Founders and Management

AureoGen was founded by Ake Elhammer, Ph.D. and Jerry Slightom, Ph.D. Dr. Elhammer inspired the company’s creation and selected its business area and scope. As Chief Executive Officer he is responsible for the strategic direction, organization and business development of the company. Dr. Slightom is AureoGen’s Chief Operating Officer. His responsibilities include administrating AureoGen’s finances, human resources, supply chain, and laboratory physical operations. Because Dr. Slightom has considerable expertise in molecular biology , he is also deeply involved in the development and review of the Company scientific strategies.

Dr. Ake Elhammer has a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology, and Ph.D. in Biochemistry, from the University of Stockholm, Sweden. Dr. Elhammer did postdoctoral research a Washington University, St. Louis, MO, in the laboratory of Professor Stuart Kornfeld. Dr. Elhammer has over 19 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, primarily in biochemistry, glycobiology, molecular biology, protein expression, assay development, and enzymology. Therapeutic areas include cancer, inflammation, metabolic diseases, central nervous system (CNS) diseases and, the last four years, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal drug development. Dr. Elhammer also has previous biotech experience; he was head of the protein expression laboratory at KabiGen AB, Stockholm, Sweden, working on recombinant factor VIII, a treatment for haemophilia. Dr. Elhammer joined The Upjohn Company, in 1986. Important accomplishments include: carbohydrate work on the vaccine protein FG - a marketed product; seminal work on the importance and function of selectin ligand oligosaccharide structures in the inflammatory cascade; seminal work (first report) on the importance of selectins and their ligands in gamete interaction (fertility); cloning, expression and extensive characterization of the first polypeptide GalNAc- transferase; development of GalNAc- transferase as a cancer target, design of a screening assay and identification of specific inhibitors; development of several patented assays, including an assay for the fungal target IPC synthase; cloning, expression and purification of number of proteins, including intrinsic membrane proteins; identification and development of prolyloligopeptidase from the hypertheromophile P. furiosus, as an industrial process reagent. Dr. Elhammer’s complete CV includes 19 U.S. patents and 55 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. He received the Pharmacia Special Recognition Award in 2001. Dr. Elhammer is also Adjunct Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.

Dr. Jerry Slightom has a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill. Dr. Slightom did postdoctoral research at the University of Wisconsin, first in the Department of Pharmacology (Dr. Bernard Weisblum, Advisor) and then in the Genetics Department (Drs. Fredrick Blattner and Oliver Smithies, Advisors). Dr. Slightom has over 23 years of industrial experience in biotechnology research that ranges from plant molecular biology to the use of pharmacogenetics for the guidance of clinical trials. Dr. Slightom was the first to isolate a structural plant gene (seed storage protein gene, phaseolin) and as a result, was the first to determine that plant genes contain intervening sequences (introns). While working for the biotechnology company, Agrigenetics Advanced Research, Madison, WI, Dr. Slightom became co-inventor on a patent covering the use of Agrobacterium tumefaciens for the transfer of foreign genes into plants. Dr. Slightom joined the Upjohn Company in 1985. He established a plant antiviral program which resulted in the development of six commercial products. Most notably, Dr. Slightom was a co-developer of a virus resistant papaya. This invention saved the entire papaya industry in the state of Hawaii and Dr. Slightom was awarded (co-recipient) the 2002 Alexander von Humboldt Award. After Upjohn exited plant research, Dr. Slightom’s research focused on the use of genetic techniques to identify disease and/or susceptibility genes. This research involved working in several therapeutic areas, including antibacterials, central nervous system (CNS), cardiovascular, and inflammation. Notable collaborations include a co-directorship of the University of Michigan DNA Sequencing Core within Dr. Francis Collins at the NIH Human Genome Center; a longstanding collaboration with Prof. Morris Goodman, Wayne State University; and a collaborative effort, with Prof. Leroy Hood, University of Washington, to sequence large regions of the beta-type T-cell receptor gene family. Dr. Slightom’s complete CV includes 16 U.S. patents and 175 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and he was an Editor of GENE (1984-2003) and Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (1991-1999). Dr. Slightom was a recipient of the Pharmacia Special Recognition Award in 2001 and was appointed Pharmacia Fellow in 2003. Dr. Slightom is an Adjunct Professor in laboratory of Professor Morris Goodman, in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University, Medical School, Detroit, MI. Dr. Slightom is also Adjunct Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.

AureoGen’s Scientific Staff

AureoGen’s current scientific staff includes Xinhua Zhao, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, Brian P. Metzger, BS, Senior Research Scientist and Mea Chee, BA, Research Technician II.

Xinhua Zhao has an MS degree in Molecular Biology and Plant Pathology from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Plant Pathology from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. He did his postdoctoral research in the lab of Dr. J.R. Xu at Purdue University. Dr. Zhao has an outstanding background in fungal biology, genetics and molecular biology. He has made seminal contributions to the elucidation of the mechanisms involved in plant-pathogen interactions, cell signaling pathways and secondary metabolite synthesis, in fungi. Dr. Zhao is recipient of the National Scientific Advance Award from the Ministry of Science and Technology in China. His complete CV includes 28 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Dr. Zhao is AureoGen’s resident expert in fungal biology and molecular biology.

Brian P. Metzger has a B.S. degree in Biotechnology/Computer Information Systems from Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI. Brian was hired by Pharmacia & Upjohn in 1998 as a Quality Control Specialist, and later transferred to the Research and Development division, first working in the DNA Sequencing Core Laboratory, later in the Neurobiology unit, and finally in the Genotyping Core Laboratory. Brian joined AureoGen as a Founding Staff member in August 2003. His current position is Senior Research Scientist, and his work is centered on the isolation of NRPS genes, DNA sequencing, and bioinformatics analyses.

Mea Chee, B.A., has a degree in Accounting from Far Eastern University, Manila, Philippines. Mea joined the Upjohn Company in 1991, as a Research Technician I, working in the DNA Sequencing Core Laboratory. Mea joined AureoGen as a Founding Staff member in August 2003. Her current position is Research Technician II, and her work is centered on supporting laboratory operations, DNA purification, and support and maintenance of the ABI3700 DNA sequencer.

AureoGen’s Board of Scientific Advisors

AureoGen’s Board of Scientific Advisors includes leaders in the field of bacterial and fungal pathobiology. Current board members:

Donald C. Anderson, M.D., Chief Medical Officer. Pronai Therapeutics, Inc. Kalamazoo, MI. Dr. Anderson is a pediatrician by training and was the first to identify a disease known as leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD). Dr. Anderson is an expert in clinical trials and the development of antimicrobial drugs. He also has considerable insight into disease areas where new drugs are needed. Dr. Anderson made substantial contributions to the development of Zyvox, the first new class of antibiotics to be marketed in the past 35 years.

Jonathan Walton, Ph.D, Professor in plant biology, MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. Dr Walton is an expert in fungal biology, with particular emphasis on the biology of cyclic peptide producing fungi. He has extensive experience, both with the identification, characterization and cloning of the genes encoding cyclic peptide producing biosynthesis complexes, and with the biological mechanisms involved in their synthesis and secretion.

William A. Fonzi, Ph.D., Associate Professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Dr. Fonzi is a microbiologist and a recognized authority in yeast and fungal genetics. He is a leader in the genetics and biology of fungal pathogens and has spent a sizeable portion of his career working with Candida albicans, one of the two major human pathogens.

John A. Geiser, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University (WMU), Kalamazoo, MI. Dr. Geiser is an expert in yeast genetics and in techniques for cloning and expressing genes in yeast. He also has considerable experience in pathogen biology and has made strong contributions to the elucidation of the pathogenicity of Yersina pestis.