Christopher Zalewski Email & Phone Number

Seaside, Ca, Us

Castroville, California, United States

Front Range Biosciences (FRB) brings next generation agriculture science to the cannabis industry. Growers face huge challenges with operations as they scale: propagation, pest and pathogen management, strain backup, and breeding, to name a few. The tools of modern agriculture, developed over the last three decades, have solved these problems for crops ranging from corn to soybeans and as diverse as pineapples and orchids. FRB’s team of plant biologists, chemists, and biotech entrepreneurs is focused on making these tools available to the modern cannabis grower to improve yield, reduce pesticides, and breed the next generation of cannabis strains.

Spearheaded the startup of a pathology testing division of a breeding and genomics support laboratory located next to the Salinas Valley. Successfully navigated the business through USDA/APHIS permitting, ISO 17025 and National Seed Health System (NSHS) accreditation in 4 months to start commercial operations. Developed price models, budgets, and a fiscal analysis of pathogen testing efforts to assess testing price points. Developed a novel LIMS system to integrate with an online client portal to submit testing samples. Designed laboratory workflow to comply with USDA/APHIS phytosanitary standards and optimize technician efficiency.

Fort Collins, Colorado Area

Summit Plant Laboratories, Inc. has been in the specialty micropropagation business since 1987, applying laboratory plant cloning and greenhouse technologies to produce clean planting stocks for breeders, greenhouses, and field crop producers. Summit is also accredited by the National Seed Health System for Bacterial Fruit Blotch testing, my position currently focuses on the expansion of the seed testing/pathology division of Summit and the development of new clientele for these services.

Fort Collins, Colorado Area

Used molecular biology and non-linear dynamics modeling to design and engineer an inducible gene circuit in sorghum and rice for biofuel applications. Designed and engineered multiple vectors that can switch on/off using external chemical inducers as signals - created hundreds of transgenic Arabidopsis lines as prototypes. Developed a novel transformation program for sorghum at CSU, executed all downstream tissue culture, and administered the infrastructure to grow and manage transgenics. Supervised a research team of three undergraduates and one research technician to assist with molecular cloning, plant husbandry, mutant screens, and transformation efforts. Led efforts to recruit an Economic Development Manager required for the project. Drafted reports and presented data on a quarterly basis to the Department of Energy/ARPAe project management team.

Fort Collins, Colorado Area

greenTYPE is a startup genomics company that develops molecular and genomic tools for the emerging hemp and cannabis industry using nextGen sequencing and bioinformatics.Awardee – Colorado State University College of Business Venture Accelerator Program.

San Francisco Bay Area

Characterized transcription factor dimerization critical for flower organ development in Arabidopsis using Bimolecular Florescence Complementation experiments. Self-taught particle bombardment techniques, screened and imaged over 100 bombardment events. Position was a temporary volunteer appointment to assist with data generation for publication while funding was negotiated.

San Francisco Bay Area

Engineered a series of modular reporter constructs to validate muscle tissue-specific splicing events in zebrafish. Constructs characterized alternatively spliced molecular switches in muscle cell precursors.

San Francisco Bay Area

Characterized alternative splicing in erythroid development and cancer progression using RNA-SEQ profiling and protein assays using mouse, simian, and human cell line model systems. Successfully resuscitated a novel, multpotent cell line used to study splice switch patterns in red blood cells - demonstrated antisense morpholinos can block splicing events. Significantly managed and coordinated laboratory relocation to a new facility.

Sacramento, California Area

Thesis explored the phylogenetic and functional characterization of C4HDZ (Class 4 Homeodomain Leucine Zipper) genes as markers of early epidermal cell fate using Arabidiopsis thaliana and Physcomitrella patens model systems.Designed and created knockout vectors for Physcomitrella patens, Marchantia polymorpha, and Arabidopsis thaliana using artificial microRNAs and small interfering RNAs designed to target gene transcripts in an inducible and constitutive manner. Discovered C4HDZs could represent key factors in establishing epidermal cell fate in land plant evolution.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Used molecular markers in a high throughput process to assess the population diversity of a number of cat species with the objective of improving conservation efforts and reconstructing the evolutionary history of cats for comparative genomic projects. Edited and assisted with the preparation of scientific manuscripts for publication.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Represented the interests of BIO’s food and agriculture membership on the domestic and international front. Started as a paid intern, expanded and defined the position over three promotions in five years. Served as a liaison for meetings between industry membership, Congress, Administration, and international delegations on agricultural biotechnology issues.Created the BIO Food & Ag Weekly E-Newsletter, an award-winning e-newsletter designed to summarize the major issues affecting the agricultural biotechnology sector. Performed all publication functions from writing and editing to distribution.Staffed and administered internal standing committees addressing issues ranging from food safety and labeling to environmental risk, regulatory affairs, international policy and trade, intellectual property and identity preservation.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Analyzed and proposed regulatory jurisdiction applicable to genetically engineered micro-organisms as mandated by the Toxic Substances and Control Act (TSCA). Assisted with the passage of the first product approved for commercial use under TSCA through review of the experimental release and commercial activity notifications.

Ph.D., Plant Biology - Genetics/Molecular Biology

Visiting Postgraduate Scholar - Melbourne, Australia

Mpa, Environmental Economics

Ba, Biology