SCRANTON, PA- May 11, 2007—Chaperone Technologies, Inc., a scientific research and development company that develops antimicrobials for difficult-to-treat and drug-resistant organisms across a broad range of infectious diseases, has announced the addition of Dr. Frank Kotch to their research team.
Dr. Kotch joins Chaperone as a Senior Research Scientist in the company’s Scranton research and development facility. He brings with him a wealth of experience, most recently at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was engaged for several years in National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research involving the design, synthesis and characterization of peptides and the peptide mimetics. Dr. Kotch gained expertise in solution phase organic synthesis, NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and a range of chromatography techniques while studying as a graduate student at the University of Maryland. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Pennsylvania State University and his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Maryland. Dr. Kotch is a published author in his field and has been the recipient of many academic awards and honors. He also has several invention disclosures and patent applications to his credit.
“Dr. Kotch’s scientific accomplishments and qualifications complement our Scranton-based team and are an integral part of our ongoing research & development programs, including Chaperone’s work for the U.S. Department of Defense,” commented Kenneth Kovan, President and CEO of Chaperone Technologies. “Recruiting talent like Frank enhances not only our development programs, but exemplifies our commitment to the northeast Pennsylvania region.”
Chaperone Technologies also announced the addition of two new members to their Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Michael O. Chaney, an expert in structural biology and computer-aided drug design, and Dr. Peter Applebaum, Professor of Pathology and Director of Clinical Microbiology at The Pennsylvania State University, Milton S. Hershey Center, both join the Board.
Dr. Chaney recently retired from Eli Lilly & Company, where he worked as a senior research scientist with nearly 30 years of experience in drug-design in a range of therapeutic areas. He has structured research programs on drug-design as a Senior Research Scientist at the Beckman Institute, University of Illinois and holds various adjunct positions at Columbia University, Lehigh University and Sun Health Research Institute. Dr. Chaney has published more than 45 peer-reviewed journal articles and holds two patents in combinatorial and structure-based drug design. He has also served on numerous NIH Grant Review Panels, which dealt with drug design by supercomputing methods.
Dr. Appelbaum has been involved in the study of antimicrobial resistance for three decades, having authored over 300 articles and presented more than 400 papers on the topics of bacterial resistance, clinical management of respiratory tract infections, the methodology of identifying gram-positive and gram-negative organisms, and the role of anaerobes in clinical/in vitro infections. He has also peer reviewed many articles on the activity of antimicrobial agents against various bacteria. Dr. Appelbaum was the first to describe a clinical outbreak of infections due to drug-resistant pnemococci in South Africa in 1977, and in 2002, he described the second strain of VRSA found in the United States. He earned his M.D. and also a Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Pretoria Medical School.
“We are pleased to add Peter and Michael’s expertise to our Advisory Board,” said Kovan. “Chaperone is fortunate to be able to tap into the talent and experience of these individuals. They are both proven leaders in their respective fields and further strengthen our development capabilities.”
Founded in 2002, Chaperone Technologies, Inc. applies its expertise in molecular chaperones, microbiology, computational modeling, medicinal chemistry and screening technologies to develop novel products to combat infectious diseases. The company’s focus is on difficult-to-treat and drug-resistant bacterial pathogens. Chaperone is actively engaged in programs with the U.S. Department of Defense to counter selected Category A biowarfare threat agents. Chaperone is a portfolio company of both the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central Pennsylvania. The company’s research and development facility is located in Scranton, Pennsylvania and administrative offices in Radnor, Pennsylvania. For more information, please contact Chaperone Technologies, Inc. at 610.977.0888
