Neugenesis was founded by W. Dorsey Stuart, Ph.D., and other key individuals who recognized the potential commercial value of Neurospora for biotechnology applications. Neugenesis' technologies are based on original academic research performed at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine and University of Kansas Medical Center, as well as Leeds University in the UK and Flinders University in South Australia.
W. Dorsey Stuart, Ph.D. (President and CEO) has worked for four decades in the area of genetics and biology of Neurospora crassa, and has over 28 years of biotechnology experience. Dr. Stuart received his doctorate in Biology from Florida State University. He spent three years at Stanford University as a Post Doctoral Fellow in Biology and two years at Melbourne University, Australia as a Research Fellow in the Human Genetics Program at Royal Children's Hospital. Following that he joined the faculty of the Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, University of Hawaii School of Medicine and served as the Foundation Dean of Research for the School.
Prior to founding Neugenesis, he was a co-founder of Hawaii Biotechnology Group, Inc., serving on its Board and as Director of Product Development. Dr. Stuart has also consulted for several industry leaders, including Cetus Corporation, where he was recruited for his work with monoclonal antibodies. He is author of multiple patents including two for monoclonal antibodies directed against RNA-DNA hybrids that form the technical basis for the hybrid-capture detection system for human papillomavirus, cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus marketed by Digene and Invitrogen Corporations. His patents enabling the use of fungal strains for production of recombinant antibodies and antigens, and the use of fungal heterokaryons for expression and discovery provide the foundation of the Neugenesis Corporation's intellectual property portfolio.
Steven Karp (COO) has more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of operations in the medical device, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. In addition to his immediate operating responsibilities, he has directed development projects for numerous products, including biologics, small molecules, and medical devices, invasive and non–invasive, primarily for pulmonary, gastroenterological, and cardiovascular applications. Most recently his career focused on management of collaborative research and development programs, including strategic collaborations with Pfizer and Boston Scientific, each valued in excess of $100M. Immediately prior to joining Neugenesis he managed multiple product development efforts at Genentech in immunology and cardiovascular medicine from the pre-clinical stage through post marketing. His earlier career spanned multiple technologies for a variety of growth companies, public and private.
Edward B. Cambareri, Ph.D. (CSO) has over 25 years of experience in the genetics, cell and molecular biology of Neurospora crassa. Over the last 12 years, he has helped to create the integrated production, screening and diversification technology platforms developed at Neugenesis. He has been involved in obtaining external funding sources for technology development, and has served as Principle Investigator for NIH and DoD grants and contracts, as well as multiple corporate co-development contracts. His recent work has led to patents and patents pending in the areas of gene diversification, screening and vaccine production. He received his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, his M.S. in Molecular Biology from the Institute of Molecular Biology at the University of Oregon, and his B.S. from University of Washington in Seattle, WA.
Albert Wallace, CPA (CFO) has three decades of experience in development of entrepreneurial enterprises. He has served in positions as CFO, COO and CEO. His experience includes mergers and acquisitions as a business development strategy and working in technology creation enterprises. He is the founding CFO of Neugenesis. Mr. Wallace received a B.A. degree in Natural Sciences from the Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. in Business Administration from California State University, Long Beach. He is a licensed certified public accountant in Hawaii and holds a Certified Management Accountant designation from the Institute of Management Accounting.
Deborah Higgins, Executive Vice President, Vaccine Research and Development has more than 25 years of experience in infectious diseases and vaccine development. Prior to joining Neugenesis in 2009 to direct the vaccine development initiative, she spent 20 years in the vaccine development programs at Chiron (now Novartis) and Dynavax Technologies. Areas of focus included the development and use of adjuvants including MF59™ and CpGs, influenza, HIV, hepatitis B, papilloma and anthrax vaccine programs. Activities included leading early stage feasibility through preclinical development, securing $27M in program funding from NIAID, and serving as Project Leader. Her earlier experience includes positions in viral research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and CDC, with backgrounds in molecular biology and immunology.
