Extended Biography

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-Founders:  Manuel Campos, Osvaldo Lopez , Serge Martinod, and Albert Kausch

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.   

    Ig.Tech is a biotechnology start-up company specializing in the development of new therapies for disease prevention and treatment in animal health applications.  The primary focus of the company is to identify and develop antibodies with specificities and functions that will be introduced as innovative veterinary products in national and international markets.  The founders are experienced immunologists, veterinarians and scientists in the areas of animal health biologicals and plant molecular biology.  Their academic and industrial background combined with their individual networks, project management, and business development experience is specially suited to create and develop a portfolio of innovative antibody-based products.

     Ig.Tech established a large 3-year $2.9 million collaboration with a major Life Sciences company in the development of plant-derived antibody products for animal health markets worldwide.  The collaboration provided funding for Ig.Tech’s research related to this project. Together, the companies  demonstrated that antibodies are a feasible and profitable alternative to conventional and traditional animal health products. This collaboration was bought out by the investors in 2002 

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 include 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.

    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 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).

     Ophios, LLC is an agriculture biotechnology company (Peter Sellew, Amol Deshpande, Mark Sellew, and Albert Kausch) that specializes in the production and marketing of hardneck garlic varieties. 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 will introduce Fresh Green Garlic as a new vegetable commodity, 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 capability of current growers. Our production approach allows reliable year round supplies.  We think this new commodity will be well received.

lifeedu.org  Founder and President.                                                                                        

     lifeedu (pronounced, life e-d-u) is a nonprofit organization established for the creation, production, and distribution of educational materials on DNA, genetics, and modern biotechnology for middle school, high school, general undergraduate and the general public. The organization was founded to meet a growing educational need that is fundamental to the life sciences and the general education of our society.

        Currently, there is a wide disparity between the knowledge of the general public about DNA and biotechnology and the actual science and its’ applications. This gap is growing wider every day and has created a current educational crisis about DNA, how life works and biotechnology.  This lack of fundamental knowledge has resulted in much uninformed debate and even protests about biotechnology.

        The goal of lifeedu is to bridge this gap in understanding and fundamentally change the way people think about life.  The biological, health, and environmental sciences have been rapidly transformed by the introduction of DNA-based technologies that allow for the precise manipulation and examination of the genetic material of plants, animals, humans, and microbes.  The advancements have been so rapid and extensive and have far exceeded the public knowledge base that crucial decisions are being made by default.  Embryonic stem cell research, cloning, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in food, genomic research and informed consent, are current controversies.  The tools of biotechnology are currently being applied across the biological sciences to address problems in medicine, pharmacy, agricultural crop improvement, marine sciences and aquaculture, forensics, bioterrorism and public health.  The introduction of this field has been extremely rapid and has created a tremendous educational need to keep pace. A working knowledge of DNA, genetics, and biotechnology has become as fundamental to a basic education as an understanding of the solar system.  The more our society understands the fundamentals the better equipped they will be to participate, affecting career opportunities, economic development, policy and decision making, as well as general consumer education in a life long learning process.  lifeedu is dedicated to the production and development of the most reliable, comprehensive and accessible educational materials about biotechnology.  Educational kits and materials are developed in a modular approach that is auto-tutorial for both teachers and students and is fully up-datable.

        lifeedu has established a broad base of industry, academic, and government support and expertise. Our highly respected Founding Board of Directors has enabled us to attract a diverse group of talented experts.

This Founding Board of Directors initiated the program and aims to be integral in biotechnology education in the State of Connecticut and nationwide and includes the following individuals:  Directors: Albert Kausch, Ph.D. University of Rhode Island, Stephen Dellaporta, Ph. D. Yale University Elora Weringer, Ph.D. Pfizer, Inc. President, Albert Kausch, Ph.D. Co- Vice Presidents, Bioethics; Lynn Pasquerella, Ph.D. Lawrence Rothstein, Ph.D. University of Rhode Island, Vice President, Middle School and High School Curriculum Reform David Moss, Ph.D. University of Connecticut, Vice President, General and Undergraduate Education Development  T. Page Owen. Jr., Ph.D. Connecticut College Vice President, Training Program Development  Gregory Paquette, Ph.D., CLS, University of Rhode Island, Vice President, Marine Biotechnology Education Marta Gomez-Chiarri, Ph.D. University of Rhode Island, Vice President, Vocational Agricultural Education, Govind Sharma, Ph.D. Alabama A&M University, Vice President, E-Learning and Biopharmaceutical Corporate Liaisons, Paul A. Armond, Ph.D. Pfizer, Inc. Vice President, Multimedia Productions, Chip Longo

                        lifeedu makes educational materials on biotechnology, such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, videos, textbooks, written lesson plans, demonstrations, kits, and other materials to facilitate teaching and information transfer about DNA, genetics and biotechnology.  We believe it is now necessary to involve these materials and approaches throughout the life long learning educational sectors with an emphasis on introducing these materials early and throughout the education process.  Help us change the future.

Major Scientific Achievements and Contributions in Biotechnology

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.