Dr. Wendy L. Picking has 25 years of experience researching complex bacterial structures. She created the company’s unique vaccine platform. Specifically, Dr. Picking developed the antigen component that allows conjugation of the HA, forming the nanoparticle delivery system. In addition to her role with Hafion, Dr. Picking is a Professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at The University of Missouri. Her research includes developing vaccines against gram-negative bacterial pathogens. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a PhD in molecular genetics from The University of Kansas.
Dr. William D. Picking is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Kansas. He received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from the University of Kansas in 1989. He investigates the molecules and structures used by pathogenic bacteria to cause disease in humans and animals. His main focus is on specialized structures called type III secretion systems (T3SS) that pathogens such as Shigella, Salmonella and Pseudomonas use to communicate with host cells to alter their normal behavior for the benefit of the pathogen.
Christian L. Lorson received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Colorado College, and his doctorate in molecular microbiology and immunology from the University of Missouri. After a post-doc at Tufts University and a faculty position at Arizona State University, He joined the faculty in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri in 2002. He became a full professor in Veterinary Pathobiology in 2010 and currently serves as the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Veterinary Medicine and is an Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at MU. He served as the Scientific Director at FightSMA and was co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Bond Life Sciences Center, the Research Advisory Committee for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the Scientific and Clinical Advisory Group for the SMA Trust (UK).
Kamal Singh is an Assistant Professor of veterinary Pathobiology, & Director of molecular Interactions Core at the University of Missouri. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from Banaras Hindu University in 1994. His most recent article is a study titled "Mutations in the monkeypox virus replication complex: Potential contributing factors to the 2022 outbreak" His research keywords include integrase inhibitors; Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1; HBV and COVID.
