››› DC and Hydrogen Gas from the metabolism of organics by genetically engineered bacteria

Innovators

Jason E Barkeloo, MA

President & Founder

Jason has over twenty years of experience as a technology entrepreneur, researcher, investor, and educator. Pilus Energy is his fourth startup.

Jason holds an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and a graduate degree in Education with certifications in biological sciences and social studies. Recently, he completed the UC Berkeley Cleantech Institute program.

As a published author, Jason frequently speaks on biotechnology, human/computer interface models, trusted computing, digital rights management, publishing, and intellectual property development.

His memberships include ACM, LES, and IEEE.

Chris Bordeaux, MBA

Hydrogen Advisor

Chris provides expert advice and analysis on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies and policies with a focus on hydrogen and biofuels. Expertise includes knowledge of renewable energy technologies, policies and key personnel at the Department of Energy and other Federal Government Agencies. He retired from the Department of Energy (DOE) in December 2005, after 32 years of Federal Government service. His career highlights include Senior Advisor to the Deputy Assistant Secretary for National Energy Policy. He led the interagency Clean Energy Technology Export Initiative. Worked closely with the US renewable energy industry and all Chinese planning organizations for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 to demonstrate green building technologies at the Olympic Village. He managed the DOE’s technology validation in the Hydrogen Program. Managed the installation of several first-time hydrogen fueling stations and hydrogen power parks throughout the US. (Founding member of the Executive Secretariat for the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy (IPHE). He worked in British Petroleum’s Washington, DC Office while completing the Federal Government’s Executive Potential Program. He provided policy analysis, training on climate change, and written guidelines on how to access federal funds. H managed and organized an international training program to assess the options to mitigate greenhouse gases in support of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. He was a member of the Country Studies Management Team: http://www.gcrio.org/CSP/webpage.html. Chris has an MBA, California Coast University and a BA in Business & Economics from Principia College.

His publications include:

Sathaye J, Meyers S (eds) 1995. Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Assessment: A Guidebook. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishing. 190p

Ramos-Mane C (ed.) 1997. Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Latin America. Proceedings of Workshop in April 1996, Montevideo, Uruguay. Climate Research, Volume 9: Nos. 1 and 2.

Sadowski M, Meyers S, Wisniewski J (eds) 1996. Methods for Assessing Greenhouse Gas Mitigation for Countries with Economies in Transition. Environmental Management special edition, vol 20, supplement 1.

Mwandosya M, WR Makundi, SP Meyers, S Wiel. 1996. Selected papers from the Regional Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Mitigation for African Countries, Arusha, Tanzania, August 28-30, 1995. The Environmental Professional Vol. 18, no. 1-134

Lee J, Zhou D, Meyer S, Sathaye J , Shown L, Wisniewski J. (eds) 1996. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Mitigation Stategies in Asia and the Pacific. Ambio 25 (4) (June)

Imaz M, Wiel S, et al. (eds) 1995. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Mitigation Options for Latin American Countries. Interciencia special edition, vol 20 no. 6 (Nov-Dec 1995).

Marland G, Molnar S, Sankovski A, Wisniewski J (eds) 1995. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Response Policies in Central and Eastern Europe. Idojaras 99: 139-451

US CSP. 1996. Proceedings of the International Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Technologies and Measures, Beijing, The People's Republic of China, November 12-15, 1996. Washington DC: US CSP.

Meyers S, Sathaye J et al (eds) 1997. Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Technologies and Measures in Developing and Transition Countries. Applied Energy. 56: 197-464.

Laura Fairbanks

Director of Logistics

Previous to working for Pilus Energy, Laura was the Operations Manager for Somatic Digital, which enabled publishers to converge print and digital assets by means of the eTouchbook Designer Suite. Laura also has been a Technical Assistant at Nielsen BuzzMetrics; an independent editing, proofreading Consultant; and a Computer Operator at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. She attended the University of Cincinnati and is currently enhancing her project management and communication/public speaking skills with professional training.

Daniel J. Hassett, PhD

Chief Science Officer, co-Founder

Currently a fully tenured professor of molecular genetics, biochemistry, and microbiology at the University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine. Dr. Hassett is an award-winning expert on cystic fibrosis, particularly as it relates to infectious microorganism. He is a frequent invited speaker, convener, and symposia presenter with over ninety scientific events thus far. He has participated in the thesis defense and/or doctoral exams for nearly thirty graduate students. Dr. Hassett manages a lab and has gained over $15M in grants and donations as a research leader.

He is a journal reviewer for the following 17 journals (in alphabetic order): Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Cell-Host and Microbe, Free Radical Biology and Medicine, Gene, Infection and Immunity, Journal of Bacteriology, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Letters in Applied Microbiology, Microbial Pathogenesis, Microbiology, Molecular Microbiology, Plant-Microbe Interactions, PloS Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Science, Trends in Microbiology Reviews.

His intellectual property developments include: 1. Streaking Jack Inoculator. A device that isolates single bacterial colonies from a mixed population in 5 seconds. With U.C. and Bell-Art Scientific. 2. OprF, a biomarker for cystic fibrosis lung disease and an anaerobic drug target. 3. Use of nitrite composition to kill pathogenic bacteria during airway and abscess infections. Aires Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA, November 2006, Toxicology completed, 8-07; Phase I human trials completed August 2008. Phase II trials-anticipated start, October 2008.

He has over one hundred cited journal articles and conference proceedings including:

  1. Yoon, S.S., R.F. Hennigan, G.M. Hilliard, U.A. Ochsner, K. Parvatiyar, M.C. Kamani, H.L. Allen, T.R. DeKievit, P.R. Gardner, U. Schwab, J.J. Rowe, B.H. Iglewski, T.R. McDermott, R.P. Mason, D.J. Wozniak, R.E.W. Hancock, M.R. Parsek, T.L. Noah, R.C. Boucher and D.J. Hassett. 2002. Pseudomonas aeruginosa Anaerobic Respiration in Biofilms: Relationships to Cystic Fibrosis Pathogenesis. Dev. Cell 3: 631-642.

  2. Ran, D.J. Hassett and G.W. Lau. 2003. Eukaryotic targets of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factor pyocyanin. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 100: 14315-14320.

  3. Yoon, S.S., R. Coakley, G.W. Lau, S.V. Lymar, A.C. Karabulut, R.F. Hennigan, S.H. Hwang, B. Gaston, G. Buettner, M.J. Schurr, J.E. Mortensen, J.L. Burns, D. Speert, R.C. Boucher and D.J. Hassett. 2006. Anaerobic Killing of Mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa With Acidified Nitrite Derivitives Under Cystic Fibrosis Airway Conditions. J. Clin. Invest. 116: 436-446.

  4. Yoon, S.S., R.F. Hennigan, A.B. Herr, S.L. Groce, E. Munck, J.D. Lipscomb, A.K. Carabulet, P.J. Kiley, S.H. Hwang, M.J. Schurr, and D.J. Hassett. 2007. Two-Pronged Survival Strategy for the Major Cystic Fibrosis Pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Lacking the Capacity to Degrade Nitric Oxide During Anaerobic Respiration. EMBO J. 26: 3662-3672.

  5. Conrady D.G., Brescia, C.C., Horii, K., Weiss, A.A., Hassett, D.J., and Herr, A.B. 2008. A zinc-dependent adhesion module is responsible for intercellular adhesion in staphylococcal biofilms. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.105:19456-61.

Randy T. Irvin, PhD

Director, Pilus Development, co-Founder

Currently is a fully tenured Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Dr. Irvin is internationally recognized for his work on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, particularly the structure and function of the pilus and its role in pathogenesis and biofilm formation. Dr. Irvin has served as past President of the Canadian Society of Microbiologists, as a section Editor for the Canadian Journal of Microbiology, and currently sits on the Scientific Advisory Board of Helix BioPharma Corp. Dr. Irvin has served, and continues to serve, as a reviewer for a variety of academic journals, and granting agencies including the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and National Institutes of Health. Dr. Irvin received over $15M in grants and research contracts.

Dr. Irvin has been involved with a number of biotech companies in a number of projects. Dr. Irvin is an inventor on 30 patents that covering a variety of applications including synthetic vaccines, carbohydrate based therapeutics, synthetic combinatorial peptide libraries, biosensors, and biofilms.

Selected publications

Hazes, B., P.A. Sastry, K. Hayakawa, R.J. Read, and R.T. Irvin. 2000. Crystal structure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAK pilin suggests a mainchain-dominated mode of receptor binding. J. Mol. Biol. 299: 1005-1017.

Keizer, D.W., C.M. Slupsky, M. Kalisiak, A.P. Campbell, M.P. Crump, P.A. Sastry, B. Hazes, R.T. Irvin, and B.D. Sykes. 2001. Structure of a pilin monomer from Pseudomonas aeruginosa: implications for the assembly of pili. J. Biological Chemistry 276:24186-24193.

Audette, G.F., R.T. Irvin and B. Hazes. 2004. Crystallographic analysis of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain K122-4 monomeric pilin reveals a conserved receptor binding architecture. Biochemistry 43:11427-11435.

Audette, G.F., E. van Schaik, B. Hazes and R.T. Irvin. 2004. DNA-Binding Protein Nanotubes: Learning From Nature's Nanotech Examples. Nano Lett. 4: 1897-1902. DOI: 10.1021/nl048942f .

Van Schaik, E.J., C.L. Giltner, G.F. Audette, D.W. Keizer, D.L. Bautista, C.M. Slupsky, B.D. Sykes, and R.T. Irvin. 2005. DNA binding: a novel function of Pseudomonas aeruginosa type IV pili. J. Bacteriol. 187:1455-1464.

Giltner, C.L., E.J. van Schaik, G.F. Audette, D. Kao, R.S. Hodges, D.J. Hassett, and R. T. Irvin. 2006. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Type IV Pilin Receptor Binding Domain Functions as an Adhesin for Binding to Both Biotic and Abiotic Surfaces. Molec. Microbiol. 59:1083–1096. published online early December 12,2005 doi:10.1111/j.1365-2958.2005.05002.x.

Kao, D.J., E.A.M. Churchill, R.T. Irvin, and R.S. Hodges. 2007. Animal protection and structural studies of a consensus sequence vaccine targeting the receptor binding domain of the type IV pilus of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J. Mol. Biol. 374(2):426-42.

Yu, B., C.L. Giltner, E.J. van Schaik, D.L. Bautista, R.S. Hodges, G.F. Audette, D.Y. Li, and R.T. Irvin. 2007. A novel biometallic interface: high affinity tip-associated binding by pilin-derived protein nanotubes. J. Bionanosci. 1:73–83.

R. Everett Langford, PhD

Environmental Engineering Advisor

Dr. Roland Everett Langford has almost 40 years experience in environmental protection, occupational safety and health, and radiation protection. He holds Ph.D. degrees in Physical Chemistry from the University of Georgia with a minor in Geology and in Radiation Health Physics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a minor in Industrial Hygiene, as well as a Masters degree (M.S.) in thermodynamics from the University of Georgia. In addition to academic degrees, he is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), a Certified Safety Professional (CSP), a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of Texas, a Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA), a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists, a Diplomate of the American Academy of Sanitarians (DAAS), a Registered Hazardous Materials Professional (RHSP), and a registered Sanitarian (RS). Dr. Langford is the author or co-author of three books (on Hazardous Materials Incidents, Workplace Drug Abuse, and Weapons of Mass Destruction). He served for twenty years in the U.S. Army Medical Department, retiring in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, following command of the Army Research Detachment for Toxicology of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. He has worked in industry for over ten years, and has international work experience in Bosnia, Croatia, Korea, and Peoples Republic of China. Prior to his military career, he was a college professor of chemistry and geology. Dr. Langford's hobbies include Asian studies, photography, and amateur (ham) radio.

His certifications include: •Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), American Board of Industrial Hygiene, Comprehensive Practice, Number 3284.

•Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals, Number 15180.

•Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA), Board of Environmental, Health and Safety Auditors Certifications (BEAC), Number 513.

•Professional Engineer (PE), General Engineering Sciences, State of Texas, Number 96365.

•Registered Hazardous Substances Professional (RHSP), National Environmental Health Association, Number 51.

•Registered Sanitarian (RS), National Environmental Health Association, Number 83277.

Selected publications include:

R.E. Langford, "Applications of Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate," presented as part of Professional Development Course 412 ("Isocyanates: Current Issues in Toxicology, Occupational Medicine, Industrial Hygiene, and Regulation") at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, May 31, 2009.

R.E. Langford, "ERPGs as Community Exposure Standards," presented at Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, Houston, TX, January 15, 2009.

R.E. Langford, "Incorporating EHS into Project Management," presented at JW Pearson 2nd Annual Process Industry Engineering Conference, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China, November 28, 2007.

R.E. Langford, "Community Exposure Standards," presented at Association of International Chemical Manufacturers Conference on Hazardous Materials, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China, May 21, 2007.

R.E. Langford, "New Chinese Regulations on Production of Phosgene," presented at International Isocyanates Institute Phosgene Conference, Xi'An, Peoples Republic of China, May 15, 2007.

R.E. Langford, Introduction to Weapons of Mass Destruction: Radiological, Biological, and Chemical; Wiley-Interscience Publishers (2004), ISBN 0-471-46560-7.

Peter J. Moriarty

Business Advisor

Peter has extensive experience in the Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and Information Technology industries. His pharmaceutical experience spans management positions within Warner Lambert, and Schering-Plough, including leadership positions overseas as well as in the United States. He led the Sales Force Automation and Pharmaceutical Software Products Division of Walsh America (subsequently acquired by NDC), led Business Development at Ixsys, Inc. (Applied Molecular Evolution, which was acquired by Lilly), and was a co-founder of Shire Pharmaceuticals, an international specialty pharmaceutical company, that is now a public entity registered on the London Stock Exchange, with ADRs on NASDAQ.

Peter is currently the Chairman and CEO of Clinical Information Network, Inc., a privately held company based in Scottsdale, Arizona, which he also founded. The company is focused on providing innovative communication systems and services to the healthcare industry. Its mission is to provide healthcare professionals with convenient access to multiple sources of clinical information that can assist them in further enhancing the standard of care delivered to patients. The company’s portfolio of communication channels include state-of-the-art, yet easy to use, videoconferencing software that physicians can use on their desktops or laptop computers to contact other physicians, other healthcare professionals, medical institutions, and pharmaceutical companies.

Jeffrey D. Myers, MS

Director, Fuel Cell Development, co-Founder

Jeff graduated from The Ohio State University with Honors and Distinction, obtaining B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering. As a Principal Research Scientist at Battelle he led research projects developing environmental monitoring systems. His professional career focused on leading research programs utilizing a variety of control, measurement systems and data processing techniques including those employed in environmental monitoring, homeland defense, and energy systems. He has experience in program management, sensor/monitor design, opto-mechanical systems, computer programming, and data collection. His primary interests in the application of technology to improve the human condition. In nearly twenty years at Battelle he gained experience in leading engineers and scientists in efforts to develop and implement sensor, control systems and fuel cells. Jeff received and managed over $10M in research awards.

Kelly, T.J., Myers, J.D., and Spicer, C.W., “Evaluation of an Electrochemical Method for Continuous Indoor Monitoring of NO2 and Nitrous Acid”, in Measurement of Toxic and Related Air Pollutants, Proceedings of the 1998 EPA/AWMA International Symposium, Publication VIP-85, Air and Waste Management Association, Pittsburgh, PA, pp. 615-620 (1998).

Kelly, T.J., and Myers, J.D., “Development of a Short-Averaging-Time Indoor Nitrogen Dioxide Detector@, Final Report to the California Air Resources Board, Contract No. 96-312, Battelle, Columbus, Ohio, December, 1999.

Kelly, T.J., Myers, J.D., and Holdren, M.W., “Testing of Household Products and Materials for Emission of Toluene Diisocyanate”, Indoor Air, 9, 117-124 (1999).

Myers, J.D., “Optical Sensor Used to Evaluated Spark Ignition and Combustion of Methane”, M.S. Thesis, The Ohio State University, 1994.

M.C. Hastings, B.N. Chiu, and J.D. Myers, “Evaluation of Special Communications Grade Fibers in Interferometric and Microbend Sensors for Measuring Ambient Temperature Fluctuations”, Proceedings of the SPIE, Vol. 1795, pp. 227-235 (1993).

Jeff is the first author or co-author of 8 Technology Verification Reports on environmental monitoring systems, published from testing in the Advanced Monitoring Systems (AMS) Center of U.S. EPA’s Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program at: www.epa.gov/etv

Open-Path Optical Monitors: AIL Systems Inc. RAM 2000 Fourier Transform Infrared, September 2000 Boreal Laser Inc. GasFinder 2.0 Tunable Diode Laser, September 2000 Opsis Inc. AR 500 Ultraviolet Open-Path Monitor, September 2000 Unisearch Associates LasIR® Tunable Diode Laser, September 2000 Spectrex SafEye 227 Infrared, March 2001 Spectrex SafEye 420 Ultraviolet, March 2001 Mercury Continuous Emission Monitors Lumex Ltd. Hg CEM, September 2001 Multi-Metals Continuous Emission Monitor Cooper Environmental Services XCEM

Corike Nuibe-Toxopeus, PhD

Grant and Technical Writing Consultant

Dr. Toxopeus has expertise in both mechanistic and kinetic determinants in toxicology. Her experience includes oral and written presentation of scientific data, writing of progress reports, and budgeting. She has experience managing a research program and collaborating with researchers in other fields of expertise. She is familiar with diverse laboratory techniques such as: Cell culture, biochemical toxicity testing, isolated perfused rat liver kinetic studies, Confocal Microscopy, PCR, gene mapping, HPLC, Immunoblotting. More recent experience involves receiving of merchandise, tracking of shipments, customer service, processing of financial transactions and Internet orders, and inventory maintenance. Her Ph.D. is in Biochemical Toxicology, Research Institute of Toxicology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands. Her MS is in Molecular Science from the Agricultural University Wageningen, Wageningen, the Netherlands.

Her publications include:

Toxopeus C, van Holsteijn I, Thuring JW, Blaauboer BJ, and Noordhoek J, Cytotoxicity of menadione and related quinones in freshly isolated rat hepatocytes: effects on thiol homeostasis and energy charge. Arch Toxicol 67: 674-679, 1993

Toxopeus C, van Holsteijn I, de Winther MPJ, van den Dobbelsteen DJ, Horbach GJMJ, Blaauboer BJ, and Noordhoek J, Role of thiol homeostasis and adenine nucleotide metabolism in the protective effects of fructose in quinone-induced cytotoxicity in rat hepatocytes. Biochem Pharmacol 48: 1683-1692, 1994

van den Dobbelsteen DJ, Toxopeus C, van Holsteijn I, Nooy HA, Droog, CI, Horbach GJMJ, Noordhoek J, and Blaauboer BJ, Effect of arylating and redox cycling quinones on the insulin receptor autophosphorylation. Toxicol in Vitro 8: 563-567, 1994

Toxopeus C, Frazier JM, Kinetics of TCA and DCA in the Isolated Perfused Rat Liver Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 152: 90-98, 1998

Foy B, Toxopeus C, Frazier JM, Kinetic modeling of slow dissociation of BSP from albumin in perfused rat liver: toxicological implications. Toxicol Sci 50: 20-29, 1999

Toxopeus C, Frazier JM, Simulation of trichloroacetic acid kinetics in the isolated perfused rat liver using a biologically based kinetic model. In preparation, 2000.

Her abstracts include:

Frazier JM and Toxopeus C, A biologically-based kinetic model for the isolated perfused rat liver. Toxicologist 30: 252, 1996.

Toxopeus C and Frazier JM, Kinetics of biliary excretion of trichloroacetic acid and bromosulfophtalein by the isolated perfused rat liver. Toxicologist 36: 33, 1997.

Frazier JM and Frazier, Specific and non-specific binding of [14C] trichloroacetic acid to serum albumin. Toxicologist 36: 33, 1997.

C Toxopeus, B Foy and JM Frazier, Effects of albumin on the kinetics of bromosulfophtalein in the isolated perfused rat liver. Toxicologist 42: 137, 1998.

Warunya Panmanee, PhD

Microbiology and Genetics Consultant

Dr. Panmanee as a member of Dr. Hassett’s team, she is responsible for our microbial colony reproduction and development. She is currently a Research Associate, Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology, College of Medicine, at the University of Cincinnati. Previously, she was a post-doctoral fellow at the Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand. She completed a BS at Prince of Songkla University, Songkla, Thailand. Her MS and PhD were earned at Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Her publications include:

Panmanee W, Vattanaviboon P, Pool L.B, and Mongkolsuk S. 2006 Novel organic hydroperoxide-sensing and responding mechanisms for OhrR, a major Bacterial Sensor and regulator of organic hydroperoxide stress. J Bacteriol. 188(4):13899-95

Newberry KJ, Fuangthong M, Panmanee W, Mongkolsuk S, Brennan RG. 2007 Structural mechanism of organic hydroperoxide induction of the transcription regulator OhrR. Mol Cell.30;28(4):652-64

Panmanee W, Gomez F, Witte D, Pancholi V, Britigan BE, Hassett DJ. 2008. The peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein OprL helps protect a Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutant devoid of the transactivator OxyR from hydrogen peroxide-mediated killing during planktonic and biofilm culture J. Bacteriol. 90(10):3658-69

Panmanee W and Hassett DJ. 2009 Differential roles of oxyR-controlled antioxidant enzymes alkyl hydroperoxidase reductase (AhpCF) and catalase (KatB) in protection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa against hydrogen peroxide in biofilm versus planktonic culture. FEMS Microbiol. Lett, 295 : 238-244.

Wilson, J.J., B. Homoelle, W. Panmanee, D.J. Hassett and R.A. Kovall. 2010. One protein, two structures: structural and biophysical characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa AnkB. Biochemistry. (submitted).

Major, T.A., W. Panmanee, J.E. Mortensen, L.D. Gray, and D.J. Hassett. 2010. Sodium Nitrite-Mediated Killing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Burkholderia cepacia Under Anaerobic Conditions is Synergistic With Antibiotics Used for Treating Cystic Fibrosis Airway Infections. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. (submitted).

S. Su, W. Panmanee, J.J. Wilson, J.D. Lipscomb, S.H. Kim, S.V. Lymar, R.A. Kovall, R.T. Irvin, Y.H. Cho, and D.J. Hassett. 2010. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Constitutively Expressed Catalase KatA Protects Bacteria From Potentially Lethal Levels of Nitric Oxide Generated During Anaerobic Respiration. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (in preparation).

Panmanee, W., Mahavihakanont A, Rattanaprapanporn S, Whiteside M, Brinkman F , Mongkolsuk S and Hassett DJ. 2010 2-aminoethylphosphonate:pyruvate aminotransferase: an alternative means to protect a Pseudomonas aeruginosa oxyR mutant from tert-butyl hydroperoxide. In preparation

Panmanee W., Mahavihakanont A, Rattanaprapanporn S, Sauer K, Whiteside M, Brinkman F, Mongkolsuk S and Hassett DJ. 2010 Reciprocal Regulation of Oxidative Stress and Quorum Sensing/Biofilm Dispersion Regulatory Networks During Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Dispersion In preparation.

John Smith, PE

Stick Water Consultant

John M. Smith has over 31 years of experience in civil and sanitary engineering, including a broad background in process design of conventional and innovative wastewater treatment technologies. This experience is derived from an initial four years of sewer and wastewater treatment plant design and construction experience with the engineering firm of Barbeau Construction Management in Batavia, Ohio, followed by over 16 years of research and engineering experience with the USEPA Office of Research and Development, and over 13 years as president and CEO of J.M. Smith and Associates. He completed his BS in Civil Engineering at the University of Kentucky and his MS in Sanitary Engineering at the University of Cincinnati.

His selected publications include:

Smith, J.M., Hartmann, G.L., "Texas Firm Introduces New Wastewater Treatment Technology," published in Hazardous Materials Technical Center Update, pg. 4, Vol. 6, No. 2, March, 1987.

Smith, J.M., "Supercritical Deep Well Wet Oxidation of Liquid Organic Wastes," Proceedings of the International Symposium Subsurface Injection of Liquid Wastes, presented at Royal Sonesta Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 3-5, 1986; published by National Water Well Association.

Smith, J.M., "Energy Recovery and Conservation for Low Cost Systems," Presented at Workshop on Low-Cost Wastewater Treatment, Clemson University, April 19-21, 1983.

Smith, J.M., McCarthy, J.J., Longest, H.L. II, "Impact of Innovative and Alternative Technology in the United States in the 1980's" 7th Japan Conference on Sewage Treatment Technology, Tokyo, Japan, May 20, 1980.

Smith, J.M., Evans, F.L. III, "Innovative Municipal Energy Alternatives," presented at the 50th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Section of AAWA and 44th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Water Pollution Control Association November 5-7, 1980.

Oppelt, E.T., Smith, J.M., Feige, W.A., "Expanded Bed Biological Treatment," EPA 600/2-78-177, July, 1978.

Lewis, R.F., Smith, J.M., "Upgrading Existing Lagoons," USEPA Technology Transfer Design Seminar Program, October, 1973.

Shengchang Su, PhD

Bacterial Genetics Consultant

Dr. Su, as a member of Dr. Hassett’s team, he is responsible for our microbial genetics and protein biochemistry related to our organisms. He is currently a Research Associate, Department of Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Cincinnati. Previously, he was a Research Scientist in the Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois and completed his post-doctoral research there. He completed his BS and MS at Xinjiang Agricultural University, Xinjiang, PR China.

His publications include:

Shengchang Su, Lois Banta, Margaret Lowenstein and Stephen K. Farrand. 2009. Lon protease of Agrobacterium tumefaciens is required for full tumorigenicity but not for Ti or At plasmid conjugative transfer. J. Bacteriol. Accepted.

Oyebode Olakanmi , John S. Gunn, Shengchang Su, Shilpa Soni, Daniel J. Hassett, and Bradley E. Britigan. 2009. Gallium disrupts iron uptake by intracellular and extracellular francisella and exhibits therapeutic efficacy in a murine pulmonary infection model. Infection and Immunity (submitted).

Ramón Penyalver, Phil M. Oger, Shengchang Su, Belén Alvarez, Carmina I. Salcedo, María M. López and Stephen K. Farrand. 2009. The S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase gene ahcY of Agrobacterium radiobacter strain K84 is required for optimal growth,antibiotic production and biocontrol of crown gall disease. Mol Plant Microbe Interact 22(6):713-724.

Hui Li, Shan-Yue Zhou, Wen-Sheng Zhao, Shengchang Su and You-liang Peng. 2009. A novel wall-associated receptor-like protein kinase gene, OsWAK1, plays important roles in rice blast disease resistance. Plant Molecuar Biology. 69:337-346

Shengchang Su, Sharik R. Khan and Stephen K. Farrand. 2008. Induction and loss of Ti plasmid conjugative competence in response to the acyl-homoserine lactone quorum-sensing signal. J. Bacteriol. 190(13):4398-4407.

Yinping Qin, Shengchang Su and Stephen K. Farrand. 2007. Molecular basis of transcriptional antiactivation: TraM disrupts the TraR-DNA complex through stepwise interactions. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 19979-19991.

Chunxia Wu, Shengchang Su and Youliang Peng. 2007. Molecular cloning and differential expression of an aldehyde dehydrogenase gene in rice leaves in response to infection by blast fungus. Biologia 62: 523-528.

Shengchang Su, Bonnie B. Stephens, Gladys Alexandre, and Stephen K. Farrand. 2006. Lon protease of the α-proteobacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens is required for normal growth, cellular morphology and full virulence. Microbiology, 152: 1197-1207.

Yinping Qin, Audra J. Smyth, Shengchang Su, and Stephen K. Farrand. 2004. Dimerization properties of TraM, the antiactivator that modulates TraR-mediated quorum-dependent expression of the Ti plasmid tra genes. Mol. Microbiol., 53:1471-1485

Zhao-Qing Luo, Shengchang Su, and Stephen K. Farrand. 2003. In situ activation of the quorum-sensing transcription factor TraR by cognate and non-cognate acyl-homoserine lactone ligands: Kinetics and consequences. J. Bacteriol. 185: 5665-5672.

Rich Wheeless, MBA

EVP, Chief Financial Officer

Prior to joining Pilus Energy in September 2009, Rich was Senior Finance Manager and Assistant Treasurer at Xtek, Inc, which was one of the Midwest’s fastest growing privately owned manufacturers of customer engineered steel replacement parts. Previously, he held managerial posts at Johnson and Johnson as well as Cardinal Health, both Fortune 30 companies. Rich originally started his career in the private equity division at Citi, another Fortune 30 company. He also has extensive experience in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, credit, treasury, tax, corporate finance, financial reporting, and operations.

Rich received his bachelor’s degree in Finance from Miami University and master’s degree in Finance with honors from Otterbein College.

Joe Winterberg, MBA

VP, Project Manager

Joe managed national and international installation projects for P&G, Eli Lilly, and Citgo Petroleum. He owned an excavating firm with $5M in annual revenues. Joe has more than 20 years of experience managing varied construction and installation projects from the ground up through renovations. He positively impacted the profitability and performance of projects across varied industries and cultures through management of resources and relationships. His experience includes aligning diverse customer needs with budget, design, and regulatory requirements. He has managed cross-functional local and international teams. As a trend spotter and opportunity developer, he efficiently manages projects and optimizing procedures to reduce costs, and innovate final products. Joe has an MBA, Masters, and Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering.