Robert Webber, Ph.D. – Founder, CEO and President
Dr. Robert Webber is the inventor or co-inventor of multiple issued patents and pending domestic and foreign patent applications that protect monoclonal antibodies specific for iNOS, immunoassays specific for iNOS, and methods and apparatuses for the detection iNOS in plasma as a clinical IVD test for sepsis and severe sepsis. He is a pioneer in producing monoclonal antibodies, their use as research tools, and in diagnostic tests. While he and his team of scientists were successfully conducting clinical trials for a new sepsis in vitro diagnostic (IVD) test, they convincingly proved plasma iNOS as an early biomarker for the onset of sepsis and use monitor the course of the pathology.
In May 2010 Dr. Webber was awarded a $2.6M NIH grant after thorough peer review of his grant application. This award is to collect the data needed to obtain FDA marketing clearance for the first accurate and reliable IVD test for the onset of the sepsis pathology. In September 2012 Dr. Webber was awarded the 2012 “Researcher of the Year” award by the Nevada Biotechnology and Science Consortium (NevBio.org). Dr. Webber trained at the UCLA School of Medicine in the Department of Biological Chemistry.
Richard Sweet, M.D. – Chief Medical Officer
While serving as CMO at R&D Antibodies, Dr. Sweet actively participated in writing and editing NIH grant applications and interacted with the US FDA on the $2.6M NIH funded project to obtain marketing clearance for the first reliable and accurate IVD test for sepsis. Dr. Sweet serves as site PI at UC San Francisco School of Medicine and San Francisco General Hospital for R&D’s clinical study.
Dr. Richard Sweet received his M.D. at the University of Minnesota and founded the largest nephrology practice in Minnesota, the Kidney Specialists of Minnesota. He was instrumental in developing a drug study program that involved over 12 clinical trials including the use of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies to treat sepsis and a trial natriuretic peptide in acute renal failure.
Dr. Sweet is currently an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Fransisco, Chief Medical Officer of HemoTherapeutics, Los Angeles, CA, and Chief Medical Officer at R&D Antibodies LLC, Las Vegas, NV. Dr. Sweet also serves on the Board of Directors at R4Vascular, Minneapolis, MN.
Thelma Dunnebacke, Ph.D. – VP, Research and Development
Dr. Dunnebacke has been associated with Research & Diagnostic Antibodies, the parent company of R&D Antibodies, since 1994 following an invitation to join the staff as a cell biologist to participate in the preparation and use of cultured cells for the development of monoclonal antibodies. She lead the original research team that recognized the presence of iNOS in the plasma of septic patients demonstrating iNOS as an early signal for the onset of sepsis. She is a co-inventor of the plasma IVD test for iNOS and has led three different clinical studies demonstrating the value of the plasma IVD test as a very early diagnostic test for the onset of sepsis.
Dr. Dunnebacke earned her doctorate from Washington University, St. Louis, MO. Her earlier research career has included studies at the Virus Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley in association with Dr. Wendell Stanley and as an associate in the laboratory of Dr. Robley Williams. During her tenure at Research & Diagnostic Antibodies, Dr. Dunnebacke also maintained her own research program at the Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory at the State of California Department of Health Services.
Dr. Dunnebacke is co-inventor on the issued patents and pending patent applications that have been filed to protect the intellectual property and clinical in vitro diagnostic (IVD) products developed to diagnose and monitor episodes of sepsis.
Douglas Webber, Ph.D. – COO and VP, Clinical Research
Dr. Webber was the co-Principal Investigator in R&D’s $2.6M NIH grant and instrumental in writing the grant application and obtaining FDA buy-in of the pivotal clinical study to obtain marketing clearance for the EIA test for plasma iNOS as a very early and accurate biomarker for the onset of sepsis. He is one of the founding partners of R&D Antibodies LLC and is co-inventor on many of the issued patents and pending patent applications.
Dr. Webber received his PhD degree in neuroscience from Tulane University School of Medicine. While at Tulane, he studied the involvement of the Nitric Oxide and cGMP signing pathway (nNOS, soluble Guanylyl Cyclase, Protein kinase dependent cGMP 1α, and Protein kinase depended cGMP 1β), and the location of these proteins in the central auditory system.