Prof. Gary Walsh

Biography

Prof. Gary Walsh is Chair of Industrial Biotechnology at the University of Limerick, Ireland. He obtained BSc & PhD degrees from the National University of Ireland at Galway in 1986 and 1989, respectively and more recently a graduate diploma in academic practice from UL in 2009. Prior to joining the university in 1994 he held the following industrial positions: Senior research scientist, Alltech Ireland Ltd., Production manager, Bioniche pharmaceuticals, Research scientist, Olympus diagnostics.

His research and scholarship interests span enzyme and pharmaceutical biotechnology as well as curriculum design and he was the recipient of the university's special achievement in research award in 2006.

His 106 class 1' publications include: 9 authored books, 2 edited books, 17 book chapters and 78 journal articles. In addition he has authored 94 refereed conference proceedings, 5 book reviews and 7 reports. Three of his books are international student biotechnology textbooks that have gone to second edition and for which Chinese and Japanese foreign language editions have been published.

He has participated in research grant proposal applications which have successfully secured 3.1 million in funding, of which his personal share is 1.7 million. He has supervised/continues to supervise 22 researchers (14 postgraduate & 8 post-doctoral). He has served as a research proposal evaluator for various scientific funding bodies in Ireland, Holland, Norway and the UK.

He has presented his work at 60 international conferences, which include 33 guest/keynote presentations. He has served as session/conference chairman at 6 international conferences and as a member of the scientific advisory panel for 12 international conferences conferences.

He has acted as external examiner for 13 PhD and 4 MSc research theses in various Irish institutions, as well for Monash university in Australia. He has/continues to serve as external examiner for undergraduate taught programs in 4 Irish Institutes of Technology and 2 Irish Universities.

He teaches various biotechnology modules in Limerick and was the recipient of the university's excellence in teaching award in 2003. He has served as course director, B.Sc. industrial biochemistry for 2 terms and as the University's (acting) dean, teaching & learning from August to December 2004. He has lectured on taught courses at the University of Grenoble, France, the University of Jyvaskla, Finland and the National University of Ireland at Galway.

He chaired the University of Limerick institutional committee preparing for the 2012 institutional quality review and was the main author of the associated Institutional Self Assessment Report.

He has served as (founding) editor, biotechnology section, of the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics and as a member of the editorial boards of Biopharm. International, New Drugs and the Encyclopaedia of Industrial Biotechnology. He has also served as scientific secretary and as a member of the board of governors of the European Association of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and is a former Fulbright research visiting professor at the University of Georgia, in the United States.

Research Interests

Enzyme biotechnology: The development of renewable sources of liquid fuels as an alternative to fossil fuels is receiving increasing global attention due environmental, economic and energy security concerns. The production of bioethanol from cellulose-based raw materials (e.g. grass, straw & wood) is at the forefront of this technology, but a major stumbling block is how to effectively degrade the cellulose to its glucose building blocks (the glucose is then fermented to ethanol, basically by brewing technology). A major ongoing focus of my research group is the identification and use of enzymes (proteins that speed up chemical reactions) derived from thermoacidophilic bacteria (bugs that grow best in boiling acid) to more efficiently achieve cellulose degradation (a process that currently usually entails the use of boiling acid). These enzymes are also academically interesting because they work best under such extreme conditions. An additional focus of my research group is to identify selected enzymes produced by acidophilic bugs which can be used as digestive supplements in humans or animals (working in the acidic environs of the stomach). For example, the identification of acid-active lactase' enzymes to degrade milk lactose in the stomach, thereby alleviating lactose intolerance (which effects up to 75% of the world's adult population).

Pharmaceutical biotechnology (Biopharmaceuticals): Biopharmaceuticals are drugs (mainly proteins such as insulin and antibodies, but also pieces of DNA called gene therapy' products) that are synthesized biologically (as opposed to chemically), usually via genetic engineering. These products are at the cutting edge of the pharmaceutical sector, recording sales of 107 billion in 2011. My research in this area focuses largely upon altering the method of manufacturing (bioprocessing) of these products in order to achieve manufacturing more economically and making it more environmentally friendly in the process (green pharmaceutical manufacturing) We also work on stabilizing such proteins by attaching a chemical called PEG to them, as well as on the identification & analysis of trends/ likely future directions in biopharmaceutical production systems/ products/regulatory science.

Curriculum design.
Curriculum design and development, particularly with reference to pharmaceutical biotechnology/ protein biotechnology.

Professional Activities

Education

2009 University of Limerick - Graduate Diploma in Academic Practice
1989 University College Galway - Ph.D.
1986 University College Galway - B.Sc.

Award

2006 - Special achievement in research award
2003 - University of Limerick excellence in teaching award

Committee

2004 International advisory committee, Pharma BioTec Europe 2004 conference,
2002 Board of governors and executive committee, European Association of Pharma Biotechnology,
2002 Scientific secretary, European Association of Pharma Biotechnology,

Employment

1994 CES dept, UL. - Assistant lecturer
1992 Alltech European Biosciences Research Centre - Senior research scientist
1990 Vetrepharm Ireland - Production manager
1989 Olympus diagnostics, Tulla. - Research scientist

Peer Reviewed Journals

2013

Milestones and Moderate Progress in 2012 Drug Approvals

Walsh, G (2013) Milestones and Moderate Progress in 2012 Drug Approvals. Biopharm International :54-56

2012

A 25-year retrospective on the public's perception of the biopharmaceutical and biotech industry

Walsh, G and Ultee, M. (2012) A 25-year retrospective on the public's perception of the biopharmaceutical and biotech industry. Biopharm International :26-27

2012

Veterinary-based biopharmaceuticals

Ryan MP, Walsh G (2012) Veterinary-based biopharmaceuticals. Trends In Biotechnology

Biography

Research Interests

Professional Activities

Education

Award

Committee

Employment

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journals

Milestones and Moderate Progress in 2012 Drug Approvals

A 25-year retrospective on the public's perception of the biopharmaceutical and biotech industry

Veterinary-based biopharmaceuticals

New Biopharmaceuticals

Identification of fungal proteases potentially suitable for environmentally friendly cleaning-in-place in the dairy industry

Stabilization of a supplemental digestive enzyme by post-translational engineering using chemically-activated polyethylene glycol

The importance of and an approach to comprehensive reflective practice

Engineering of a fungal beta-galactosidase to remove product inhibition by galactose

Utilisation of phosphorus nutrient content in industrial scale plasmid DNA production: a waste minimisation study

A novel acid-stable, acid-active beta-galactosidase potentially suited to the alleviation of lactose intolerance

Biopharmaceutical Approval Trends in 2009

Biopharmaceutical benchmarks 2010

Post-translational modifications of therapeutic proteins

Assessment of the potential suitability of selected commercially available enzymes for cleaning-in-place (CIP) in the dairy industry.

Biopharmaceuticals: Approval Trends in 2008

Biopharmaceuticals: Approval Trends in 2007

Application relevant studies of fungal beta-galactosidases with potential application in the alleviation of lactose intolerance

Engineering biopharmaceuticals

Purification and characterisation of an acid phosphatase with phytase activity from Mucor hiemalis Wehmer

Protein engineering - Case studies of commercialized engineered products

Approval trends in 2006

Production, purification and application-relevant characterisation of an endo-1,3(4)-beta-glucanase from Rhizomucor miehei

The pharmaceutical biotechnology content of pharmacy programs within Europe: A survey

Purification and properties of a beta-galactosidase with potential application as a digestive supplement

Comparison of selected physicochemical characteristics of commercial phytases relevant to their application in phosphate pollution abatement

Biopharmaceuticals: Approval trends in 2005

Protein post translatioal modification in the context of biopharmaceuticals

Physicochemical characteristics of commercial lactases relevant to their application in the alleviation of lactose intolerance

Biopharmaceutical benchmarks 2006

The use of proteases to remove protein-based residues from solid surfaces

Scaling the biobusiness information mountain

Biopharmaceuticals: Approvals and approval trends in 2004

Quantification of supplemental enzymes in animal feedingstuffs by radial enzyme diffusion

A series of enzymology-based experiments designed to mimic an applied research project

Therapeutic insulins and their large scale manufacture

Biopharmaceuticals: recent trends and likely directions

Identification and characterization of a phytase of potential commercial interest

A phytase enzyme-based biochemistry practical particularly suited to students undertaking courses in biotechnology and environmental science

Thermostable phytase enzyme

Second generation biopharmaceuticals

Modern antibody-based therapeutics

Purification and characterization of extracellular phytase from Aspergillus niger ATCC 9142

Purification and characterization of an extracellular phytase from Aspergillus niger ATCC 9142

Biopharmaceutical benchmarks - 2003

Pharmaceutical biotechnology products approved within the European Union

Biopharmaceuticals and biotechnology medicines; an issue of nomenclature

Eine neue generation von biopharmazeutika

Biopharmaceuticals first versus second-generation products

Monoclonal antibody based therapeutics

Core concepts suitable for education and training for the biopharmaceutical industry

Biopharmaceuticals

Biopharmaceutical benchmarks

A suggested module detailing biopharmaceuticals suitable for inclusion in undergraduate biochemistry/applied biochemistry programmes

A suggested postgraduate curriculum for education and training for the biopharmaceutical industry

Drug approval in Europe - The EMEA gets good grades, but has room for improvement

Antimicrobial Saponins of Yucca schidigera and the Implications of Their in Vitro Properties for Their in Vivo Impact

A simple immunoassay-based system capable of detecting antibody raised against human IgG

Life in the hot stuff: Thermophilic microorganisms

Biopharmaceuticals, the future

Enzymes, the workhorses of biotechnology

Nervous excitement over neurotrophic factors

Technical note: detection and quantification of supplemental beta glucanase activity in animal feed.

Biopharmaceuticals, the bodie's own drugs

Influence of Yucca Shidigera preparations on the activity of urease from Bacillus pasteurii

The industrial production of enzymes.

Enzymes in the animal feed industry

Recombinant reproduction

An ultrafuiltration method for the removal of interfering agents and its application to the determination of free ammonia in solutons of oxystarch by the berthelot method

Enzymes in the animal feed industry

Books

Proteins. Biochemistry and Biotechnology, second edition