Leadership

Dr. Fuerst is a professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland (UMD), and serves as director of the Center for Glycosylation of Advanced Biologics (CGAB). He also served as director of the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR), UMD. Dr. Fuerst has over three decades of research and development experience in vaccines and therapeutics. At UMD-CGAB, his research is focused on structure- based vaccine design with an emphasis on hepatitis C virus, scaffold-based protein therapeutics with an emphasis on cancer targets (RAS-based), precision glycoengineering of biomolecules with an emphasis on SERPINS (Serine Protease Inhibitors), and an immunoadjuvant and delivery system centered on a polyphosphazene-based macromolecular scaffold and Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) agonists. Early in his career, Dr. Fuerst was the founding scientist of MedImmune (now AstraZeneca) in which he helped to establish its R&D programs. At MedImmune, his lab was engaged in the development of several products, two of which have been licensed by the FDA (Synagis, humanized monoclonal antibody to respiratory syncytial virus, and Cervarix, human papillomavirus vaccine). After the 9/11 attack, he was asked to join the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to serve as director, vaccines and biologics in the Office of the Secretary. In this capacity, he helped establish and lead the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) responsible for the development and acquisition of vaccines and immunotherapeutic products for biodefense and other emerging public health threats. Dr. Fuerst also served as program director of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiative for the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop the concept of a dedicated, flexible capability for the advanced development and manufacturing (ADM) of biological countermeasures to address national security needs. The ADM now serves as the basis for HHS and DoD strategic initiatives to enhance domestic- based development and manufacturing capabilities for biodefense and pandemic flu preparedness and response. Dr. Fuerst received his training as a senior fellow at the National Institutes of Health, NIAID, in Bethesda, MD, and holds a BA in biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley, a PhD in molecular genetics from Cornell University, and an MBA in science, technology, and innovation from the George Washington University. He has authored over 100 publications, recipient of 11 issued patents, received several Distinguished Service Awards for leadership from HHS, and serves on advisory boards in the biotechnology industry.

Nathan Lewis is a GRA Eminent Scholar and Professor in Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, Center for Molecular Medicine, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Georgia. As the Co-Director of CGAB, he oversees cell line engineering, automation, and AI systems, focused on the production of industry-ready cell lines and glycotherapeutics. More broadly, Prof. Lewis is an expert in biotechnology and computational biology, with extensive experience in the analysis and design of cell factories and biologics.  With experience in genomics and systems biology, he helped lead the public efforts to sequence the genomes of the Chinese hamster and diverse CHO cell lines. He subsequently served as the Scientific Coordinator for the CHO cell engineering program at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability and the National Biologics Facility at the Technical University of Denmark, wherein his team led the development of complex systems biology models and A.I. to study and engineer metabolism, protein secretion, and glycosylation in mammalian cells, and to engineer desired traits into mammalian production hosts.