Erik Schwiebert

About Erik Schwiebert

Erik is passionate about life sciences and biotechnology applied science and entrepreneurship. Erik specializes as a discovery human cell physiologist and pathophysiologist. He has a collaborative approach, and he is a creative innovative scientist. His \"hands on\" scientific specialty is the creation of novel primary human cell cultures from diseased and/or normal human tissues and the use of an \"old school\" cell culture growth format to drive longer lifetime of primary cell cultures and the maintenance of physiological phenotypes.At present, Erik is the Director of the Station 41 Therapeutics Accelerator and a member of the Station 41 Incubator and Venture Studio teams located anew on Southern Research\'s campus and affiliated closely with the University of Alabama at Birmingham and affiliated via UAB to a Deep South Network of laboratories and institutions. These efforts fit most closely with Erik\'s skill sets and interests.Erik founded and directed DiscoveryBioMed, Inc. from 2007 to 2022 to discover novel small molecule therapeutics using Humanized Drug Discovery, Validation and Profiling for cystic fibrosis (CF) and other related chronic lung and vascular diseases, for polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and select cancers, and for diabetes complications in diabetes mellitus and obesity. The DiscoveryBioMed, Inc. business model also serves both the academic and industry marketplaces as a contract research organization (CRO) in human cell culture and engineering for bioassay platform creation, humanized drug discovery and validation, and humanized lead therapeutic asset profiling.Our niche is the integration of disease-relevant and biologically-relevant primary or immortal human cell platforms into all of the above as the key ingredient and the core guiding principle of the company. We pride ourselves in pivoting creatively to generate revenue while not wavering on our \"humanized\" methods.Eurofins Discovery Panlabs acquired DBM\'s CRO services business in mid-2022. Erik spent 8 months on the M&A deal and 16 months with Eurofins as a Senior Scientific Director. Internalization of R&D by our clients after the Covid pandemic was not helpful to our collaboration and a poor marketplace continues across 2023. Erik may remain a part-time consultant with the St. Charles, MO team.Erik\'s co-Founders are currently starting a new company with its small molecule assets focused on human diseases in general and human genetic diseases in particular with a chronic inflammation component.Prior to this, Erik was a tenured basic/foundational scientist at UAB.

Experience

1. Executive Director of Station 41 Programs

   Station 41

   Sep 2024 — Present

Education

• Grinnell College

  BS, Biology

  1983 — 1987

• The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

  Postdoctoral Fellowship, Cell Physiology

• Dartmouth Medical School

  Ph.D., Cell Physiology

  1987 — 1992

Skills

• Molecular Biology
• Biotechnology
• Validation
• Cell Engineering
• Human Cell-Based Drug Discovery
• Life Sciences
• Cell Culture
• Drug Discovery
• R&D
• Physiology
• Cell Biology
• Cell
• Western Blotting
• Commercialization
• Genomics
• CRO
• Biochemistry
• In Vivo
• Immunology
• Technology Transfer
• Protein Chemistry
• Drug Development
• Lifesciences
• Cancer
• Science
• Microbiology
• Clinical Research
• Research
• Pcr
• Genetics
• Transfection
• Protein Expression
• Clinical Development
• In Vitro
• Research and Development (R&D)