Pfeifer named Fellow of AIMBE

Published January 30, 2018 This content is archived.

Blaine Pfeifer has been named a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). He will be inducted into the College of Fellows Class of 2018 this spring as part of AIMBE’s Annual Event, to be held April 8-9 in Washington, D.C.

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“Blaine is an outstanding researcher, scholar, mentor and entrepreneur, and this recognition reflects his outstanding record of scholarship and innovation to improve healthcare and the safety of society.”
Stelios Andreadis, professor and chair
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Portrait photo of Blaine Pfeifer.

Blaine Pfeifer.

Pfeifer, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, was elected to the AIMBE for his outstanding contributions to the fields of complex natural product biosynthesis and vaccine delivery design towards infectious disease applications.

According to AIMBE website, AIMBE Fellows “represent the top 2% of the medical and biological engineering community. They are considered the life-blood of AIMBE and work towards realizing AIMBE’s vision to provide medical and biological engineering innovation for the benefit of humanity. Fundamental to their achievements is the common goal of embracing innovation to improve the healthcare and safety of society.”

Pfeifer’s research uses cellular and process engineering as a base technology platform to support application-based projects in environmental sustainability, therapeutic compound access, and vaccine design.

“Blaine is an outstanding researcher, scholar, mentor and entrepreneur, and this recognition reflects his outstanding record of scholarship and innovation to improve healthcare and the safety of society,” said Stelios Andreadis, professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

Pfeifer has published more than 85 academic papers, and his research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and the New York State Department of Economic Development, among others. He is a member of the American Chemical Society and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

An entrepreneur, Pfeifer is one of the founders of Abcombi Biosciences, Inc., a pre-clinical vaccine and therapeutic development company dedicated to delivering “smarter” vaccine and anti-infective solutions. Collaborators include co-founders Charles Jones, chief executive officer, who earned his PhD in chemical and biological engineering under Pfeifer in 2015; Christopher Kilgore, chief operating officer; Andrew Hill, chief security officer; and Margaret McGlynn, board chair and former Merck Vaccine Executive and chief executive officer of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.

Pfeifer joined UB’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in 2011. Previously, he was an assistant professor at Tufts University, and a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where, under the tutelage of Robert Langer, he focused on gene delivery to the sentinel cells (antigen presenting cells) of the immune system with the goal of enabling effective genetic vaccines. He received his PhD in chemical engineering from Stanford University in 2002.

About AIMBE

The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is the authoritative voice and advocate for the value of medical and biological engineering to society. It is an organization of leaders in medical and biological engineering, consisting of academic, industrial, professional society councils and elected fellows.

AIMBE’s mission includes communicating objectively with and responding to US and state government agencies, as well as lawmakers, with the aim to contribute to public policy making that benefit the public. The organization works toward the development of greater translational research and innovation, promotes inter-society relationships, and aims to inspire young future leaders of the medical and biological engineering community.