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Scientific Staff
 Joseph A. Buettner, MS., Senior Scientist
Mr. Buettner has over 22 years experience in all aspects of drug development including small molecule, peptide (mimetic) synthesis, protein structure analysis, in vitro biochemistry assays, animal studies, and formal project development and management. Mr. Buettner came to CBI from the Bayer Corporation, Biological Products Division, in North Carolina where he held positions in discovery research, assay development and Project Management. Chief among his talents is analytical chemistry, including expertise in mass spec analysis and in particular in ES/MS and associated methods as performed on a Q TOF instrument. Mr. Buettner interacts with clients and is responsible for sample analysis within the bioorganic laboratory, including analysis of select agent toxins. He received his MS degree in Microbiology from the University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, and is the recipient of academic and industry awards. He is co-author of 8 issued patents and 19 refereed journal references.
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 Tammie Crabtree, Laboratory Manager
At CBI, Ms. Crabtree is the first point of contact for most of our customers. In her capacity as Lab Manager, Tammie prepares quotations, answers customer queries, accepts incoming orders, distributes samples for analysis and does sample follow-up. She is responsible for operational up-keep of lab equipment, management of client records and CBI's peptide and chemical inventory databases. She is considered expert in most areas of automated peptide synthesis and directs CBI's preparative HPLC lab used for peptide and protein purification. Tammie has been instrumental in helping to establish CBI's unique extraction protocol of toxins from environmental samples. Formerly with Environment 1, Inc. in Greenville, NC, Tammie came to CBI in 1998. She received the BS degree in Biology from East Carolina University and is the recipient of several academic awards.
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 Judy Ellett, MT(ASCP), QA/QC Manager
Ms. Ellett is the Manager of CBI's Quality Assurance Unit. Ellett deals directly with CBI clients who require QA oversight and whose projects must meet GLP reporting requirements. Ellett wrote the Laboratory Quality Assurance Manual for CBI and is involved in maintaining cGLP compliance for the company. Ms. Ellett has 25 years experience in the clinical laboratory and has a bachelor's degree with certification in medical technology.
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 Kevin Gilligan, Ph.D., Senior Scientist
Dr. Gilligan brings over 25 years experience in virology to CBI where he manages operations related to virology and the virology BSL-3 laboratories. Dr.Gilligan's experience in virology includes innovative work at USAMRIID where he investigated the use of transgenic mice for creating neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies directed against the Zaire strain of Ebola virus. Gilligan also helped develop and evaluate experimental vaccine candidates against Ebola virus. At GeoCenters Inc.,Gaithersburg, MD, Dr. Gilligan's group cloned and sequenced portions of the Variola genome with the aim of developing PCR diagnostic tests which would distinguish natural versus engineered strains of this virus. As founder and CEO of Innovative Genetics LLC, Hillsborough, NC, Gilligan directed efforts to manufacture reference RNAs for use in microarray analysis. Dr. Gilligan received his Ph.D. in virology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a BS degree from Salem State College. He is the author of numerous peer reviewed research papers and book chapters and the recipient of several awards as well as industry and governmental citations.
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 Russell L. Gross III, Manager, DNA Reference Lab
Russ Gross had been with Fairfax Identity Labs since 1995 when he came to CBI in 2004 as part of CBI's acquisition of FIL. In his role as Lab Manager of the DNA Reference Lab, Gross is responsible for case oversight and for coordination of all private, immigration, and state contract genetic identity work. Gross interacts with clients and customers on a daily basis. He was awarded the BS degree in Biology in 1993 from Salisbury State University, Salisbury, MD.
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 Sarah Helber, Ph.D., Senior Scientist
Dr. Helber brings 17 years of combined biotechnology and academic experience to CBI. Prior to CBI Dr. Helber was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology/Toxicology at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she supervised the research of technicians, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows in numerous projects in the areas of molecular biology and immunology At CBI, Dr. Helber designs and supervises a wide range of DNA sequencing and molecular biology projects at CBI, including whole RNA and DNA genome sequencing, gene synthesis, site-directed mutagenesis of genes, cloning, and protein expression. Dr. Helber received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA in 1986. She received her PhD in Microbiology/immunology from the Medical College of Virginia campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in 1993. Dr, Helber is author on numerous peer-reviewed publications in the area of molecular biology of erythropoeisis.
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 Charles M. Kelly, Ph.D., Director of Fairfax Identity Laboratories
Dr. Kelly joined Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc. in December 2004 with the acquisition by CBI of Fairfax Identity Laboratories (FIL), where he is the Director of the DNA Reference Laboratory. Dr. Kelly joined FIL in 1996 where he has been both head of the Paternity lab and the CODIS lab, with the exception of a one-year leave to participate in the identification of remains of the victims of the World Trade Center attack. Prior to joining FIL Dr. Kelly was a member of the faculty of the Biology Department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for seven years and Director of Parentage Analysis at Genetic Design, Inc., the largest paternity testing company at the time. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, and his Ph.D. from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. His postdoctoral research and teaching experience included time at the Anatomy Department of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH, and the Departments of Anatomy and Physiology at the Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Kelly is a member of numerous professional societies and has both published in books and peer reviewed journals as well as given numerous presentations before both scientific and civic groups.
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 Julie R. Secor McVoy, M.S., Senior Scientist
Ms. McVoy joined the Company in April, 1994 and has since been promoted to Senior Scientist. Ms. McVoy is considered an expert in all aspects of immunochemistry and immunoassay and has taken charge of the Company's efforts in assay development. Ms. McVoy received her Bachelor's degree in Biology from the College of William and Mary, and her Master of Science degree in Human Genetics from Virginia Commonwealth University, the Medical College of Virginia. Ms. McVoy is the recipient of many awards for scientific excellence and helped develop assay methods for biotinidase deficiency, including an assay that is currently used in neonatal screening programs throughout the world. Ms. McVoy is the co-author of numerous peer reviewed journal articles in the general areas of her research expertise, human biochemical genetics.
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 Gregory A. Meyers, MS., Senior Scientist
Mr. Meyers supervises CBI's high throughput DNA Services Lab. Mr. Meyers has been with CBI almost from its inception where he was a pivotal player in the initiation of many of the DNA services offered at CBI. He is considered expert in all aspects of DNA structure determination, and helped pioneer new processes of high throughput DNA sequence analysis and detection. Meyers is the co-inventor of AccuTrac , a reagent formulated at CBI to facilitate lane tracking on automated DNA sequence gels. Meyers has extensive experience in DNA sequence analysis, genotyping, and SNP detection. After five years at CBI he moved to North Carolina where he worked as both a Group Leader for genotyping and Project Manager at Icoria, Inc. (formerly Paradigm Genetics, Inc.), Research Triangle Park, NC, and a Product Manager for SNP analysis and genomic instruments, at MWG Biotech, Inc, High Point, NC. Mr. Meyers rejoined CBI in 2004. Meyers obtained his B.S. degree from Virginia Tech in Microbiology and his M.S. Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, in Molecular Biology and Genetics. In addition to his patents, Meyers is a co-author on numerous peer reviewed research papers and is the recipient of academic and industry awards and honors.
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 Amanda Miller, Ph.D., Scientist
Dr. Miller is part of the Biological Chemistries group at CBI and is considered expert in all aspects of protein purification and characterization, including all methods of chromatography and biophysical analyses. Dr. Miller has been instrumental in establishing CBI's proteomics program in 2D PAGE analyses. Dr. Miller received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Medical College of Georgia and is the author of peer reviewed research papers. Dr. Miller is also the recipient of several awards, including a prestigious Sigma Xi award for academic excellence.
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 Natesa Muthukumaraswamy, Ph.D., Senior Scientist
Dr."Swamy" joined the Company in January, 1997, as Senior Scientist. Prior to joining the Company, Swamy was on the faculty of Virginia Commonwealth University, first in the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology (1977-1992) and then in the Department of Biomedical Engineering (1992-1997). Swamy is an integral member of the peptide synthesis group, and is expert in all phases of solid-phase and solution-phase chemical synthesis of peptides and peptide analogs. Swamy received the Bachelor's and Masters degrees in Chemistry from Madras University, Madras, India, and the Doctoral degree in Organic Chemistry from the same institution. He is the co-author of more than 30 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters.
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 John Price, Ph.D. Senior Scientist
Price is an experienced organic chemist, with emphasis on problems in bioorganic chemistry and drug development. Formerly with Insmed Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Price is also considered expert in carbohydrate and alkaloid chemistry and analysis. At CBI, Price is involved in all aspects of synthetic chemistry, mass spectral analysis, and other biophysical analyses, including analysis of small molecules and select agent toxins. Price has published extensively in peer reviewed journals and is the inventor of issued and pending United States patents. Dr. Price received the Ph.D. and MS degrees in organic chemistry from Iowa State University, Ames, IA. He is a former editor for Synthetic Pathways, a review journal of natural products synthesis.
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 Russell L. Wolz, Ph.D., Group Leader
Dr. Wolz joined the Company in August, 1996, as Senior Research Scientist and has been promoted to Group Leader. Wolz heads the Company's biochemistry research services. Until 1996, Wolz was Assistant Professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and was previously an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Penn State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA. Dr. Wolz received a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Colorado State University, and the Doctoral degree from Northwestern University, in Biochemistry. Wolz is the co-author of more than 15 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters in the general areas of his research expertise, protein structure and function. Wolz is credited with co-discovery of the zinc binding motif common to all zinc-metallo proteinases. Wolz is the Principal Investigator on Phase I and Phase II Small Business Innovative Research Awards issued to the Company from the NIH and USDA, respectively.
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 Bonnie Yanchisin, Scientist
Ms. Yanchisin has been with CBI since its inception in 1992, and has worked with Dr. Harris since his arrival in Richmond in 1986. Bonnie is responsible for day-to-day operation of the amino acid analysis laboratory, which includes development of novel methods for quantitation of unusual amino acids, such as hydroxylated amino acids which appear in collagen. Her work extends to quantitation of amino acids in various matrices, and she has developed methods for analysis of free amino acids in complex matrices such as plasma, serum, and urine. Bonnie maintains and operates all instruments relevant to amino acid analysis and provides our clients with data reports and answers to technical inquiries as they pertain to amino acid analysis. She received the BS degree from High Point University, High Point, NC.
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