Daniel L. Peterson, MD, Medical Director [more...]
During more than 25 years of medical practice, Daniel L. Peterson has become a sought-after internist for diagnosing difficult and complex medical cases. When several patients in Incline Village became ill with symptoms that resembled persistent mononucleosis, Daniel Peterson was one of the first physicians to recognize an outbreak of what is known as ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). He became a pioneering physician and researcher in understanding the biological characteristics and methods for diagnosing, managing and treating ME/CFS.
Daniel Peterson is a graduate Magna cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa of Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. He graduated from the University of Rochester School of Medicine in Rochester, New York, in 1976. Dr. Peterson served his internship and residency at the University of Utah Medical Center from 1976-1979 and became a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine in 1979. He has been caring for patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), for two decades, and his clinical work is complimented by a strong commitment to research as evidenced by his participation in more than 17 research studies, numerous drug trials and his foresight to collect and maintain the world's single largest repository of ME/CFS patient samples. Dr. Peterson was on the founding board of the IACFS. Among the numerous awards that he has received, in 2007 he was awarded the prestigious Nelson Gantz Clinician Award.
Judy A. Mikovits, PhD, Director of Research [more...]
Dr. Mikovits spent more than 20 years at the National Cancer Institute in Frederick MD during which time she received her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, investigating mechanisms by which retroviruses dysregulate the delicate balance of cytokines in the immune response. This work led to the discovery of the role aberrant DNA methylation plays in the pathogenesis of HIV. Later in her career at the NCI, Dr. Mikovits directed the Lab of Antiviral Drug Mechanisms (LADM) a section of the NCI's Screening Technologies Branch in the Developmental Therapeutics Program. The LADM's mission was to identify, characterize and validate molecular targets and to develop high-throughput cell-based, genomic and epigenomic screens for the development of novel therapeutic agents for AIDS and AIDS-associated malignancies (Kaposi's sarcoma). Formally trained as a cell biologist, molecular biologist and virologist, Dr. Mikovits has studied the immune response to retroviruses and herpes viruses including HIV, SIV, HTLVI, HERV, HHV6 and HHV8 with a special emphasis on virus host cell interactions in cells of the hematopoietic system including hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Dr. Mikovits' commercial experience includes serving as a senior scientist and group leader at Biosource International, where she led the development of proteomic assays for the Luminex platform that is used extensively for cytokine activity assessment in therapy development. She also served as Chief Scientific Officer and VP of Drug Discovery at Epigenx Biosciences, where she led the development and commercialization of cell and array-based methylation assays for drug discovery and diagnostic development. Dr. Mikovits has co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications that address fundamental issues of viral pathogenesis, hematopoiesis and cytokine biology.
Vincent C. Lombardi, PhD [more...]
Dr. Lombardi was introduced to the field of ME/CFS as an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Daniel L. Peterson, in Incline Village, NV. While working with Dr. Peterson, he was responsible for routine laboratory work, patient interviews, statistical and epidemiological data analysis. He began his graduate studies in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Suhadolnik at Temple University in 1999 studying the role of RNase L dysfunction in ME/CFS. He finished his graduate work at the University of Nevada, Reno in the field of neuro-peptides and protein chemistry, receiving his PhD in Biochemistry in 2006. Prior to completion of his PhD, he co-founded Redlabs USA Inc., a CLIA certified clinical specialty laboratory the focus of which is the diagnosis of chronic immune disease. He served as the Director of Operations and Laboratory Supervisor at Redlabs prior to joining WPI in 2007 but left to continue his research on the RNase L pathway and the development of chronic disease. Dr Lombardi brings to WPI, expertise in the fields of protein chemistry and purification, mass spectrometry and molecular modeling.
