About InterLink

Dr. Ramon L. Garcia-Lazcano
Founder, President

Dr. Ramon L. Garcia-Lazcano is the founder of InterLink Biotechnologies (ILB). His experience and technical and business skills, combined with a network consortium of specialized consultants, has enabled the company to serve the needs of the biotechnology and natural products industry. ILB specializes in technology assessment, planning, transfer, and technology acquisition.

Dr Garcia was one of the founders and CEO of InterLink Associates (DBA InterLink Biotechnologies), a company established in 1991 and acquired by Abraxis Biosciences in 2003, (now Bristol Myers Squibb NYSE: BMY, following Celgene's acquisition of Abraxis Biosciences). InterLink developed a unique drug discovery platform of novel natural products derived from microorganisms. Products resulting from the company activities include new pharmaceutical leads, antimicrobial peptides, enzymes as additives for human food and animal feed products, and bio-control agents.

Dr. Garcia has been a Research & Development Senior Manager and CEO for more than twenty-five years. He has directed research in the field of biotechnology with applications in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, food and agriculture. Dr. Garcia was responsible for starting and directing two major corporate biotechnology laboratories in the US: Allied Signal, Inc. (now Honeywell) and EniChem S.p.A. (ENI, Italy). His proven accomplishments include the development of new products and technologies and the transfer and licensing of new technologies.

Dr. Garcia has worked on numerous assignments involving technology assessment, strategic planning, and technology transfer for a number of international corporations and universities. Ramon L. Garcia has a M.S. and Ph.D. from Iowa State University.

From this broad background of experience Dr. Garcia and his associates provide a unique blend of consulting skills to support the assessment and transfer of biotechnologies within and between the pharmaceutical, chemical, agricultural, food and energy-related biotechnology industries.

Our Key Members

• Dr. John Babish
  Pharmaceuticals, Nutraceuticals, University Technology Transfer
  Dr. John G. Babish is Chairman and Chief Science Officer of Bionexus, Inc. He also serves as consultant to the pharmaceutical and dietary supplement industries in the areas of inflammation, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cancer, AIDS and university technology transfer. Bionexus performs contract research for patent-protection of novel, nutritional products in the areas of obesity, diabetes, inflammation and related cardiovascular diseases. Dr. Babish brings extensive scientific experience with the publication of over 100 peer-reviewed scientific papers, one book chapter and is inventor on 20 US and three foreign patents. He has spoken at 40 national conferences on such topics as cytochrome P-450 mediated drug metabolism, epidemiology and molecular biology of cancer, AIDS drug development, nutrition in HIV and environmental risk assessment. Before becoming involved in university technology transfer, he was tenured associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York for 17 years.
• Dr. Dwight Baker
  Pharmaceuticals and Natural Products
  Dwight Baker has a long career in the field of drug discovery for the pharmaceutical industry. His research expertise includes management of programs for bioprospecting, environmental microbiology, fermentation, natural product discovery, high throughput screening, cheminformatics, microbial strain improvement and lead compound characterization. His industry experience includes positions at Panlabs, Inc., New Chemical Entities, Inc., Albany Molecular Research (AMRI) and Cubist Pharmaceuticals. He has also provided consulting services to a variety of academic programs, biotechnology companies and international development agencies. He holds a B.S. degree from Defiance College and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University.
• Prof. Maelor Davies
  Agricultural Biotechnology
  Professor Davies' career developed in parallel with modern agricultural biotechnology - he was one of the early scientist recruits to the highly successful, pioneering ag. biotech. company Calgene Inc. in California, contributing expertise in plant enzymology, metabolism and physiology to complement and support the new molecular biology of the 1980s and 90s. After 14 years at Calgene, working on a wide variety of innovative plant modifications including specialty seed oils, advanced agronomic traits, post-harvest enhancements etc., he joined the University of Kentucky, and for the next 15 years directed a new program focused on novel uses for plants, with particular emphasis on re-purposing the tobacco plant as a production platform for medical and industrial products. Prof. Davies' technical expertise in the design, implementation and management of plant biotechnology projects is complemented by considerable experience in I.P., regional economic development, and industry-academia relations.
• Dr. G.D. McClure
  Intellectual Property, Regulatory Strategy
  A biochemist and patent attorney, Dr. McClure assesses intellectual property (IP) and regulatory opportunities and risks for firms evaluating or engaged in IP rights acquisition transactions, with a focus on those developing novel biotechnologies, therapeutics, specialty chemicals and nanomaterials. Dr. McClure practices before the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) and is particularly experienced at developing long-term strategies for attaining market access and exclusivity based on both IP and regulatory considerations. In the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. McClure held positions including chief patent counsel and director of regulatory affairs. He served as chief IP counsel for the venture arm of a publicly traded multinational, advising on freedom to operate and deal structure, and has facilitated dozens of license agreements between growth-stage and mature companies. Dr. McClure holds degrees from Harvard (A.B.), Louisville (M.S.), North Texas (Ph.D.) and Kentucky (J.D.) universities.
• Dr. Nick Oberlies
  Pharmaceuticals and Natural Products
  Nick Oberlies has been working on drug discovery from natural products for nearly 25 years. He spent the first 11 years of his career working at Research Triangle Institute, where he was mentored by Drs. Wall and Wani, the co-discoverers of both taxol and camptothecin. For the past 11 years, he has been leading a team of scientists at UNC-Greensboro, focused on anticancer and antimicrobial drug discovery from fungi as reported in over 200 manuscripts and patents. He regularly reviews scientific proposals in both the United States and for scientific bodies around the world. He has delivered more than 100 scientific presentations, around the world, on his research. He has worked as a consultant to Fortune 500 corporations and biotech start ups. He has co-founded companies and pursued entrepreneurial means for funding drug discovery and drug development research.
• Dr. Cedric Pearce
  Pharmaceuticals, Natural Products, M&A, Technology Transfer and Innovation
  Cedric Pearce is a life scientist with experience at increasingly senior levels from bench researcher upwards in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry including a period engaged in venture financing of early stage companies. For the past decade Dr. Pearce has been occupied with entrepreneurial activities and as well as founding three companies, was active in the growth and exit of a number of biotechnology ventures. Dr. Pearce has consulted for a variety of life science organizations in North and South America, Europe and Asia, chiefly in the areas of strategic issues associated with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, drug discovery and issues related to infectious diseases, and early stage entrepreneurial activity.
• Prof. Francesco Salamini
  Breeding and Genetics
  Professor of Genetic Technologies at the University of Milan, Chairman Scientific Board at the Parco Tecnologico Padano (Lodi), and honorary Professor at the University of Köln. Professor Salamini has been Head of the Maize Section at the Bergamo Institute of Cereal Research of Rome (1975-1985), Director of the Max-Planck-Institut für Züchtungsforschung in Köln (1985-2004) and Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the Genome Programme Genoplante in Paris (2000-2006).
  Dr. Salamini has published more than 550 articles in specialized journals.
• Dr. Federica Sponga
  Microbiology and Natural Products
  

  Dr. Sponga has an extensive track record in biological research with the international pharmaceutical Industry. She started her career as a biologist at the plant physiology Department of Columbia University in New York and at the Smithsonian Institution (Rockville, Washington DC). In 1987 she joined EniChem Americas in Princeton NJ, as a cell biologist.

  In 1991 she joined the Lepetit Research Centre (later named Vicuron) in Italy as head of microorganisms isolation from natural habitats. Dr. Sponga was responsible for investigating and exploiting microbial biodiversity with the objective of discovering novel bioactive molecules for medical needs. Dr. Sponga has a strong expertise in production, yield implementation and scale-up from laboratory to pilot plant. She has brought several novel compounds to lead and pre-clinical stage.

  Dr. Sponga scientific background includes expertise in microbial isolation and fermentation, High Throughput Screening (HTS) validation and microbial assay evaluation. During her tenure with Glaxo and presently at Biogene, Dr. Sponga has contributed her expertise in GLP, GMP, and regulatory procedures.

• Dr. Edward Weck
  Intellectual Property, Agricultural Biotechnology
  Dr. Edward Weck has prepared US patent applications and infringement opinions, and with a proficiency in German, Edward has translated German patent applications for international patent prosecution. With more than 22 years of experience in Agricultural Biotechnology research, Edward has written several publications on the topic. Edward has worked as a patent attorney, where he wrote and prosecuted patent applications in mechanical, chemical, optical, and software applications. Edward holds a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign; a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville and a JD from William Mitchell College of Law, St Paul, MN. Edward is registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office.