Request Expert

Expert A. Expert has expertise in and has established many animal models of disease at multiple institutions. These include models of human rheumatoid arthritis (RA) such as collagen-induced and adjuvant-induced arthritis in rodents. In addition, he has experience in models of osteoarthritis (OA) including spontaneous and collagenase-induced. In 1996, he established a company that develops and manufactures reagents and kits dedicated to arthritis research. He also has expertise in the rodent model of multiple sclerosis (EAE), the ovalbumin-induced asthma model, and rodent models of inflammatory bowel disease.

Dr. Riefe has over 20 years of experience working in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) research. His expertise lies in the immuno- and pathobiology of these diseases with emphasis on the development of pre-clinical assays. These include animal models of RA such as collagen-induced (CIA) and adjuvant-induced arthritis in rodents and models of OA including spontaneous and collagenase-induced. He also has expertise in developing in vitro assays of disease including cell-based (chondrocyte, synoviocyte and leukocyte) and measurement of autoimmune antibodies in sera. In 1996, he established a company that develops and manufactures reagents and kits dedicated to arthritis research. These include highly purified collagen for the CIA model and kits to measure antibodies to type II collagen. The company also developed a rapid model of CIA which is induced by mAbs to type II collagen. He has consulted for many companies and assisted them with their pre-clinical drug discovery efforts.

Expert's expertise lies in the immuno- and pathobiology of cartilage and diseases of cartilage degeneration such osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis. He also has expertise in the isolation and culture of cartilage chondrocytes and measurement of cartilage components such as type II collagen and proteoglycan. In 1996, He established a company that develops and manufactures reagents and kits dedicated to arthritis and cartilage research. These include highly purified collagen for the CIA model and kits to measure type II collagen and antibodies to type II collagen. The company also developed a rapid model of CIA which is induced by mAb to type II collagen. He has consulted for many companies and assisted them with their pre-clinical drug discovery efforts for arthritis and cartilage regeneration.

Expert has expertise in LPS bioactivity and structure determination from gram-negative bacteria especially those that induce diseases such as periodontal disease (Porphyromonas gingivalis; Pg) and sepsis (E. coli). His research in this area focused on the differential innate host defense response to these LPSs. For example, E. coli (Ec) consists of a canonical hexa-acyl fatty acid structure and elicits a potent response from the innate host defense system. Whereas, Pg has a unique and heterogeneous LPS structure consisting of tri, tetra and penta-acylated fatty acid chains which are poorly recognized by host cells presumably allowing the bacteria to colonize in the periodontal cavity ultimately leading to inflammation and bone loss. To investigate the structure/function relationship of Pg and E. coli LPS, Expert has employed various in vitro cell based assays including E-Selectin and IL-8 expression by endothelial cells and TNF-alpha expression by leukocytes stimulation with LPS. He also developed an in vivo model of LPS stimulation to examine in situ activation of the innate host defense system. Expert also has expertise in biochemical characterization of LPS by employing various techniques including MALDI-TOF gas chromatography and GC/MS.

Array

At a Seattle biotechnology company, Expert worked as a consultant to establish animal models of disease including arthritis, asthma, and multiple sclerosis. These models were used for discovery of novel biotherapeutics.At a Seattle contract research laboratory, he established animal models of human rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. These models were conducted as a service to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies who wanted to test their experimental therapies.Expert consults for a biotechnology company developing an anti-infective therapy. He tested serum samples from animal models for inflammatory mediators by ELISA.At a Seattle biotechnology company, he worked as a consultant for the pre-clinical evaluation of a biologic for cartilage regeneration. He assisted in establishing animal models of osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis and in vitro chondrocyte assays.Expert consulted for a European CRO/reagent company to establish animal models of disease and develop new reagents/tests for the area of inflammation research.