Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Leigh Anderson

Leigh Anderson, Ph.D. is Founder and CEO of the Plasma Proteome Institute (PPI), Washington DC (www.plasmaproteome.org). The Institute aims to foster a comprehensive exploration of the proteins of human blood plasma (the plasma proteome) and the rapid application of novel protein measurements in clinical diagnostics. Most recently, Dr. Anderson has reviewed the status of the plasma proteome, and initiated programs at PPI to develop a database of proteins in plasma and a new method for measuring candidate protein markers in plasma (SISCAPA). Dr. Anderson holds more than 30 patents and has written one book and over 130 scientific publications, mainly in the areas of proteomics and its applications.

Dr. Ron Beavis

Dr. Beavis is a member of the Biomedical Research Centre at the University of British Columbia, where he also holds the Tier I Canada Research Chair in Experimental Bioinformatics. He obtained his Ph. D. in Physics at the University of Manitoba in Dr. Ken Standing’s Time-of-Flight lab. Dr. Beavis started his professional career as a NATO postdoctoral fellow at the Technical University of Munich. At Rockefeller University, he discovered most of the matrix compounds currently used for MALDI mass spectrometry and developed a new type of ion source that has become the basis of most commercial MALDI instrument designs. He joined Eli Lilly and Co. in 1997 and formed his own bioinformatics company Proteometrics in 1999. He sold Proteometrics to Genomic Solutions in 2003 and remained in private industry as a consultant until 2006.

Dr. Leonard Foster

Dr. Leonard Foster is the Canada Research Chair in Organelle Proteomics and a Michael Smith Foundation scholar. He is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia and one of the founding members of the UBC Centre for Proteome Biology. Dr. Foster began his career in protein mass spectrometry as an Assistant Research Professor in the Center for Experimental Bioinformatics at the University of Southern Denmark under the leadership of Prof. Matthias Mann. Dr. Foster’s current research program focuses on applying quantitative mass spectrometry to organelle dynamics and host-pathogen interactions. The mass spectrometry technology used in Dr. Foster’s group is particularly well suited to identify protein-protein interactions. In conjunction with this experimental work, a large part of Dr. Foster’s efforts are aimed at developing analytical software tools to aid the analysis and presentation of proteomic data.

Dr. Dave Goodlett

Dr. David Goodlett is an Associate Professor in the medicinal chemistry department at the University of Washington where he conducts research in bio-analytical mass spectrometry and directs the School of Pharmacy Mass Spectrometry Facility. His research includes hypothesis generating, discovery based efforts in proteomics and lipid A analysis of infectious Gram negative organisms as well cancers of the pancreas, prostate, blood and brain. Method development projects include writing new software to support these tasks, developing more efficient analytical methods for use on currently available commercial mass spectrometers and construction of a novel mass spectrometer that will increase efficiency of data extraction from samples of limited availability. Additionally, the laboratory is using mass spectrometry data together with /in silico/ protein structure prediction methods to associate structure (i.e. function) with gene products that have not been previously characterized. Prior to joining the University of Washington, Dr. Goodlett was the Director of Proteomics at the Institute for Systems Biology.

Dr. Steve Martin

As Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer at BG Medicine, Dr. Martin is responsible for the continued development and integration of the Company’s Molecular Systems Biology platforms. Prior to joining BG, Dr. Martin was Senior Director of the Discovery Proteomics & Small Molecule Research Center (DPSM RC) at Applied Biosystems in Framingham, Massachusetts, responsible for applied research in the fields of Proteomics and Small Molecules. This research group was formed at the beginning of 2000, initially focusing on Proteomics (Proteomics Research Center). The team focused on developing complete workflows with collaborators in a variety of applied markets, identifying gaps in these approaches and conducting basic research to better understand the key technologies that would revolutionize these fields. Prior to forming the Research Center, Dr. Martin was responsible for Research and Development in Mass Spectrometry and Chromatography.

Dr. Gregg Morin

Dr. Morin is the Head of Proteomics at the Genome Sciences Centre and Assistant Professor in the Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia. Before joining the Genome Sciences Centre, Dr. Morin spent several years in the biotechnology industry. As Vice President of Biology at MDS Proteomics in Toronto, Ontario, he led efforts to identify new therapeutic targets employing large scale protein interaction mapping and mass spectrometry. As Director of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry with Geron Corporation in Menlo Park California, Dr. Morin oversaw projects and programs focusing on telomerase biochemistry, vector biology, and functional genomics to support the company's drug discovery, cancer therapeutics, and regenerative medicine programs.