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Served LDS Mission in the Netherlands
If you do not have to understand the following to be impressed. Read this letter his company gave him on retirement. He may be mad at me for adding it to his profile, but I hope not. Note: AIDS which use to be a death sentence if contracted, now it is not; the victim can likely lead a long, normal life. This is one of the truly great accomplishments of modern science and as you can read Phillip played a large roll in this conquest.
J. R.
Phillip's introduction: I will attach a blurb that was prepared for my retirement. It is way beyond anything needed for the reunion, but it might be of interest to any of our "scientific research oriented" friends.
Phillip D. Markham
Scientific Director
Advanced BioScience Laboratories, Inc.
5510 Nicholson Lane
Kensington, MD 20895 USA
301-816-5238
phillip.Markham@ablinc.com
BS degree, Utah State University
MS degree, Department of Bacteriology, Utah State University
PhD degree in Viral Oncology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, UCLA.
Dr. Markham is an experienced investigator and administrator with specialized training and background in cell biology, immunology, and the study of human and animal retroviruses and other viruses. During his more than 35 years’ experience in biomedical research, Dr. Markham and collaborators have made many significant contributions in the area of human retrovirology including: the characterization of the first, documented, human retrovirus, Human T-cell Leukemia-Lymphoma virus (HTLV-I) and the initial isolations/discovery of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) (AIDS). The isolation and characterization of multiple strains of HIV-1 provided early proof of the causative association of HIV infection with disease development and conclusively demonstrated that HIV-1, found in various tissues, could be transmitted: by both homosexual and heterosexual contact; mother to child; blood transfusion and blood-derived products. These observations helped to validate the diagnostic antibody detection ELISA assay used to identify infected individuals, and the Western blot assays used to confirm infection. Other studies helped to identify primary target cells for HIV-1, e.g., CD4+ T lymphocytes and monocyte/macrophages, and evaluated HIV-I stability/inactivation, e.g., detergent, heat, etc., and early HIV-1 inhibitors in vitro and in vivo. Dr. Markham and collaborators have also made important contributions to advances in developing and evaluating methods of HIV/AIDS prevention and therapy.
In addition to his work with human retroviruses, Dr. Markham and collaborator’s contributions include the isolation and characterization of other novel human and primate RNA and DNA viruses and use of animal models to develop and test methods to treat or prevent infection and disease. This research led to the isolation and characterization of: Gibbon Ape leukemia virus (GALVH); Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV L’Hoest); the human Herpes virus HBLV (or HHV-6); Simian T-cell Leukemia Virus from pigmy chimpanzees (STLV Pan paniscus ) ; and a non-human primate Herpesvirus from macaques (HV MNE). These research teams have extensively developed and used animal models for HIV-1 vaccine development and therapy. This included use of other retroviruses, HIV-2, SIV and SHIV, for infection, and a number of vaccine modalities, e.g., sub-unit proteins, live vectors, (such as, ALVAC, NYVAC, MVA, Vaccinia virus, Adenovirus), and plasmid DNA, individually and in combinations. Dr. Markham and associates recently completed a phase I clinical trial to evaluate a polyvalent, HIV, vaccine, delivered by DNA priming and sub-unit HIV envelope protein boosting. Dr. Markham and associates have co-authored and published approximately 200 scientific manuscripts describing these research observations.
