Pavel Cotofana Email and Phone Number

Managing projects to develop and commercialize new biotechnology products.

Provided engineering support for the development and commercialization of new PCR reagents.

Managing and coordinating oligonucleotide production, "hands-on" with employees (50-80 employees) and processes. Implementing lean principles and concepts for maximizing production efficiencies through the optimal use of skills, man-hours and machines. Developed and recommended approval for an operating budget. Ensured all processes are documented and controlled.

Managed a group of 10 - 15 scientists responsible for manufacturing and development of plolymers for electrophoresis applications, sequencing reagents (dye terminators), dye amidites and precursors.

Manufacturing and development of supports (glass, polymeric) and reagents (amidites and precursors) for the synthesis of oligo nucleotides.Manufacturing and development of sequencing reagents (terminators, dye terminators and precursors)

Performed process research and development, optimization and scale-up of synthetic routes and production for the preparation of a large number of active pharmaceutical ingredients in the current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) environment, validated bulk pharmaceutical processes, authored Drug Master Files.Supervised scale up, pilot and small scale manufacturing (up to 100 kilograms) of new medicinal products in the early and middle phases of their development cycle for use in clinical trials (ophtalmics, cardiovascular, anti-AIDS, anti-cancer drugs subcontracted by pharmaceutical companies, or governmental agencies such as National Institute of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Responsible for the day-to-day operation of a pilot/manufacturing plant, for scaling up new chemical processes to obtain engineering data for commercial plant design and for manufacturing of specialty chemicals (pharmaceutical, dyestuff intermediates). Responsible for overseeing the construction, startup and operation of a commercial size chemical plant for nitration and sulfonation of aromatic hydrocarbons to manufacture dyestuff intermediates.

Gained expertise in Organic Process Research and Development by successfully taking numerous organic synthesis processes from bench (mg scale) through process development to pilot manufacturing (kilogram, glassware) to full scale manufacturing (multi-kilogram, glass lined reactors). Developed and transferred to manufacturing 35 chemical processes, coauthored 6 patents, encompassing a broad range of organic compounds from commodity organic intermediates through Vitamin E derivatives.

Developed expertise in all aspects of industrial R & D, including the design of experimental programs; the design, construction, and operation of pilot plants; the evaluation and selection of chemical process equipment. Developed expertise in research strategic planning, program development, technology transfer and implementation.Gained extensive first-hand experience in the development, design, and optimization of organinc compounds plants, developed expertise in hydrocarbon oxidation reactor design, mixing, fluid flow, heat transfer, distillation, crystallization, filtration, centrifugation, and drying.