Inventor of new technology, primarily is chromatography:

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With more than 40 years of work, Doug Gjerde is  lead inventor on more than 106 issued patents, most on nucleic acid analysis and purification and protein purification. Some recent IP has focused on biological cell manipulation, purification and detection.  Other recent IP has focused on automating large scale plasmid purification with further application to virus purification.  Several issued patents while Transgenomic focused on DNA, and then later, RNA separation and purification.  Gjerde wrote and managed the VosBio patent program covering all aspects of our breath collection, processing and detection technologies.  Gjerde is co-author on more than 50 scientific peer reviewed journal publications and a co-author of six chromatography books and one medical encyclopedia book chapter - all with Wiley VCH. 

 

Entrepreneurial History: forming successful companies:

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Gjerde has a broad range of business and science skills and interests including molecular biology, proteomics, polymer bead chemistry, organic chemistry, analytical chemistry and liquid chromatography.  Gjerde’s philosophy in science and business is to use apply chemical solutions to biological problems.  With this philosophy Gjerde develops R&D tools to address critical needs in bio research.   To address different needs, Gjerde is founder or cofounder to five companies Sarasep, Inc., Transgenomic, Inc., PhyNexus, Inc., VosBio, Inc and his new company DTG Biotech. 

 

Contributions to the mRNA vaccine:

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With technology licensed from Prof. Guenther Bonn, Gjerde co-developed with Prof. David Hornby the RNA purification technology used to purify mRNA used in mRNA vaccine development and validation.  A serious problem in R&D vaccines prepared by Karikó and other workers in the field was the mRNA vaccine induced an immunological allergic reaction in mice.  The vaccines were not safe to use and could never be used by humans without endangering life.    After many years, Karikó discovered two key factors to make mRNA vaccines work.  One was to synthesis a more stable analog form of mRNA that resisted degradation.  The other was Karikó discovered that it was not mRNA itself that made the vaccine toxic, but rather impurities in the mRNA caused the allergic response.  dsRNA was the main toxin in mRNA that had to be removed.

 

Using the RNA analytical and purification columns that Gjerde had co-developed and commercialized, Karikó was able to 1) identify the impurities in mRNA and 2) purify mRNA to test new mRNA formulations.  Karikó discovered that using purified mRNA vaccines could successfully formulated into a vaccine and induce disease protection in mice.  Karikó and Weissman were recognized for their achievement by winning the 2023 Nobel Prize winner in Medicine.