Leon Parker Email & Phone Number

San Francisco, CA, US

San Francisco, CA, US

Alameda, California, United States

• Founding team leader at biotechnology company advancing the transition away from the global dependence on fossil fuels and other unsustainable sources of oil. Our innovative WING® Platform empowers leading companies.
• Dept. of Energy, BETO Industrial Seedling grant (awarded FY 2016)
• USDA Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant (awarded FY 2017)
• Admission to the Illumina Accelerator program (awarded 2017)Research Activities:
• Strain identification, isolation, and characterization
• Media formulation and optimization including design of experiments (DOE) approaches

South San Francisco, CA

• Solazyme (later known as TerraVia) used proprietary technology to transform a range of low-cost plant-based sugars into high-value oils and whole algae ingredients. We supplied a variety of sustainable algae-based food.
• Led a team of two Associate Scientists and one Senior Research Associate while coordinating, tracking, and advancing multiple algal classical strain improvement projects.
• In nine months, screened for and identified one of the first commercially viable strains to be run in Solazyme’s 100,000 MT facility in Brazil, ultimately leading to the production of in-spec oil for one of the.

South San Francisco, CA

• Developed methods for screening thousands of genetically modified algal strains each week, assessing them for growth characteristics, carbon source utilization rates, sensitivity to metabolic inhibitors, and, working.
• Dramatically improved assay reliability and precision through the introduction of process improvements and limited automation.
• Developed algal culture techniques and molecular genetic tools for the transient manipulation and maintenance of algal strains with otherwise lethal genetic changes, thus allowing for greater flexibility when altering.

• Genentech pioneered the biotechnology industry and revolutionized treatment for some of the most complex health problems. I participated in transformational discoveries based on leveraging world-class science to.
• Directed and contributed to the successful effort to create a humanized mouse model for a promising tumor angiogenesis target and utilized that model to assess the ability of a novel human-specific monoclonal antibody.
• Provided data needed by in-house Pharmacology Sub-team for understanding the pharmacokinetics of the mAb and assisted in efforts to identify relevant pharmacodynamic biomarkers.
• Authored research reports that were included in the first successful IND application for use of the mAb in oncological indications.
• Participated in Pharm Sub-team activities through Phase I dose-ranging studies, determination of maximum tolerated dose, and preliminary assessments of safety and pharmacodynamic biomarker validation.

• Identified and characterized several vascular-specific genes through internal and external screening activities, and characterized the function of these genes using a variety of in vivo and in vitro methods, including.
• Initiated and managed a ~$860,000 discovery project with international collaborators to identify additional novel therapeutic targets for anti-angiogenesis therapy.
• Showed that Egfl7 regulates vascular tube formation during zebrafish and murine embryonic vascular development and published results in the journal Nature.
• Developed new tools and methods for modeling neo-angiogenesis in vitro and for monitoring primary human endothelial cell interactions with elements of the extracellular matrix or with primary mural cells.

• GeneTrace Systems, Inc. was a biotechnology company specializing in providing DNA analysis and mass spectrometry services, with a focus on the detection and identification of genetic variations and biomolecules. My.
• Led the development of a high-throughput RNA purification procedure compatible with a proprietary gene expression assay for compound library screening and toxicological studies.
• Developed high-throughput methods for total RNA purification, RNA quantification, assay qualification, and introduction of internal assay controls.
• Authored significant portions of a $2 million National Institute of Standards and Technology Advanced Technology Program Grant that was awarded for the development of proteomics-based research tools.
• Supervised and trained a team of two research associates in basic laboratory practices, assay techniques, and data entry and analysis methods.

Postdoctoral Research, Biochemistry

Studied the developmental relationships between embryonic hematopoiesis and endothelial cell development in the zebrafish, focusing on the.

Ph.D., Microbiology

Dissertation Title: Genetic Approaches To The Study Of The In Vivo Specificity And Structure Of The Eukaryotic Type I Topoisomerase.

Bs, Genetics

Activities and Societies: Graduated with High HonorsLaboratory Assistant, Level III, Infectious and Immunologic Diseases, School of.