• 1987 Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania
• 1980 M.ChE. Chemical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
• 1977 B.S. Biochemistry, Illinois Benedictine College, Lisle, Illinois

Working on safer, abundant sources of plasma-derived medicines since 1987, when disease contamination of blood supply medicines by HIV, Hepatitis B and C reached a worldwide epidemic.

To help reduce that risk, Dr. Velander has joined with the American Red Cross Holland Laboratory to pioneer genetically engineered versions of human anticoagulant Protein C, human anti-hemophiliac factors VIII and IX, and fibrinogen (for fibrin glue precursor for hemostatic devices, tissue reconstruction and site specific drug delivery) from the milk of transgenic livestock. His group also helped in pioneering efforts to humanize pig tissue to provide stopgap alternatives for organ transplants.

Dr. Velander's work on transgenic animals is known worldwide in scientific literature such as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science and Nature Biotechnology as well as through international media including CNN's "Future Watch," RAI's "Quark," The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The London Daily Telegraph, the cover story of October 1999 National Geographic, May 1998 Discover, July 1998 Smithsonian and the January 1997 issue of Scientific American.

His work with hemophilia factors was featured on "21st Century Medicine: Genetic Promises" on the Discovery Health Channel in November 2001 and also in the exhibit 'Engineering Genes' at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Dr. Velander is an elected fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Bioengineering. He was instrumental in the formulation of federal regulatory guidelines for human therapeutics derived from transgenic animals through his consultancy with the USFDA.

National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (R01 HL078944) "cGMP Recombinant FIX for IV and Oral Hemophilia B Therapy," $10,462,370. Role: Principal Investigator. The major goal of this project is to develop an abundant, pure, safe and effective therapy for all hemophilia B patients, including those in developing areas of the world, using recombinant human coagulation proteins produced in the milk of transgenic pigs.(9/6/05-8/31/10)

US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (W81XWH-05-1-0527) "Production and Purification of Fibrinogen Components for the Production of a Fibrin Sealant Hemostatic Dressing," $5,342,918. Role: Principal Investigator. The major goals of this project are to develop an economical, reliable and abundant source of fibrin sealant materials and associated cGMP purification methods to be used for a hemostatic dressing suitable for clinical development.(8/1/05-10/31/09)

Abstract Tech Report 08

• S. Agah, A. Sutton, W.H. Velander, S. Paul Bajaj. (2008) "Role of Mg2+ in Extrinsic and Intrinsic Coagulation Under Physiologic Conditions" Blood, 112(11): 705-706.
• S. Paul Bajaj, A. Sutton, S. Shanker, A.E. Schmidt, S. Agah, W.H. Velander, K. Padmanabhan. (2008) "Structural and Functional Investigations of Active Site Binding Regions in Factor VIIa" Blood, 112(11): 707.
• G.C. Gil, W.H. Velander, K.E. Van Cott. (2008) "Analysis of the N-glycans of Recombinant Human Factor IX Purified from Transgenic Pig Milk" Glycobiology, 10.1093/glycob/cwn035.
• L.P. Brewster, C. Washington, E.M. Brey, A. Gassman, A. Subramanian, J. Calcaterra, W. Wolf, C.L. Hall, W.H. Velander, W.H. Burgess, H.P. Greisler. (2008) "Construction and Characterization of a Thrombin Resistant Designer FGF-base-Collagen Binding Domain Angiogen" Biomaterials, 29(3): 327-336.
• H.Z. Miao, S.T. Butler, W.H. Velander, S.W. Pipe (2006) "Development of Milk-targeted Transgenic Animals Expressing Coagulation Factor VIII Bioengineering for High Efficiency Secretion" Pediatric Research, 60 (4): 495
• K. E. Van Cott, P. E. Monahan, T. Nichols, William H. Velander (2004) "Hemophilic Factors Produced by Transgenic Livestock: Abundance That Can Enable Alternative Therapies Worldwide", Hemophilia, 10: 70-76.
•  S. P. Butler, T. K. O'Sickey, S.T. Lord, H. Lubon, F.C. Gwazdauskas, and W.H. Velander, "Secretion of Recombinant Human Fibrinogen by the Murine Mammary Gland" (2004) Transgenic Research, 13: 437-450.
• M. Lindsay, G. C. Gil, A. Cadiz, C. Zhang, W.H. Velander, K. E. Van Cott. Purification of Recombinant DNA-derived Factor IX and Fractionation of Active and Inactive Subpopulations. Journal of Chromatography, 1026:149-157.2004.
• For additional publications, please click the Digital Commons link in the right column of the page.

• "Transgenic and Other Recombinant Methods for Making the Biologics of a Fibrin Sealant Device" April 9, 2008, National University of San Juan, San Juan, Argentina.
• "Transgenic and Other Recombinant Methods for Making the Biologics of a Fibrin Sealant Device" April 8, 2008, Foundacion Pablo Casara, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• "Cloning and Stem Cells and How that Might Affect your Life" Awards Dinner Keynote Presentation, AIChE Mid America Regional Conference, March 29, 2008, Lincoln, Nebraska.
• "Transgenic Production of Fibrinogen for the Treatment of Catastrophic Wounds" Chemical Engineering Seminar, March 17, 2008, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington.
• "Transgenic and Other Recombinant Methods for Making the Biologics of a Fibrin Sealant Device" February 15, 2008, Delaware Biotechnology Institute, Newark, Delaware.
• "Animals as Biofactories" 8th Meeting of the Countries Vaccine Manufacturers’ Network (DCVMN), International Seminar on Vaccines: Healthier People, A Healthier World, Hosted by Bio-Manguinhos and Instituto Butantan, November 11-14, 2007, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• "Post-Translationally Complex Therapeutic Proteins: Expression in Milk" UC Davis Transgenic Animal Research Conference VI, August 12-16, 2007, UC Davis Conference Center, Tahoe City, California.>
• "Development of Milk-targeted Transgenic Animals Expressing Coagulation Factor VIII Bioengineering for High Efficiency Secretion" 47th Annual Midwest Society for Pediatric Research: Scientific Meeting, October 18-20, 2006, Indianapolis, Indiana.
• "Hemophilic Factors Produced by Transgenic Livestock: Abundance That Can Enable Alternative Therapies Worldwide" Region VII Hemophilia Center Annual Meeting, May 4-06, 2006, Iowa City, Iowa.
• "Transgenic Livestock: Abundance That Can Enable Alternative Therapies Worldwide" April 20-21, 2006, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky.
• "Transgenic Hemophilia Factors in Genetic Advances," a panel discussion for the Hemophilia Federation of America, March 30-April 1, 2006, St. Louis, Missouri.
• "Transgenic Technology for Factor IX", March 17, 2006 B. V. Patel Pharmaceutical Education and Research Development Center, Thaltej, Ahmedabad, India
• "Transgenic Technology for Factor-IX," Program to Produce Transgenic Factor-IX in India, March 12-20, 2006, B. V. Patel Pharmaceutical Education and Research Development (PERD) Center, Thaltej, Ahmedabad, India.
• "Complex Post-translational Modifications of Biotherapeutics by Mammary Epithelia: Matching the Best Production Characteristics to a Given Transgenic Livestock", November 22, 2005 Novo Nordisk A/S, Novo Nordisk Park, Måløv, Denmark
• "Transgenic Hemophilic Factors" The Coalition for Hemophilia, Nebraska Chapter Conference, November 11, 2005, Eugene T. Mahoney State Park, Ashland, Nebraska.
• "Potential for Plant-Made and Animal-Made Biological Treatments. Transgenic Livestock: Abundance that can Enable Alternative Therapies Worldwide," Biotechnology Industry Organization and The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, October 17-18, 2005, New York, New York.
• "Fibrin Sealant Hemostatic Bandage" Research Poster Presentation, BIO 2005, June 19-22, 2005, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
•  "Producing complex glycoprotein of hemostasis using transgenic livestock: enabling abundant and new therapeutic alternatives" Fifth Bari International Conference on Hemophilia and Allied Disorders, von Willebrand factor (including ADAMTS-13) and Platelet Glycoproteins May 22-25, 2005 Pizzomunno, Vieste del Gargano, Foggia, Italy
• "Hemophilic Factors Produced by Transgenic Livestock: Abundance That Can Enable Alternative Therapies Worldwide" in State of Art Plenary Lectures, XXVIth International Congress of The World Federation of Hemophilia, Bangkok Thailand, October 17-21, 2004.
• "Production of Biopharmaceuticals in the Milk of Pigs with Emphasis on Factor IX for Treatment of Hemophiliacs" in Emerging Trends in Genomics: Application and Approaches, "Animal Genomics Symposium 2003" October 9 & 10, 2003, Charles Hamner Conference Center, NC Biotechnology Center, 15 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC
• "Production of Factor IX in Transgenic Animals", National Hemophilia Foundation Workshop on Gene Therapy April 26, 2003, The Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA
• "Transgenic Animals: Present Status of Technology and Future Applications" Biotechnology in the Barnyard, sponsored by PEW Foundation and USFDA, September 24, 2002, Dallas, Texas

• Oral treatment of hemophilia, US 7220718 May 22, 2007
• Transgenic non-human mammals producing fibrinogen in their milk issued January 10, 2006
  
• Transgenic non-human mammals expressing human coagulation factor VIII and von Willebrand factor US 6,518,482 issued February 11, 2003
• Expression of Active Human Factor IX in Mammary Tissue of Transgenic Animals US 09/367,087 issued February 5, 2002
• Transgenic Fibrinogen CA 2183546 issued August 21 2001
• Transgenic non-human mammals expressing human coagulation factor VIII and von Willebrand factor US 6,255,554 issued July 3, 2001
• Transgenic Animal Expressing Human Coagulation Factor VIII and Von Willebrand Factor US 08/308,518 issued March 9, 1999
• Expression of Active Human Protein C in the Mammary Tissue of Transgenic Animals Using A Long WAP Promoter US07/943246 issued November 1998.
• Expression of Active Human Protein C in the Mammary Tissue of Transgenic Animals US08/247 issued December 1996.