Member SpotlightsBioentrepeneur Creating Multifunctional Biomembranes and Polymers William Lee, Ph.D. A Member Since September 2004  During his undergraduate years at the University of Tokyo and later as a Masters and Ph.D. student at the same university, William Lee, Ph.D., utilized an innovative technology to create multifunctional polymeric materials and membranes. This technology forms the intellectual capital up upon which he later co-founded the company, eMembrane, Inc. (www.eMembrane.com) in late 2000. eMembrane is located in Rhode Island with operations also in Japan. As the company’s President and CEO, he now devotes the majority of his time and efforts to facilitating the technology’s development and commercialization.The company’s proprietary technology, electron-beam-induced grafting of combinatorial polymer brushes, results in the deposition of long polymer brushes (from nanometer to micron dimensions) on different surfaces of commercial polymeric products (membranes, textiles, films, pipette tips, etc.) at very high densities (~10 trillion brushes per square centimeter). These brushes display chemical or biological entities that can selectively bind metal ions, gases, proteins, viruses and cells. This “capture-and-hold” tactic could prove useful to many industries including biotechnology because it separates molecules from a sample without disrupting their inherent three-dimensional structure. For example, these materials have the potential to assist in a variety of specific applications such as large-scale protein purification, proteomics applications, the purification of viral vectors for gene therapy, and the removal of pathogenic viruses from plasma products. Additionally, they can be incorporated into biosensors, biochips, and diagnostic tools. Before founding eMembrane, Dr. Lee worked for JAFCO, Japan’s largest venture capital firm where he developed his business acumen and established important professional contacts. While at JAFCO, he assisted the Life-Science Team Investment Officer in overseas investment of life science ventures, overseeing due-diligence activities and finalizing investment commitments. Originally from Malaysia, Dr. Lee’s family encouraged him to pursue scientific training in Japan and later in the United States. While at Harvard Medical School for his postdoctoral fellowship, he studied retrovirus-mediated gene therapy and developed a novel virus separation/purification/eradication device. Dr. Lee hopes that applying the company’s technology to such biological problems as HIV/AIDS will accelerate the process of creating novel therapies for such intractable diseases. Dr. Lee finds the possibility of improving people’s quality of life through eMembrane’s technology the most rewarding aspect of his job. When not searching for additional markets for the technology, he takes time off to play badminton, hike, read and watch movies. ### << Previous Next >> [ View All Member Spotlights ] |
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