Who we are

J. Paul Robinson - Candidate for President

J. Paul Robinson has a B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. all from the University of NSW, in Sydney, Australia. He came to the USA in 1984 for postdoctoral study at the University of Michigan and remained there as a junior faculty member until 1988. In 1988 he moved to Purdue University as Associate Professor, where he established the foundation for the Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories (PUCL). In 1993 he was appointed Professor of Immunopharmacology. In 1999 he was appointed Professor of Biomedical Engineering and currently serves in both the Basic Medical Sciences department of the School of Veterinary Medicine, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, in the Schools of Engineering at Purdue University. He has been actively developing the Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories environment for the past 15 years.

He has regularly served on numerous study sections at NIH and NSF and actively participates as a reviewer for several journals. He has served previously on ISAC council and was on the Membership Services Committee when it was established in ISAC over 12 years ago. He is a member of the Clinical Cytometry Society, a Life Member of the Iberian Society for Cytometry, and a foundation member of GLIIFCA – a regional cytometry society in the U.S.A.

Dr. Robinson has published over 80 peer reviewed papers, 17 book chapters, co-edited 7 books and has developed a program in electronic publication within which he distributed 8 “Purdue Cytometry CD-ROMs” at scientific meetings including ISAC (over 40,000 copies distributed to date all free of charge). He is currently the managing editor of Current Protocols in Cytometry and is the “list-owner” of the Purdue Cytometry EMAIL discussion group, which is run by Steve Kelley in his laboratory at Purdue. This list was created in 1989 and now is monitored by more than 2500 people daily.

In 1994, together with Zbigniew Darzynkiewicz, he established the STEP program (Special Training & Education Program) which was an effort to create international education and training opportunities in expert cytometry laboratories. He has taught in over 20 international advanced courses in flow cytometry and imaging and believes that these courses are most important activities.

Robert M. Zucker - Candidate for Secretary

Robert M. Zucker received undergraduate (BS in Physics; 1965) and graduate (MS in Biophysics and Nuclear Medicine, 1966; PhD in Biophysics, 1970) degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). His postdoctoral training was in cellular immunology at the Max Plank Institute in Munich, Germany (1970-1972). From 1972 to 1985, Bob directed a research program at the Papanicolaou Institute at the University of Miami (Florida) where he was a faculty member in the Department of Medicine and member of the Sickle Cell Anemia Program. During Bob’s tenure at the Papanicolaou Institute, he studied the effects of chemotherapeutic agents on cancer cells, fetal hemoglobin in sickle cell anemia, cell cycle control mechanisms and the biophysical characterization of cells. In 1985 (to present), Bob became the director of the Core Laboratories for flow cytometry, image analysis, and confocal microscopy for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. His research at the USEPA involves the analysis of toxicological effects of chemicals on tissue culture cells, developing embryos, and reproductive tissues (ovaries/testis) using both flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. Bob is an active member of the international analytical cytology community. At the local level, Bob organized and is an active member of the Research Triangle Cytometry Users Group. Bob was also a member of the Advisory Board of Bioscope at Purdue University, which provides advice for Internet based high school science education.

Bob is a dedicated scientist who has become a leader in his field by applying flow cytometry quality assurance principles to confocal microscopy to acquire more accurate analytical measurements. Bob has received numerous scientific awards at the USEPA for his research and has published over 90 scientific peer-reviewed publications and book chapters during his scientific career. Bob has presented eight workshops on confocal microscopy and/or flow cytometry at national and international scientific meetings. He believes that these advanced educational courses are some of the most important activities we can participate in.

He has served on core study sections at NSF and actively participates as a reviewer for several journals. He has served on ISAC council (elected in 2002) and has been a member of ISAC since its inception. He is active in the Cytometry field with both flow cytometry and confocal microscopy application.

Alex Nakeff - Candidate for Clinical Councilor

Alexander Nakeff is Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Flow Cytometry Core Facility, Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He received his B.Sc. in Science and M.Sc. in Physiology at the University of Toronto and Ph.D. in Radiation Biology and Biophysics (1970) at the University of Rochester, NY. His post-doctoral studies were performed under Dr. van Bekkum at the Radiobiological Institute, TNO, The Netherlands. He joined the Section of Cancer Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, in 1972 as Director of the Core Flow Cytometry Facility, attaining the rank of Associate Professor in 1982. He then joined the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan as Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the Flow and Image Cytometry Core Facility of the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Detroit (now the Karmanos Comprehensive Cancer Center) in 1986. In 1999, he joined the Drug Discovery and Development Program at the Josephine Ford Cancer Center, HFHS.

His main research interests have been in the regulation of hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and differentiation, with emphasis on megakaryocyte and platelet production and publication of the first paper applying flow cytometry to megakaryocytes in 1979. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed full publications and book chapters, including 3 publications and a review in Cytometry. His present research interests are in cytomics (flow cytometry and proteomics) to determine the molecular mechanism of action of new solid tumor-selective drugs at the proteome level.

He has served on several NIH Special Review committees for flow cytometry, co-founded the Great Lakes International Image and Flow Cytometry Association (GLIIFCA) in 1991 (the best regional group of its kind in the US that is presently in its 13th consecutive year and focused on maximizing the participation of its young members), played key roles in organizing several ISAC Congresses (XIX & XX), served as Chair of both the ISAC Site Selection and Membership Services Committees (the latter formalized the present ISAC Student Awards), initiated and organized the “Under ‘40’s Club” at the last four ISAC Congresses to help attract new, younger members to ISAC and organized and chaired the 3rd Samuel A. Latt meeting in Detroit in 2001 on “Genomics/Proteomics in Cancer” that helped fuel the present ISAC Cytomics initiative.

Lori Krueger - Candidate for Clinical Councilor

"I have been working in the field of Medical Laboratory Technology since 1981 and Flow Cytometry since 1991. I received an advanced certification (ART) in Immunohematology from the Canadian Society of Medical Laboratory Science in 1990 and a BA in Administrative and Commercial Studies from the University of Western Ontario in 1994. From 1991 through 1997 I worked as a Senior Laboratory Technologist and Technical Specialist in the Special Hematology (Flow Cytometry) Laboratory at the London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario, Canada.

During that time I was actively involved in developing and improving clinical research and routine clinical applications of Flow Cytometry including the ISHAGE protocol for CD34 positive Stem Cell enumeration. I joined Beckman Coulter (Miami, FL) as a Product Specialist performing external product evaluations in 1997. After relocating to New England in 1998, I joined the Center for Platelet Function Studies (CPFS) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA. During my 5 years at the CPFS I continued to develop and enhance flow cytometric assays for studying platelet function including the design and implementation of the laboratory component of several clinical trials. I have recently relocated to San Diego and have rejoined Beckman Coulter as a Senior Applications Scientist for Translational Business Solutions. I continue to develop new assays for immune monitoring using MHC tetramer technology."

Attila Tárnok - Candidate for Biological Cytometry Councilor

Attila Tárnok studied biology at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and graduated in biophysics in 1983; he achieved PhD in 1988 at the Institute for Biophysics and Radiation Biology (Horst Jung, Heinz Baisch), at the University of Hamburg; thesis: "Histochemical detection and quantitation of leukocyte-subsets in untreated and irradiated Rhabdomyosarcoma R1H of the rat."

Attila set up his first flow cytometry and cell sorting facility in 1988 at the Bernhardt-Nocht Institute for Tropical Diseases, in Hamburg, and did research on eosinophilic granulocyte differentiation and HIV. In 1989 Attila moved to the GSF research centre in Neuherberg at Munich (Michael Nüsse). He established the cell sorting facility and focused his research on irradiation induced micronuclei formation and chromosome analysis. In 1990 Attila was appointed to establish the independent cell sorting group at the Centre for Molecular Neurobiology, ZMNH, Hamburg. His research focused on developmental neurobiology for which he developed bead based assays and methods to measure and sort on transient calcium signals, and collaborated in basic immunology. In 1995 Attila moved to the Medical Research Council at the Hammersmith Hospital in London to set up and head the cell sorting and flow cytometry group, focusing research on thymal immunology and T-cell and endothelial cell function. Since 1996 Attila has been head of the research facility (eight co-workers) of the Paediatric Cardiology Department (Cardiac Centre, University of Leipzig, Germany). He investigates the immunology of trauma and congenital heart disease and age dependence of the immune response. He develops and establishes nanoscale technologies for cell diagnostics by flow and slide based cytometry.

In 2001 Attila Tárnok became Associate Professor, Privatdozent, for Immunology at the University of Leipzig and is member of the faculty's council. He is president elect of the German Society for Cytometry, DGfZ, and Associate Editor of Cytometry. Furthermore, he has been appointed reviewer and guest editor for Cytometry and other international journals. Attila has published 36 papers in peer-reviewed journals as first or senior author (15 in Cytometry) and 19 as co-author. He published 37 papers in proceedings and textbooks, among others in Current Protocols in Cytometry. Attila organises interdisciplinary workshops and summerschools on state of the art cytometry techniques, several of them under the patronage of the ISAC. Attila is long standing member of the ISAC with over 30 scientific presentation at ISAC congresses and has served as tutor and session chair.

His additional activities include: collaborations with and councillor for biotechnology and instrument development companies; guest lecturer for the Hungarian Biophysical Society; session chair and member of organising committees for various international meetings.

Janos Szöllösi - Candidate for Cytometric Technology Councilor

Janos Szöllösi studied physical chemistry and obtained his M.Sc. in 1976. In 1980 he received his Ph.D. in Biophysics from the Faculty of Medicine (University of Debrecen). Post-doctoral fellowships followed, first in Gottingen (Germany) with Thomas Jovin (1982/83), then at the University of California in San Francisco with Mack J. Fulwyler (1985/86), Larry J. Marton, Burt G. Feuerstein (1988-90), and Fred M. Waldman (1994).
Since 1976 he has had a permanent position in the Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology, University of Debrecen, Hungary first as assistant lecturer and lately as full professor (1997). Since 1999 he has been the Chairman of the Biophysics Section of the Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology at the University of Debrecen.

His scientific interests include: studying biophysical aspects of transmembrane signaling: spatio-temporal organization of the earliest events, coupling between physical parameters and chemical signaling reactions with special interest in immunocompetent cells; investigating of topography of cell surface elements using flow and image cytometric fluorescence energy transfer; developing and improving the fluorescence resonance energy transfer technique; studying the role of membrane potential and fluidity in regulation of lateral and rotational diffusion and interactions of lymphocyte antigens and receptors. Lately he has been involved in: studying the cell surface distribution of erbB2 oncoprotein on metastatic and non-metastatic breast tumor cells; investigating the interaction of epidermal growth factor receptor (erbB1) and erbB2 proteins; revealing the involvement of lipid rafts in signal transduction processes induced through erbB protein interactions.

Janos has been published over 90 peer reviewed papers and 15 book chapters. His outstanding research activities were recognized by the Academy Award of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, his teaching activities were acknowledged by the Pro Scientia Award of the Ministry of Education.

Laura Teodori - Candidate for Biological Cytometry Councilor

Laura Teodori was born in Rome, Italy in 1953 and graduated from the University of Rome in Biology cum laude in 1976. As a postdoctoral fellow at the MD Anderson Hospital Cancer Research Institute, University of Texas, during the years 1979-1980 she was interested in clinical applications of multiparameter flow cytometry (FCM). In 1981 she worked as a guest scientist at the Institute of Radiobiology, University of Muenster on early FCM markers of cellular alteration after cell exposure to chemical and physical agents.

She pioneered FCM in Italy, contributed particularly to the development of clinical flow cytometry in this country and received several awards for these activities. In addition, she was among the founding members of the Italian FCM Group (GIC) and has been an ISAC member about 15 years. She collaborates with several internationally leading groups in flow and imaging cytometry, like the University of Muenster and the DKFZ of Heidelberg in Germany, the New York Medical College. She is senior scientist in the Department of Biotechnology at ENEA (National Agency for Energy, Environment and New Technologies) - Casaccia, in Rome. She is professor of Cytometry at the School of Oncology, Medical Faculty, University of Rome La Sapienza and Supervisor of Cytometry at the Department of Occupational Medicine at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. She is Secretary of the National Association of Research and Technology for ENEA-Casaccia and reviewer of several international scientific journals.