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4005 CBIS
- dordick@rpi.edu
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518-276-2899
- 0000-0001-7802-3702
About
Jonathan S. Dordick, Ph.D., is Institute Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with joint appointments in the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Sciences.
He received his B.A. degree in Biochemistry and Chemistry from Brandeis University and his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At Rensselaer, he served as the Vice President for Research, the Director of the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, and Department Chair. He was the founding Co-Director of the Rensselaer-Mount Sinai Center for Engineering and Precision Medicine. Prior to joining Rensselaer, he was Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at the University of Iowa, where he also served as the founding Associate Director of the Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing. He has served the biochemical engineering community as a previous chairman of the Biotechnology Division of the American Chemical Society and as an editor of Biotechnology & Bioengineering.
Dr. Dordick has made foundational contributions to enzyme technology, microscale cell culture engineering, drug discovery and human toxicology, and biomanufacturing. He pioneered the development of enzymatic and chemoenzymatic methods for new materials synthesis, initiated the field of molecular bioprocessing, which combines biocatalytic molecular diversity and in vitro metabolic pathway engineering with high-throughput and high-content microfluidic- and microarray-based tools to generate biologically active compounds, and greatly expanded a fundamental understanding of enzymatic catalysis in abiotic environments critical for chemical and pharmaceutical processing. Finally, he has used biomolecular discovery and engineering to address clinical translation in areas of infectious and neurological diseases, anticoagulant therapy, and highly sensitive point-of-care biosensors based on CRISPR technology.
Dr. Dordick has received numerous awards and honors, including election to the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Inventors, and receipt of the DIC Award for Excellence in Biochemical Engineering and James E. Bailey Award, both of the Society of Biological Engineering, Amgen Award in Biochemical and Molecular Engineering, AIChE Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Award, ACS-BIOT Marvin J. Johnson Award, ACS-BIOT Elmer Gaden Award, and International Enzyme Engineering Award. He is Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Chemical Society and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers.
Dr. Dordick has cofounded several companies, including EnzyMed, Solidus Biosciences, Inc., Redpin Therapeutics, SynAppBio, and Lavaage, Inc. He has also served on multiple White House-sponsored panels and committees in biomanufacturing. Dr. Dordick has published over 430 papers and is an inventor/co-inventor on over 50 patents and patent applications.
Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1986 Biochemical Engineering
M.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1983 Biochemical Engineering
B.A. Brandeis University
1980 Biochemistry and Chemistry
Professional Experience
- Institute Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 2021-present.
- Co-Director, Rensselaer-Mount Sinai Center for Engineering and Precision Medicine, New York, NY, 2022-present.
- Howard P. Isermann Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 1998-2021.
- Senior Advisor to the President for Strategic Initiatives, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 2018-present.
- Vice President for Research, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 2012-2018.
- Guest Faculty Investigator (Visiting Professor), Rockefeller University, New York, NY, 2016-present.
- Adjunct Professor, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 2014-2016.
- Director, Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 2008-2012.
- Joint Appointments in Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Sciences
- Visiting Research Scientist, Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, 2007-2013.
- Chairman, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 1998-2002.
- Professor and Chairman, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 1995-1998. Joint appointment in the Department of Medicinal and Natural Products Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 1996-1998.
- Professor, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 1994-1995.
- Associate Director, Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 1990-1998.
- Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 1991-1994.
- Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 1987-1991.
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Tate & Lyle Group Research and Development, Reading, U.K., 1986-1987
Research
Dr. Dordick has made foundational contributions to enzyme technology, microscale cell culture engineering, drug discovery and human toxicology, and biomanufacturing. He pioneered the development of enzymatic and chemoenzymatic methods for new materials synthesis, initiated the new field of molecular bioprocessing, which combines biocatalytic molecular diversity and in vitro metabolic pathway engineering with high-throughput and high-content microfluidic- and microarray-based tools to generate biologically active compounds, and greatly expanded the fundamental understanding of enzymatic catalysis in abiotic environments critical for chemical and pharmaceutical processing. Finally, he has used biomolecular discovery and engineering to address clinical translation in areas of infectious disease, neurological diseases and anticoagulant therapy.
Biocatalysis and Cell-Free Metabolic Engineering, Biomanufacturing, 3D Cell Culture Engineering and Organoid Development, Immunoengineering, Biomolecular Discovery
Teaching
By appointment.
Introduction to Biochemical Engineering (CHME4430 and CHME 6430).
Recognition
Professor Dordick has received numerous awards. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2021. He has been awarded the James Bailey Award from the Society for Biological Engineering (AIChE), the Amgen Award in Biochemical and Molecular Engineering, Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Award of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Marvin J. Johnson Award and the Elmer Gaden Award both of the American Chemical Society, the International Enzyme Engineering Award, and an NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award. He has cofounded several companies, including EnzyMed (now part of Albany Molecular Research, Inc.), Solidus Biosciences, Inc., and Redpin Therapeutics. He has also served on multiple White House-sponsored panels and committees in biomanufacturing. Dr. Dordick has published over 400 papers and is an inventor/co-inventor on nearly 50 patents and patent applications.
Honors, Awards, and Lectureships
2022 James E. Bailey Award, Society for Biological Engineering, American Institute of Chemical Engineers
2021 Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
2019 Amgen Biochemical and Molecular Engineering Award
2019 Rensselaer School of Engineering Outstanding Professor Award
2016 Robert Pigford Memorial Lecture, University of Delaware
2015 Food, Pharmaceutical and Bioengineering Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers
2014 Elected to the National Academy of Inventors
2011 Inaugural Mylan Lecture, University of West Virginia
2011 Merck Lecture, University of Virginia
2010 Elected Fellow, American Chemical Society
2009 Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award, Defense Threat Reduction Agency
2007 Marvin J. Johnson Award, American Chemical Society Division of Biochemical
Technology
2007 Elmer Gaden Award, John Wiley & Sons and American Chemical Society Division of Biochemical Technology
2007 Trustees Lecture, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
2007 School of Engineering Research Award, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
2004 Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
2003 International Enzyme Engineering Award
2003 School of Engineering Research Award, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
2000 Alan Berman Research Publications Award, U.S. Department of Defense
- Howard P. Isermann Professorship, Department of Chemical Engineering, Rensselae Polytechnic Institute
1998 American Chemical Society Iowa Section Award
1998 Who’s Who in America
1997 Trapp Lecture in Biotechnology, Departments of Chemistry and Food Science and Engineering, Iowa State University
1996 Elected Fellow, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers
1996 Who’s who in Science and Engineering
1993 Leo Rettger Society Lecturer, American Society of Microbiology, Connecticut Chapter
1992 Chairman, Division of Biochemical Technology, American Chemical Society
1991 Observer for National Academy of Sciences for IUPAC Meeting in Hamburg
1991 U.S. Delegate for U.S. - Korea Joint Seminar on Bioprocess Technology, Seoul
1989 Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation
1989 Faculty Scholars Award, University of Iowa
1989 NASA Technical Innovation Brief
1988 Old Gold Summer Faculty Fellowship, University of Iowa
1983 Interox Predoctoral Fellowship, MIT
Plenary and Keynote Addresses
2016 Plenary Address for Korean Society of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Gyeong-Ju, Korea
2014 Plenary Address for DECHEMA Annual Meeting, Aachen, Germany
2012 Keynote Opening Lecture, Biocat2012, Hamburg, Germany
2011 Plenary Address for the BioTrans Meeting, Giardina Naxos, Sicily, Italy
2010 Plenary Address for the AIChE National Meeting, Division 22, Salt Lake City, UT
2007 Keynote Address for the 12th Mexican Biotechnology and Bioengineering Conference, Morelia, Mexico
2006 Plenary Address for the Eastern Mediterranean Chemical Engineering Conference, Dead Sea, Israel
2005 Plenary Address for Enzyme Engineering XVIII, Geong-Ju, Korea
2005 Plenary Address for Biochemical Engineering XIV, Harrison Hot Springs, BC
2004 Plenary Address for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Austin, TX
2001 Plenary Address for the 6th Biochemical Engineering Conference, Taipei, Taiwan
1998 Plenary Address for Division 15 for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Miami, FL
1996 Plenary Address for the Division of Polymer and Materials Science and Engineering, ACS, New Orleans, LA
1995 Keynote Address for the Colorcon Symposium on Controlled Release, Princeton, NJ
1995 Keynote Address for the Carbohydrate Bioengineering Meeting, Helsingor, Denmark
1994 Plenary Address for the 4th International Workshop on Oligo- and Polysaccharides, Aussois, France
1994 Plenary Address for the Biodegradable Polymers Symposium, Boston, MA.
1993 Plenary Address for the International Congress on Chemicals from Biotechnology, Hannover, Germany.
1993 Plenary Address for the European Symposium on Biocatalysis, Graz, Austria.
Publications
Recent Publications:
400. P.S. Kwon, H. Oh, S.J. Kwon, W. Jin, F. Zhang, K. Fraser, J.J. Hong, R.J. Linhardt, and J.S. Dordick (2020), “Sulfated Polysaccharides Effectively Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in Vitro”, Cell Discovery, 6, 50.
401. L. Yan, P. Brodfuehrer, L. Fu, F. Zhang, S. Chen, J.S. Dordick, and R.J. Linhardt (2020), “Chemical O-Sulfonation of N-sulfoheparosan: A Route to Rare N-sulfo-3-O-Sulfoglucosamine and 2-O-sulfoglucuronic acid”, Glycoconj. J. 37, 589-597.
402. R. Muckom, X. Bao, E. Tran, E. Chen, A. Murugappan, J.S. Dordick, D.S. Clark, and D.V. Schaffer (2020), “High-Throughput 3D Screening for Differentiation of hPSC-Derived Cell Therapy Candidates”, Sci. Adv. 6, eaaz1457.
403. S. Bhattacharya, D. Kim, S. Gopal, A. Tice, K. Lang, J.S. Dordick, J. L. Plawsky, and R.J. Linhardt (2020), “Antimicrobial Effects of Positively Charged, Conductive Electrospun Polymer Fibers”, Mater. Sci. Eng. C Mater. Biol. Appl. 116, 111247.
404. S.J. Kwon, D. Lee, S. Gopal, A. Ku, H. Moon, and J.S. Dordick (2020), “Three-Dimensional in Vitro Devices Using Patient-Derived Cells for High‐Throughput Screening of Drug Combinations”, Med. Dev. Sensors 3, e10067.
405. C.S. Morrison, E.E. Paskaleva, M.A. Rios, T.P. Beusse, E.M. Blair, L.Q. Lin, J.R. Hu, A.H. Gorby, D.R. Dodds, W.B. Armiger, J.S. Dordick, and M.A.G. Koffas (2020), “Improved Soluble Expression and Use of Recombinant Human Renalase”, 15, PLoS One, e0242109.
406. L. Yan, L. Fu, K. Xia, S. Chen, F. Zhang, J.S. Dordick, and R.J. Linhardt (2020), “A Revised Structure for the Glycolipid Terminus of Escherichia coli K5 Heparosan Capsular Polysaccharide”, Biomolecules 10, 1516.
407. P. Datta, L. Yan, A. Awofiranye, J.S. Dordick, and R.J. Linhardt (2020), “Heparosan Chain Characterization: Sequential Depolymerization of E. Coli K5 Heparosan by a Bacterial Eliminase Heparin Lyase III and a Bacterial Hydrolase Heparanase Bp to Prepare Defined Oligomers”, Biotechnol. J. 16, e2000336.
408. A. Bhagwat, M. Mixon, C.H. Collins, and J.S. Dordick (2020), “Opportunities for Broadening the Application of Cell Wall Lytic Enzymes”, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 104, 9019-9040.
409. P. Datta, L. Fu, P. Brodfuerer, J.S. Dordick, and R.J. Linhardt (2021), “High Density Fermentation of Probiotic E. coli Nissle 1917 Towards Heparosan Production, Characterization, and Modification”, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 105, 1051-1062.
410. J. Zha, Z. Liu, R. Sun, G. Gong, J.S. Dordick, and X. Wu (2021), “An Endolysin-Based Autolytic E. coli System for Facile Recovery of Recombinant Proteins,” J. Agric. Food Chem. 69, 3134-3143.
411. A. Badri, A. Williams, A. Awofiranye, P. Datta, K. Xia, H. We, K. Fraser, J.S. Dordick, R.J. Linhardt, and M.A.G. Koffas (2021), “Complete Biosynthesis of a Sulfated Chondroitin in Escherichia coli,” Nat. Commun. 12, 1389.
412. S.N. Baytas, S.S. Varghese, W. Jin, Y. Yu, P. He, M. Douaisi, F. Zhang, P. Brodfuehrer, K. Xia, J.S. Dordick, and R.J. Linhardt (2021), “Preparation of Low Molecular Weight Heparin from a Remodeled Bovine Intestinal Heparin”, J. Med. Chem. 64, 2242-2253.
413. A. Bhagwat, F. Zhang, C.H. Collins, and J.S. Dordick (2021), “Influence of Bacterial Culture Medium on Peptidoglycan Binding of Cell Wall Lytic Enzymes,” J. Biotechnol. 330, 27-34.
414. L.S. Wang, S. Xu, S. Gopal, E. Kim, D. Kim, M. Brier, K. Solanki, and J.S. Dordick (2021), “Facile Fabrication of Antibacterial and Antiviral Perhydrolase-Polydopamine Composite Coatings,” Sci. Rep. 11, 12410.
415. S. Gopal, A.E. Osborne, L. Hock, J. Zemianek, K. Fang, G. Gee, R. Ghosh, D. McNally, S.M. Cramer, and J.S. Dordick (2021), “Advancing a Rapid, High Throughput Screening Platform for Optimization of Lentivirus Production”, Biotechnol. J. 16, e2000621.
416. S. Gopal, S.J. Kwon, B. Ku, D.W. Lee, J. Kim, and J.S. Dordick (2021), “3D Tumor Spheroid Microarray for High-Throughput, High-Content Natural Killer Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity”, Commun. Biol. 4, 893.
417. P. Datta, F. Zhang, J.S. Dordick, and R.J. Linhardt (2021), “Platelet Factor 4 Polyanion Immune Complexes: Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia and Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia,” Thromb. J. 19, 66.
418. Y. Song, P. He, A.L. Rodrigues, P. Datta, R. Tandon, J.T. Bates, M.A. Bierdeman, C; Chen, J.S. Dordick, F. Zhang, and R.J. Linhardt (2021), “Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity of Rhamnan Sulfate from Monostroma nitidu,” Marine Drugs 19, 685.
419. I. Lee, S.J. Kwon, M. Sorci, P.S. Heeger, and J.S. Dordick (2021), “Highly Sensitive Immuno-CRISPR Assay for CXCL9 Detection,” Anal. Chem. 93, 16528-16534.
420. F. Zhang, P. He, A.L. Rodrigues, W. Jeske, R. Tandon, J.T. Bates, M.A. Bierdeman, J. Fareed, J.S. Dordick, and R.J. Linhardt (2022), “Potential Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity of Pentosan Polysulfate and Mucopolysaccharide Polysulfate,” Pharmaceuticals, 15, 258.
421. S. Talekar, B.H. Jo, J.S. Dordick, and J. Kim (2022), “Carbonic Anhydrase for CO2 Capture, Conversion and Utilization,” Curr. Opin. Biotechnol., 74, 230-240.
422. J.S. Dordick and J. Kim (2022), “Editorial Overview: Emerging Routes to Sustainable Energy Capture and Conversion into Value-Added Products,” Curr. Opin. Biotechnol., 73, iii-vi.
423. A.L. Gelbach, F. Zhang, S.J. Kwon, J.T. Bates, A.P. Farmer, J.S. Dordick, C. Wang, and R.J. Linhardt (2022), “Interactions Between Heparin and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein RBD from Mmicron and Oher Variants.” Front. Mol. Biosci. 9, 912887.
424. R. Ghosh, S. Koley, S. Gopal, A.L. Rodrigues, J.S. Dordick, and S.M. Cramer (2022), “Evaluation of Lentiviral Vector Stability and Development of Ion Exchange Purification Processes.” Biotechnol. Prog. (Online ahead of print).
425. V. Narayanan, A.L. Rodrigues, and J.S. Dordick (2022), “Influence of Circadian Rhythm on Drug Metabolism in 3D Hepatic Spheroids.” Biotechnol. Bioeng. (Online ahead of print).
The following is a selection of recent publications in Scopus. Jonathan Dordick has 483 indexed publications in the subjects of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Chemical Engineering, Immunology and Microbiology.
News
The Dordick Research Lab
The Dordick Group includes chemical engineers, bioengineers, biologists, and chemists all focused on gaining a quantitative understanding of biological principles and applying them to advance biomanufacturing, engineering of the natural and synthetic immune system, neurotechnologies, and drug discovery. Specific areas of current research include Biocatalysis and Biomanufacturing, Biomolecular Engineering of Antibacterial and Antiviral Agents, Cellular Engineering, Neuromodulation, and AI/Machine Learning for Drug Discovery.
