Dr. Klaus Fink is the Head of Neurotoxin & Biotechnology Development at Merz Pharmaceuticals in Germany. Currently, he serves as a member of the BoNT EWG (expert working group), which promotes the implementation of the 3 R’s (refinement, reduction, and replacement) in BoNT potency testing. Also, Dr. Fink authored several articles, including “Experimental Conditions Substantially Influence Botulinum Toxin Potency Testing.” His research with botulinum and other toxins has produced many patents and proved beneficial to the medical community.
Fields of Research: Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Cell Biology, Neuroscience, Immunology
Dr. Andy Pickett is the Director and Founder of Toxin Science Limited in the UK. He founded the company in 2011 to continue his work on translating the science and technology of botulinum toxin into real, practical meaning for clinicians around the world. Dr. Pickett has delivered over 500 lectures on botulinum toxin and its uses and is a joint inventor on several patents relating to botulinum toxins during his 40+ years in the pharmaceutical industry. Also, he liaised with many regulatory authorities around the world, including the US Food and Drug Administration, European authorities, and the Japanese MHW (now PMDA).
Fields of Research: Injectables, Microbiology
Dr. Kodumudi Venkateswaran is the Chief Scientist at Tetracore Inc. and was the former CEO of Omni Array Biotechnology. Dr. Venkateswaran received his PhD in Biochemistry/Immunology from Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India. He published the article, “Botulinum Neurotoxin Detection Methods for Public Health Response and Surveillance.” Dr. Venkateswaran was the recipient of the Physics and Advanced Technologies Directorate Award for development and field demo of Autonomous Pathogen Detection System
Fields of Research: Biochemistry, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Biothreat Detection, Methods Development and Validation
Dr. David Hodge received a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from John Hopkins University in Molecular Virology. He was the former Senior Program Manager for Surveillance and Detection at U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Dr. Hodge has authored over 100 publications and peer reviewed research articles and serves as an associate editor and reviewer for several scientific journals. Also, he performed research at the National Institute of Health for 17 years in the fields of virology, inflammation, and signal transduction. Dr. Hodge is an expert in Chemical and Biological Threats.
Fields of Research: Cell Culture, Immunofluorescence, Flow Cytometry, Immunohistochemistry, Electrophoresis, Cloning
Dr. Karen Bunting is the Senior Director Discovery Engine at IPSEN, located in Oxfordshire, England, U.K. Also, she is a leader in biologics discovery with experience in the industrial and academic sectors. Dr. Bunting attended the University of London in Birkbeck where she received a Ph.D. in Crystallography. She was the recipient of the Ian Clark Memorial Prize for Excellence in Microbiology.
Fields of Research: Protein Biochemistry, Protein Structure, Enzyme Kinetics, Site-Directed Mutagenesis, Recombinant Protein Expression, Protein Chromatography
Dr. Lance Steward is the Head of Toxin Innovation, Biological Research, R&D Allergan Aesthetics at AbbVie. He received a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California in Irvine. Dr. Steward is widely sought after for his expertise by patients stricken with botulism. Dr. Steward holds numerous patents including one for florescence polarization assays for determining clostridial toxin activity.
Fields of Research: Biotechnology, Protein Engineering, Drug Discovery, Biotherapeutics, Molecular Biology
Dr. Michael Adler, a research pharmacologist at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command's U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. He worked with the World Health Organization to identify sources of antitoxin for the victims of a large botulism outbreak in Thailand in 2006. He is an expert in neurophysiology, inhibitor design, pharmacokinetics, and toxin research. He is also active on the prestigious Interagency Botulism Research Coordinating Committee. Adler and his team have made significant progress toward developing a treatment drug that is designed to inhibit the actions of botulinum neurotoxin inside the nerve endings that control voluntary muscles and restore normal muscle function.
Fields of Research: Neurophysiology, Neurobiology, Cellular Neuroscience, Electrophysiology
Dr. Terry Bowlin is the President and CEO of Microbiotix Inc. He holds a Ph.D. in Cell Biology/Immunology from Cleveland State University and postdoctoral research at National Institutes of Health. Dr. Bowlin has a distinguished career with over 30 years of experience in anti-infective research, development, and management experience with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Dr. Bowlin has extensive experience in drug discovery and development. He served on multiple research and development committees & global development portfolio management committees
Fields of Research: Drug discovery and development, Biotechnology, Immunology, Cell biology and Botulinum toxin research
Dr. Shashi Sharma works at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration division of Microbiology. He is an expert in microbiology and biochemistry, and has published over 50 articles, with many relating to botulinum toxin research. His research aims to improve understanding of pathogen behavior and develop more effective interventions.
Fields of Research: Microorganisms, Microbiology, Molecular Biochemistry, Botulinum Toxins, Calcium Imaging, Protein Purification
