing and tech transfer arrangements, patens, and other intellectual property as well as corporate liaisons and relationships. While URI is behind the curve in these developments, the trend and benefits are clear.
To be involved with the development of biotechnology start-up companies is important to the development of the field in Rhode Island, but also provides a rich educational resource. I believe that to actively participate in the field of biotechnology is to become involved in many levels with the industry. I am involved with biotechnology companies as they support the educational efforts including BCH 190 and lifeedu. But start-up companies are important as well. I think that innovation in biotechnology is essential to growth of the field at URI. Therefore, I have been involved with various start-up biotechnology companies and the creation of a biotechnology ‘incubator’ facility at URI.
These activities are understood as essential to the development of a competitive program in biotechnology at the University of Rhode Island. Also, these involvements have been extremely beneficial to the creation of student experiences, including paid as well as for credit internships, the development of new courses and exposure to real world scenarios in research and development.
I have now been involved with the development of three biotechnology start-up companies and a non-profit organization. These interactions have enriched the student experience at the university. I think that the university could take better advantage of these opportunities.
Through my interactions with HybriGene, I have helped fund over $150,000 in student internships over the last five years. Students in the two semester course sequence have also benefited from this program. Through HybriGene and the non-profit organization lifeedu.org I have raised funding for undergraduate and high school student participation. These funds have allowed students to conduct real hands on research training in the lab and attend international meetings.
Consequently, these students have been placed at a high rate in industry positions and in graduate schools. Giving student real skills is now essential to career placement in biotechnology. I think we should look more seriously at building a program of this type in collaboration with the larger biotechno0logy multinationals.
Below I describe two biotechnology companies that I have been involved with during my time at the University of Rhode Island.
HybriGene, Inc. Genetic Modification for Turfgrass and Cereal Improvement Dr. Albert Kausch, Vice President and Director of Research (1999-2004)
HybriGene is a stage II agricultural biotechnology company whose primary focus is the development of new products for the turfgrass seed industry and hybrid cereal crop plants through genetic modification. The company was initially established in 1999 by Dr. Thomas K. Hodges, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, and Mr. Bill L. Rose, President of Turf Seed, Inc. Dr. Hodges led a research team that developed several patentable technologies that are currently quite valuable to the agricultural biotechnology industry. HybriGene is headquartered in Oregon near Hubbard. The main company laboratory, currently located in West Kingston, Rhode Island, is a fully functional plant transgenics and plant molecular biology facility capable of performing all of the technical aspects necessary to commercialize new turf varieties with improved traits. The primary focus of the HybriGene laboratory is to produce new varieties of grasses and cereals with commercial potential. Hybrigene has received over $ 3.5 million in private and federal (SBIR) financing. With HybriGene, Inc. in collaboration with the University of Rhode Island, Dr. Kausch has developed a paid, or for-credit, student internship program in plant biotechnology, and a two semester project-based training program titled “ Modern Techniques in Biotechnology”. HybriGene has a commitment to responsible environmental biotechnology and education.
Ophios, Inc. An Agri-Food Production Company Peter Sellew, Amol Deshpande, Mark Sellew, and Albert Kausch
Ophios, LLC is an agriculture company that specializes in the production and marketing of hardneck garlic varieties. Specifically this company has developed and marketed a new vegetable called Baby Green Garlic. The popularity of garlic is on the rise in the U.S. Consumption of garlic in the US has risen from ½ pound per person in 1985 to 3.1 pounds per person in 1999. Of the total garlic harvested in the US, 60% is dehydrated, 30% is sold fresh, and 10% is processed for oil. Garlic is an excellent crop to promote as a local specialty. It can be sold in a number of forms for a number of uses. The major business objectives of Ophios are as follows: I). Develop cost effective technologies to produce large scale amounts of fresh green garlic year round as a new commercial market for grocery stores, nurseries and farmers II). Identify gourmet hardneck garlic varieties as a specialty crop from Rhode Island and file Plant Variety Protection (PVP) patents to secure licensing rights; III). Develop capabilities to create new garlic varieties using advanced plant breeding, transgenic and other biotechnology approaches Ophios has introduced Baby Green Garlic as a new vegetable, comparable to green onions or scallions, except with a mild garlic flavor. The plants appear similar to their onion relatives, also having a whitish bulb at the base of the plant instead of the familiar garlic cloves of a mature plant. Ophios has developed and patented a system to produce large scale amounts of green garlic that will be packaged and sold as fresh produce in grocery stores. We intend to produce young shoots that will be packaged as garlic sprouts, as well as scallion, and leek-sized green garlic that will be packaged and sold as fresh produce in grocery stores. Fresh Green Garlic is currently sold on a very small scale and only as a seasonally because the limited production
Agricultural Biotechnology Experience in Private Industry Brief Descriptions of Activities and Accomplishments
Pfizer, Inc. Research Scientist (1988-1992) Head of Plant Cell Culture/Corn Transformation
Research team developed first genetically modified corn plants. Directed project to develop appropriate cell culture, gene transfer and selection system for transformation of corn. (see US patent Numbers 5,489,520 and 5,550,318). Managed a team of nine research and technical assistants. Developed a project on magnetic separation of bio-macromolecules, cells and organelles (see US patent No. 5,508,164).
DeKalb Genetics Corporation Senior Research Scientist (1992-1993) Head of Yield Stability
Managed team of nine full time employees. Yield Stability; Drought Tolerance; and Transformation Technology Development in Corn, Developed project on drought tolerant maize by genetic engineering approaches with a research group of five research assistants (see US patent 5,780,709;1998).
DeKalb Genetics Corporation Senior Project Scientist (1993-1994) Head of Transformation Technology Development
Directed Transformation Technology Development in maize at DeKalb Genetics. Focus: Transformation development research in maize (see US patents, 6,281,411; 2001, 5,874,265; 1999 and 5,489,520; 1996) Established a program for Undergraduate Independent studies students and student internships between DeKalb Genetics, Connecticut College and the University of Rhode Island DeKalb Genetics Corporation Senior Project Leader (1994-1997) Transformation Technology Development Gene targeting by site directed integration via Cre/Lox system ; promoter and gene expression studies; gene silencing Development of a promoter evaluation research project to study product gene expression in transgenic maize. Evaluation of CaMV 35S, aldolase, rice actin 1, and maize adh1. Developed educational materials and tours of the facility regarding biotechnology and gene transfer to corn.
Ig. Tech, Inc. Co-Founder & Consultant 1997 Co-Founding member, as plant molecular biologist, of an effort to produce antibodies in plants for animal health care products. Raised over $2.8 million in financing. Sold company to multi-nationals.
HybriGene Inc. Vice President/Director of Research Gene Discovery and Genetic Improvement in Grasses and Cereal Crops
HybriGene Inc. is an agricultural biotechnology company focusing on genetic improvement in turfgrasses and cereal crops. Responsibilities included direction and management of the laboratory in West Kingston RI, licensing arrangements, patent preparation and intellectual property; grant (SBIR) and business plan writing, etc. HybriGene has raised over $ 3.2 million in financing. Designed transgenic laboratory for transformation of turf crops and exotic grasses and maintain direction of the Rose student internship program or undergraduates at URI. Responsible for hiring scientific all staff for molecular biology and plant transformation laboratory in West Kingston RI. Trait development and trait gene acquisition for crop improvement in alfalfa, forage, and cool-season turf species. Management of fifteen full time employees. Development of university and industry collaborations in the United States and Eastern Europe. Licensing of genes and technology. Development of University/Industry interactions. Ophios LLC Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Research: An Agri-Food Production Company specializing in Fresh Green Garlic. Established and invented a new vegetable called Fresh Green Garlic, patent pending.
Selected Major Scientific Achievements and Contributions in Biotechnology (1983-Present)
Demonstrated targeting of foreign proteins in transgenic plants. (Postdoctoral ) Four major worldwide patents. This technology has been used in all Round-up Ready crops. Co-inventor on four major world wide patents for the use of the transit peptide for targeting any foreign protein to chloroplasts in transgenic plants USA patent numbers 5,717,084; 5,728,925, 6,063,601 , and 6130366). This technology is currently applied in all Round-up Ready and many Bt driven insect resistant plants ( a total of over 140 million acres in the US, including cotton, wheat, rice, corn, and soybeans) These patents derive from work conducted during Dr. Kausch’s postdoctoral at the Rockefeller University in collaboration with Plant Genetic Systems, Inc. and Marc Van Montague’s laboratory in Gent Belgium.
Co-inventor on several major patents for corn transformation (for example, see US patent numbers 5,489,520 and 5,550,318): these patents attracted world-wide attention and had a significant affect on DeKalb stock. This work focused on development of corn transformation by microprojectile bombardment and the production of herbicide resistant plants. Additional patents in transformation related areas resulted in a related family of IP.
Designed, organized, and coordinated an effort focused on several molecular approaches to Yield Stability (for example, see US patent number 5,780,709) for traits including drought tolerance, chilling and freeze tolerance, salt tolerance and others in corn. Contributions as a co-inventor resulted in filed patent applications. Collaborated on projects related to enhanced Grain Quality.
Conceived, and to developed early technology for biological magnetic separation technology. This work resulted in two issued patents. Procedures for large scale DNA insert isolation by triple helix magnetic affinity capture (Nucleic Acids Res. 1995, 19:26) resulted in a commercially produced kit marketed by Boerhinger Mannhiem. Inventor of technology and methods for immuno-isolation of biological materials including chromosomes and organelles (see references and attached patent, US patent No. 5,508,164)
Designed five (5) Plant Transgenics Laboratory Facilities Genetic transformation technology development in many species (maize, rice, tobacco, Arabidopsis, pea, rhododendron, alfalfa, and many turfgrass species) by many techniques (Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer, biolistics, protoplast electroporation, silicon carbide-mediated direct DNA uptake, and many others). Development of novel transformation methods for plants.
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