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Teams
Development of a massively-parallel, single-molecule sequencing system that is
capable of sequencing a human genome in less than a day for $1000 requires an
integrated, interdisciplinary effort. To achieve this goal, VisiGen has
assembled the following teams:
Chemistry: VisiGen's Chemistry Team selects, designs, and screens
fluorescent dyes for sequencing detection, designs and synthesizes novel
nucleotide triphosphates, and develops surface chemistries for sequencing
complex immobilization that achieves optimal enzyme activity and low background
fluorescence.
Molecular Biology: VisiGen's Molecular Biology Team designs and
engineers modified polymerase for use in VisiGen's sequencing system, identifies
optimally modified dNTPs by determining the relative efficiency at which each
modified dNTP is incorporated, and optimizes reaction efficiency and accuracy by
investigating factors that affect nucleotide incorporation.
Detection Technologies: VisiGen's Detection Team has designed
fully integrated, massively parallel single molecule detection systems for use
in production-scale DNA analysis. They are increasing the systems' sensitivity
by altering factors affecting fluorophore emission properties, including design
of the acceptor-labeled nucleotides and donor-labeled polymerase, reaction
components, and surface chemistry on which the massively parallel reactions
occur.
Software Design & Development: VisiGen's Software Team members are
inventing novel algorithms and methods for digital signal processing and
recognition, database design, statistical analysis, bioinformatics, and data
mining.
Career Opportunities: VisiGen has begun an aggressive move towards
commercialization over the next two years and is
currently recruiting new members for all
scientific teams and for management to
assist in achieving this goal. Click
here for specific
openings.
Founders
Susan
Hardin, Ph.D. -
President and CEO
Dr. Susan Hardin received an undergraduate degree in
Biology at Penn State University in 1982, and a Ph.D. in
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from
Indiana University in 1987. She performed postdoctoral
work at Brandeis University in Waltham Massachusetts.
Dr. Hardin became the Director of the Gene Technologies
Laboratory at Texas A&M University in 1991, joined the
faculty at the University of Houston as an Assistant
Professor of Biology and Biochemistry in 1995, and was
promoted to Associate Professor in 2002. In August 2005,
she resigned her tenured professorship, but retains
Adjunct Professor status.
Dr. Hardin is an active member of the Association of
Biomolecular Research Facilities and was elected to the
ABRF Executive Board. She is a 2004 American Women in
Computing, Houston, Top Women in Technology Honoree, and
was recently inducted to the American Institute of
Medical and Biological Engineering 2006 College of
Fellows. In 2006 she will also receive a Penn State Eberly College of Science Outstanding Science Alumni
Award. "The Outstanding Science alumni Awards are
presented annually to recognize and reward outstanding
Penn State alumni for their success as leaders in
science and for the impact they have had and will
continue to have on society and their professions."
Dr. Hardin's research interests are in the
areas of molecular genetics and biotechnology,
especially with respect to the mechanisms of enzymatic
DNA synthesis and DNA replication. She has published
papers on novel methods for sequencing DNA, has issued
patents, and several patents pending.
James
M. Briggs, Ph.D. -
CFO/Secretary
Dr. Briggs holds a Ph.D.
in Theoretical Organic Chemistry from Purdue University
and carried out postdoctoral studies at the University
of Houston and the University of California, San Diego.
Dr. Briggs is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry,
with joint appointments in the Departments of Chemistry
and Chemical Engineering. Dr. Briggs has 20 years of
training and experience in Computational Chemistry and
Biochemistry and has published over 65 papers in
scientific journals, with an additional 5 manuscripts
currently submitted for publication. Dr. Briggs'
research has focused on the diverse areas of the
chemical and physical properties of small organic
molecules in water and other solvents, to biomolecular
recognition, including computer-aided drug design. Dr.
Briggs also has a focus on the development of scientific
computer programs, having made important contributions
to the University of Houston Brownian Dynamics (UHBD)
computer program that is licensed to over 200 scientific
research laboratories.
Xiaolian
Gao, Ph.D.
Dr. Gao is a Professor of Biology,
Biochemistry and Chemistry, and is Director of
the Keck/IMD NMR Center at the University of Houston. Dr. Gao holds a BS degree
from the Beijing Institute of Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry
from
Rutgers University; she did post-doctoral work in NMR-based structure biology at
Columbia University Medical School. Before joining the faculty at the University of
Houston, she was a Principle Investigator at the Glaxo Research Institute. Pursuing
research in the interdisciplinary areas of chemistry and biology, she developed
novel methods for miniaturizing massively parallel synthesis of biomolecules on
microfluidic microchips and multiplex biochemical assays on the same chip
platform, established the microchip based DNA synthesis for many genomic and
proteomic applications, and demonstrated the use of microchips as pico-liter
titer plates for ultra-fast throughput and quantitative measurement of binding
and enzymatic activities. Dr. Gao is the founder of several biotechnology
companies and has extensive experience in commercialization of biotechnology
products.
Shiao-Chun
(David) Tu, Ph.D.
Dr. Tu holds his B.S.
from National Taiwan University, and both M.S. in
Nutritional Biochemistry and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from
Cornell University. After postdoctoral training at
Harvard University, Dr. Tu has been on the faculty at
University of Houston since 1977, and is currently the
John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Biology and
Biochemistry. He has been active in research in
enzymology and biotechnology, and is the recipient of
the prestigious Research Career Development Award from
the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Faculty
Excellence Award from Sigma Xi Society, the Excellence
in Research and Scholarship Award from University of
Houston, and the TOKTEN Award from The United Nations.
Dr. Tu served as a member of NIH Physical Biochemistry
Study Section, Associate Editor of Photochemistry and
Photobiology, and Treasurer of The International
Society for Bioluminescence and Chemiluminescence.
Richard
C. Willson, Ph.D. -
Founding
Chief
Technical Officer
Dr. Willson holds B.S.
and M.S. degrees from Caltech, and did his Ph.D. in
Biochemical Engineering and postdoctoral studies in
Biochemistry at MIT. With over 16 years of academic and
entrepreneurial experience, Dr. Willson is the recipient
of the prestigious Presidential Young Investigator Award
under the first Bush administration, elected Fellow of
the American Institute of Medical and Biological
Engineering, and recipient of the ACS Division of
Biochemical Technology Van Lanen award. Dr. Willson was
a founder of VisiGen, and previously of Combicat and
Actium Materials, and serves on the scientific advisory
board of Symyx Corporation, one of the Zaffaroni
companies.
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