Contact Information

"...applications for fast, point-of-use, SNP analysis abound in medical, emergency care, security, education, agricultural, and veterinary industries."

Corporate Headquarters: Zerosum, Inc. • 1060 Brighton Drive • Seven Valleys, PA 17360 USA
Telephone : (717) 428-9744 • Toll free: (800) 672-2899
email: Contact

Zerosum Board of Directors - Zerosum is a privately held Pennsylvania C Corporation.

Zerosum Advisors Information

Rodney A. Beard, Esq., | Corporate Counsel

Mr. Beard has been practicing law in central Pennsylvania since 1987. His practice has emphasized business and commercial work, municipal law and economic development, start-up enterprises, and employment issues. He works with several software and data distribution companies, and has assisted many clients with procuring and protecting trademarks, copyrights, and other forms of non-patent intellectual property. He also has been involved in licensing and technology transfer ventures. Mr. Beard has litigated numerous commercial cases, and has been involved in complex multi-district federal litigation and commercial arbitration cases with the American Arbitration Association. He has served as a commercial panelist with the AAA, and regularly works with AIA and EJCDC documents. Mr. Beard currently serves as Chair of the Board of the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County, and is a member of the Board of the Centre County Industrial Development Corporation. He serves as a Board Member and Vice-President of Centre Lifelink Emergency Medical Service, Inc. (formerly Alpha Community Ambulance Service, Inc.), and a Board Member of the Walker Township Water Association, Inc. He serves as Solicitor for the Centre County Industrial Development Authority. He has served as a Member of the Board of Governors of the Centre County Bar Association (1993 - 1996), served as a founding Board Member (1990) of Centre County Crimestoppers, Inc., and a Board Member and past President (1993-94) of the Central Pennsylvania World Trade Association. Mr. Beard has taught Business Law at the Pennsylvania State University (continuing education/for credit - 1994), and lectured on exporting for the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, and for various groups on business organizations and technology. He is a graduate of the 1996-97 class of Leadership Centre County. He has also served as in-house General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of ZedX, Inc.

Advisory Board member since 1987. Last update: 2009



Dr. Stephen Holbrook - Staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | Bioinformatics

Dr. Holbrook is an experienced macromolecular crystallographer specializing in structural studies of RNA and Protein-nucleic acid complexes. He is currently leading a project studying the structural basis of DNA repair in the radiation resistant microbe Deinococcus radiodurans. He also has been involved in computational biology projects for many years, from crystallographic computing, to molecular modeling of nucleic acids and proteins, to machine learning approaches to biological questions. He has developed neural networks for the prediction of protein surface accessibility, disulfide bonding state, and protein fold classification. He is currently developing methods for finding novel RNA genes in genomic sequences, assignment of biological function directly from protein sequence and classification of bacterial promoter seqeunces.

Advisory Board member since 2001. Last update: 2009



Joseph P. Hackett - Comprehensive Wealth Management with Fulton Financial Advisors | Financial

A firm managing $3.4 Billion in assets. Joe is responsible for Investment Management, International - Foreign Currency, Wire Transfers, Foreign Drafts, Estate Planning, Succession Planning and Implementation, Cash Management, and Customized Credit options. Credit options incorporate the full spectrum of personal and commercial needs. He has been active in these areas of financial services for almost two decades. In addition, Mr. Hackett is active with the YMCA, The York County Chamber of Commerce, The York Foundation, the Strand Capital, The Cultural Alliance, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and his church. He previously served as VP of Sales and Marketing for a regional specialty plastics company.

Advisory Board member since 2001. Last update: 2009



Forough Ghahramani - Founder and Principal of Life Sciences Computing | Technical

Forough Ghahramani is Founder and Principal of Life Sciences Computing (www.lifesciencescomputing.com), a Princeton, New Jersey-based consulting company that assists organizations in utilizing high performance computing to accelerate research in the Life Sciences. Forough Ghahramani is Dean of Business and Technology Management at DeVry University New Jersey. Prior to her current position, she was Chair of Biomedical Informatics and Computer Information Systems at DeVry University Pennsylvania. Forough has more than twenty five years diversified experience in higher education, technology, and management. Her industry career experience includes management consulting, technical sales, engineering management, technical marketing management, and systems architecture consulting. Forough's education includes a Master of Business Administration from DePaul University, Master of Computer Science from Villanova University, and Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a minor in Biology from Pennsylvania State University. Forough's technical achievements have been recognized with a number of awards including the Digital Equipment Corporation Excellence Award, and the DeVry University PRIDE award. Forough's research interests include bioinformatics, the challenges associated with the convergence of biotechnology and information technology. Forough is a recognized leader in developing programs to attract, retain, and mentor women in science, engineering, and technology fields. Forough is a recipient of the Euro-American Women's Council's (EAWC) Artemis award in Athens, Greece, and was inducted into the EAWC Women's Hall of Fame on the sacred island of Delos, birthplace of the mythical goddess Artemis, at the EAWC 10th Annual Global Forum for her contributions and advocacy for the future generation of women leaders in science, engineering, and technology. Forough is a member of the New Jersey Council on Gender Parity in Labor and Education's Committee on Science and Technology Workforce. Forough is Director of Women's Initiative at DeVry University Pennsylvania. She is a board member of the Society of Women Engineers Public Policy committee, Executive Advisory Board member of the Euro-American Women's Council, Executive Advisory Board member and National Founding Partner of Women Impacting Public Policy, Co-Chair of Strategic Alliances for WIPP, and Member of the WIPP Diversity committee. Forough is an Advisory Board member of the Eastern Technology Council's Women's Leadership Network Group. She served as the Executive Director of PrincetonWIT (Princeton Women, Insights, Technology) through 2006, and past Director of Alliances for WorldWIT (World Women, Insights, and Technology). Forough is founder and organizer of Business Women Impacting Science and Engineering (BWISE). Forough is also a member of BIO, the International Biotechnology Organization, and AWIS (Association of Women in Science). In 2008, Forough was elected to the Board of Directors for Pennsylvania State University's Eberly College of Science Alumni Society. She also serves on the boards of companies and non-profit organizations. She has been featured in Philadelphia Inquirer, Technology Times and Princeton Packet Business Journal. She has published articles in technical journals and presented in local, national, and international conferences, and has served on the State of Pennsylvania Biotechnology Education Committee. She has been an invited speaker at National and International conferences. Forough has been instrumental in developing programs to encourage women to pursue non-traditional technical fields in science and engineering. Forough is a respected leader in recruitment and retention of women in the science, engineering, and technology and is consulted on the local, state, and national levels with regard to workforce development strategies.

Advisory Board member since 2001. Last update: 2009



Dr. Ameya S. Kantak - Technical/Biological Advisor | Life Sciences & Bioengineering

Dr. Kantak joined Zerosum, Inc. in 2003 as Life Science Advisor/Bioengineer. Over ten years Dr. Kantak has been conducting multidisciplinary research in the areas of microfluidics, microtechnology (lab-on-a-chip/biochip) applications in engineering, life sciences and medicine, sensor research, biomaterial selection and surface modifications (activation and passivation) using the principles of self assembly, and analytical separations. He joined Zerosum, Inc. in 2003 as a Life Science Advisor/Bioengineer. Since then, he has made substantial engineering contributions to the development of Zerosum's proprietary genomic analysis and biosensing microtechnology platforms. He has published severally at international conferences, in leading research journals, in international patents and invention disclosures; and delivered invited talks. He is the member of the review boards of several reputed international journals in his field of research: IEEE, Royal Society for Chemistry, and Institute of Physics just to name a few. He earned a Ph.D. (Mechanical engineering) from the University of Utah, and also holds prior degrees in Biomedical and Chemical engineering. He was instrumental in developing microjet drug delivery technology funded originally by NIST under Advanced Technology Program. His efforts helped secure multimillion dollars in venture funding. In the past he was awarded on several occasions with grants and scholarships to further research and teaching. He has conducted hands-on laboratory sessions in microfabrication/microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and instructed several graduate and undergraduate students in science, engineering and technology at university level, and trained scientists, engineers, and technicians in professional environment. Currently he works as a senior research scientist at Medtronic Diabetes in California, USA and lives in Los Angeles.

Advisory Board member since 2003. Last update: 2009



Dr. Richard N. Bamford - Principal of Transponics | Scientist molecular biology

Product Development Science Advisor Richard N. Bamford, Founder/President Transponics Dr. Bamford earned a B.S. Degree in Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD and his Ph.D. Degree, Molecular Biology, George Washington University, Washington, DC. He recently founded Transponics, Jacobus, PA USA, a company that offers molecular biology and consulting services. HIs work experience includes the Metabolism Branch, NCI, NIH, the Maryland Department of Agriculture, a tumor biologist, Hazleton Labs Inc., Rockville, MD, and a Staff Fellow, Medical Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD. Dr. Bamford has received many honors in his career including the 1994 CIS Science Recognition Award for New Investigators from the Clinical Immunology Society, 1995 Outstanding Scholar Award from the International Cytokine Society in Recognition of Meritorious Scientific Achievement in the Field of Cytokine Biology, 1995 American Federation for Clinical Research, Eastern Section, Best Abstract by a Trainee, 1996 NIH Director's Award, 1998 Inducted into the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society, 1999 Outstanding Merit Award for a Poster Presentation, National Human Genome, Research Institute Retreat 2000 Abstract Selected for Presentation at the Plenary Session of the American Society of Human Genetics He is co-applicant in the U.S. Patent Application: Substantially pure non-IL-2 T-cell growth factors. NIH Reference: E-131-94/0.

Publications 1. Waldmann TA, Goldman CK, Bamford R, Burton J, Junghans RP. IL-2 receptor-directed therapy: a model for immune intervention. In: Proceedings of the 7th International Congress of Immunology. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 1989;1201-12. 2. Chan WC, Link S, Srinivasan A, Bamford R, Waldmann TA. A T-cell line with an unusual phenotype. Cancer 1989;64:1859-66. 3. Debatin K-M, Goldman CK, Bamford R, Waldmann TA, Kramer PH. Monoclonal antibody mediated apoptosis in adult T cell leukemia. Lancet 1990;335:497-500. 4. Waldmann TA, Grant A, Tendler C, Greenberg S, Goldman C, Bamford R, Junghans RP, Nelson D. Lymphokine receptor-directed therapy: a model of immune intervention. J Clin Immunol 1990;10:19S-29S. 5. Waldmann TA, Goldman C, Top L, Grant A, Burton J, Bamford R, Roessler E, Horak I, Zaknoen S, C, White J, Nelson D. The interleukin-2 receptor: a target for immunotherapy. In: Gupta S, Waldmann TA, eds. Mechanisms of lymphocyte activation and immune regulation IV: cellular communications. Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Lymphocyte Activation and Immune Regulation. New York: Plenum 1992;323:57-66. 6. Waldmann TA, Goldman C, Top L, Grant A, Burton J, Bamford R, Roessler E, Horak I, Zaknoen S, Kasten-Sportès C, White J,England R, Horak E, Martinucci J, Tinubu SA, Mishra B, Junghans R, Dipre M, Carrasquillo J, Reynolds J, Gansow O, Nelson D. The interleukin-2 receptor: a target for immunotherapy. Ann N Y Acad Sci: Immunomodulating drugs 1993;685:603-10. 7. Waldmann TA, White J, Gansow O, Kasten-Sportès C, Roessler E, Zaknoen S, Horak K, Carrasquillo JA, Reynolds JC, Junghans R, England R, Goldman CK, Bamford R, Horak E, Tinubu SA, Top L, Dipre M, Mishra B, Grant A, Nelson D. Treatment of malignant skin diseases with genetically engineered molecules armed with radionuclides. In: Burgdorf WHC, Katz SI, eds. Proceedings of the 18th World Congress of Dermatology. Park Ridge, NJ: Parthenon 1993;61-63. 8. Waldmann TA, White J, Goldman CK, Top L, Grant A, Bamford R, Roessler E, Horak I, Zaknoen S, Kasten-Sportès C, England R, Horak E, Mishra B, Hale P, Fleisher TA, Junghans RP, Jaffe ES, Nelson DL. The interleukin-2 receptor: a target for anti-Tac monoclonal antibody therapy of human T-cell lymphotropic virus I-induced adult T-cell leukemia. Blood 1993;82:1701-12. 9. Burton JD, Bamford RN, Peters C, Grant AJ, Kurys G, Goldman CK, Brennan J, Roessler E, Waldmann TA. A lymphokine, provisionally designated interleukin-T, produced by a human adult T-cell leukemia line stimulates T-cell proliferation and the induction of lymphokine-activated killer cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1994;91:4935-39. 10. Bamford RN, Grant AJ, Burton JD, Peters C, Kurys G, Goldman CK, Brennan J, Roessler E, Waldmann TA. The interleukin-2 receptor ß chain is shared by interleukin-2 and a cytokine, provisionally designated interleukin-T, that stimulates T-cell proliferation and the induction of lymphokine-activated killer cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1994;91:4940-44. 11. Waldmann TA, White JD, Carrasquillo JA, Reynolds JC, Paik CH, Gansow OA, Brechbiel MW, Jaffe ES, Fleisher TA, Goldman CK, Top LE, Bamford R, Zaknoen S, Roessler E, Kasten-Sportès C, England R, Litou H, Johnson JA, Jackson-White T, Manns A, Hanchard B, Junghans RP, Nelson DL. Radioimmunotherapy of IL-2Ra-expressing adult T-cell leukemia with yttrium-90 labeled anti-Tac. Blood 1995;86:4063-75. 12. Bamford RN, Battiata AP, Burton JD, Sharma H, Waldmann TA. Interleukin (IL) 15/IL-T production by the adult T-cell leukemia cell line HuT-102 is associated with a human T-cell lymphotrophic virus type I R region/IL-15 fusion message that lacks many upstream AUGs that normally attenuate IL-15 mRNA translation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1996;93:2897-2902. 13. Bamford RN, Battiata AP, Waldmann TA. IL-15: the role of translational regulation in its expression. J Leukocyte Biol 1996;59:476-80. 14. Tagaya Y, Bamford R, DeFilippis A, Waldmann TA. IL-15: a pleiotropic cytokine with diverse receptor/signaling pathways whose expression is controlled at multiple levels. Immunity 1996;4:329-36. 15. Waldmann TA, Bamford RN. The promiscuous IL-2/IL-15 receptor: a target for immunotherapy. Cancer Res 1996;37:647. 16. Bamford RN, Tagaya Y, Waldmann TA. Interleukin-15 - what it does and how it is controlled. The Immunologist 1997;5/2:52-56. 17. Tagaya Y, Kurys GK, Thies TA, Losi JM, Azimi N, Hanover JA, Bamford RN, Waldmann TA. Generation of secretable and nonsecretable interleukin 15 isoforms through alternate usage of signal peptides. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1997;94:14444-49. 18. Waldmann TA, Tagaya Y, Bamford R. Interleukin-2, Interleukin-15, and their receptors. Intern Rev Immunol 1998:16;205-26. 19. Azimi N, Brown K, Bamford RN, Tagaya Y, Siebenlist U, Waldmann TA. Human T cell leukemia virus type I Tax protein trans-activates interleukin 15 gene transcription through an NF-.B site. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1998;95:2452-57. 20. Bamford RN, DeFilippis AP, Azimi N, Kurys G, Waldmann TA. The 5' untranslated region, signal peptide, and the coding sequence of the carboxyl terminus IL-15 participate in its multifaceted translational control. J Immunol 1998;160:4418-26. 21. Lehky TJ, Levin MC, Kubota R, Bamford RN, Flerlage AN, Soldan SS, Leist TP, Xavier A, White JD, Brown M, Fleisher TA, Top LE, Light S, McFarland HF, Waldmann TA, Jacobson S. Reduction in HTLV-I proviral load and spontaneous lymphoproliferation in HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis patients treated with humanized anti-Tac. Ann Neurol 1998;942-47. 22. Waldmann TA, Bamford RN, Tagaya Y. The cytokine receptor family: a target for immunotherapy. In: Kurth R, ed. Proceedings of the 100th anniversary celebration of the Paul Ehrlich Institute. 1999. 23. Bamford RN, Roessler E, Burdine RD, Saplakogla U, dela Cruz J, Splitt M, Goodhip JA, Towbin J, Bowers P, Ferrero GB, Marino B, Schier AF, Shen MM, Muenke M, Casey B. Loss-of function mutations in the EGF-CFC gene CFC1 are associated with human left- right laterality defects. Nat Genet 2000;26:365-9. 24. Kurys G, Tagaya Y, Bamford R, Hanover JA, Waldmann TA. The long signal peptide isoform and its alternative processing direct the intracellular trafficking of interleukin-15. J Biol Chem 2000; 275:30653-9. 25. Goldmuntz E, Bamford R, Karkera JD, dela Cruz J, Roessler E. Muenke M. CFC1 mutations in patients with transposition of the great arteries and double-outlet right ventricle. Am J Hum Genet 2002;70:776-80. 26. dela Cruz JM, Bamford RN, Burdine RD, Roessler E, Barkovich AJ, Donnai D, Schier AF, Muenke M. A loss-of-function mutation in the CFC domain of TDGF1 is associated with human forebrain defects. Hum Genet 2002;110:422-8.

Advisory Board member since 2006 Last update: 2009



Dr. Stanton S. Lebouitz, MD | Principal Dermatological Associates
Bio to soon follow - Advisory Board member since 2007.



Dr. Thomas P. Sherwood - Founder Biolexia | Cognitive and Behavioral Applications Advisor

Dr. Thomas P. Sherwood II, Cognitive and Behavioral Applications Advisor Dr. Sherwood has 34 years experience in the field of education in both instructional and administrative roles, with particular interest and expertise in the area of reading disabilities. He did his undergraduate work at Penn State University and obtained a M.Ed. from Millersville State University and an Ed. D. from the University of Maryland. He holds two advanced state reading certifications in Pennsylvania and one national reading certification from post-doctoral work in a program based at Ohio State University. Upon retirement from public education in Pennsylvania in 2006, he formed a literacy consultancy named BioLexia. The name of the company was intentionally chosen to draw awareness to the critical importance of acknowledging the biological substrates impacting both the human lexicon and lexical cognitive processing in literacy acquisition and achievement or dysfunction. BioLexia currently focuses on educational markets regarding literacy diagnosis and intervention on three levels: 1) University / College Student-Athletes and NCAA concerns about APR / GSR metrics, 2) Post-secondary Technical, Training, & Trade Schools and Community College concerns about student recruitment and retention issues, 3) Governmental / Private Business concerns for a literate workforce. Such a focus does not exclude marketing to the multitude of private clinics, institutes, franchises, and other educational providers dedicated to addressing literacy concerns like dyslexia which work seeks to support, at one time or another in their educational journey, those entering the three aforementioned entities with underdeveloped literacy skills. Biolexia is dedicated to developing a collaborative systems approach to the instructional interaction of mind, brain, and education from a clinical perspective utilizing advanced diagnostic protocols in cognition, genetics, and neurology to better inform clients' ongoing intervention and monitoring efforts with a more "laser-like" focus to enhance the efficacy of literacy solutions. Some of Dr Sherwood's specific research and professional interests deemed to enable multiple synergies with Zerosum include: 1) cortical cell genetics, 2) genetic markers for SRD predisposition, 3) genetic etiology of SRD, 4) neural plasticity, and 5) the neurobiology of reading disabilities.