Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, Harrington Department of Bioengineering
Bio
Pioneering scientist and entrepreneur Alan C. Nelson, PhD, was named
director of the Biodesign Institute in March of 2009. Dr. Nelson’s
medical innovations include a landmark technology introduced in 1995
that made a dramatic improvement in detection of cervical cancer. He
also currently serves as President and CEO of VisionGate, Inc. in
Washington State, which has developed a screening test for lung cancer
using several proprietary technologies. These are currently in the
process of being commercialized, and the company has attracted several
potential acquirers.
Last year, the Biodesign Institute generated more than $60 million
in external funding and disclosed 50 new inventions. “These tight
economic times make it more important than ever for us to preserve and
diversify programs that have a proven ability to generate revenue and
that ultimately will have a profound benefit to society,” said ASU
President Michael M. Crow.
Dr. Nelson succeeds Dr. George Poste, who was tapped to head ASU’s
new Complex Adaptive Systems Initiative in July 2008. In addition to
leading the Biodesign Institute, Dr. Nelson serves as professor of
bioengineering in the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering.
Director Alan C. Nelson brings an eclectic background in
biotechnology, medicine and entrepreneurship to the Biodesign
Institute. With experience spanning prolific academic and business
careers, Dr. Nelson has produced 63 patents for new biomedical
innovations and has authored over 100 scientific papers on topics
ranging from geophysics to retinal injury and recovery. His academic
appointments have included professorships at the University of
Washington, Harvard and MIT.
Dr. Nelson was attracted to the Biodesign Institute because of its
world-class faculty and its global mission to conduct research focused
on urgent societal needs. In addition to his roles as Director of the
Biodesign Institute, he is a professor of bioengineering in the Ira A.
Fulton School of Engineering. Combining scientific far-sightedness with
operational acumen and an impressive track record of attracting
investment capital, Dr. Nelson is uniquely poised to further the
Biodesign Institute’s core research mission while enhancing the
economic vitality of the enterprise.
In its first five years, Biodesign’s success in competing for
federal grants from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health
has far outpaced the national average. Biodesign’s research awards make
up 24 percent of ASU’s annual award total, which currently tops $230
million.
Dr. Nelson’s most recently-founded company, VisionGate, has
developed technology to provide stunning, 3-D images of cell
physiologies, enabling lung cancer to be detected much earlier than
current technology permits. Previously, Nelson founded NeoPath, Inc.
(later, TriPath) to automate cervical cancer screening for faster, more
accurate cancer detection. As President and CEO of the company, he
completed an IPO in 1996.
Alan Nelson received his PhD in biophysics from the University of
California, Berkeley, in 1980. He also holds a master’s degree in
geophysics from the same university. He simultaneously held
professorships in nuclear engineering at MIT as well as the highly
prestigious W.M. Keck Foundation’s Endowed Chair in Biomedical
Engineering at Harvard from 1980-1986. He was a visiting fellow to the
British Royal Society in the U.K. and Northern Ireland in 1985-1986,
and held a professorship in bioengineering at the University of
Washington from 1986-1991.
Professor Nelson’s professional service includes advisory panels for
the National Cancer Institute, science advisor to the Swedish Embassy’s
Office of Science and Technology, editor of the Scanning Electron
Microscopy Journal, and reviewer for several professional journals. He
has been elected to several boards including the Technology Alliance of
Washington where he headed the state ethics law review and subsequent
enactment of a new state ethics law. He is a Fellow of the American
Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Alan Nelson’s wide-ranging background and hands-on experience with
transformative biotechnologies is an invaluable asset to the Biodesign
Institute’s continuing commitment to improving human and environmental
health.
