Richard J. DeSa, Ph.D.,
Founder & President
On-Line Instrument Systems, Inc. ("OLIS")

Career Summary: Lifelong pursuit of excellence in the design, implementation, and exploitation of sophisticated instrumentation and analysis software for the advancement of spectrophotometric and luminescence studies.

Auspicious start of career included the design and development of the first computerization of the first commercialized stopped-flow spectrophotometer during post-doctoral years (see publication list, next page). Years of laboratory benchwork, graduate and undergraduate level teaching, and expertise in design and implementation of elegantly simple (i.e., reliable) electro-mechanical hardware and intelligently implemented software, positions Dr. DeSa as a foremost figure as supplier of useful laboratory workstations for kineticists and spectroscopists of all levels of expertise.

Present - 1980
President, CEO, and R & D Director On-Line Instrument Systems, Inc.

R & D Director for entire line of spectrophotometers, spectrofluorimeters, circular dichroism spectrometers, and other spectrophotometric instruments. This work requires expertise in digital computers, optics, electronics, mathematical algorithms, and scientific theory and practice.

From 1980-1990, most work was in the utilization of existing monochromators, adding contemporary and unusually simple (i.e., reliable) electro-mechanical components and sophisticated computer control. Achievement of this extraordinary reliability and utility is directly tied to the power designed into the software (not the instrumental electronics) and hardware simplicity.

Starting in 1991, designed and constructed kinetic and spectrophotometric instruments from the 'ground up' (rather than from existing monochromators and spectrophotometers). These proprietary instruments include a millisecond mixing device ("stopped-flow") and a rapid-scanning spectrophotometer/ spectrofluorimeter capable of millisecond scan rates and ?microsecond fixed wavelength rates. A patent was granted in 1994 on this subtractive double grating, dual rapid-scanning spectrophotometer, with DeSa as sole author.

Starting in 1995, OLIS RSM 1000 systems were optimized for fastest fluorescence work; 1,000 emission scans per second was achieved in August, 1995. Versions for anisotropy (polarization of fluorescence), circular and linear dichroism, and other kinds of optical spectrophotometric measurements exist or are being finalized. Responsibilities as president and CEO handled concurrently with directing R&D and installation of 70-80% of sold products.

1980 - 1974
Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, University of Georgia.

The application of digital computer techniques to biochemical problems. Extensive experience in Assembly language programming, data acquisition, video display of data, and related activities. Concurrent?y, was rated among the best undergraduate and graduate instructors in biochemistry courses, notably "Enzyme Kinetics." Tenure granted, 1974.

1974 - 1968
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry, University of Georgia.

1968 - 1965
Post-doctoral Fellow, Dept of Biochemistry, Cornell University.

Advisor: Quentin H. Gibson, M.D., Ph.D. Developed analog and digital computer software for high speed data acquisition and analysis as applied to chemical kinetics and biochemical problems.

1965 - 1964
Post-doctoral Fellow, Biochemistry, Johnson Res Fndn, Univ of Pennsylvania.

Advisor: Quentin H. Gibson, M.D., Ph.D.

1964 - 1961
Pre-doctoral Fellow, NIH, Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana.

Doctorate awarded in Biochemistry, 1964. Doctoral Dissertation "The Discovery, Isolation and Partial Characterization of a Bioluminescence Particle from the Marine Dinoflagellate Gonyaulax polyedra." With Woody Hastings, Ph.D.

1961 - 1959
Pre-doctoral Fellow and Teaching Assistant, Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois, Urbana

1959
Bachelor of Science, biology, St. Bonaventure University, St. Bonaventure, NY

Chapters

Methods in Enzymology, 2004
EFFICIENT INTEGRATION OF KINETIC DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION SETS USING MATRIX EXPONENTIATION. I.B.C. Matheson, L.J. Parkhurst and R.J. De Sa

Methods in Enzymology, 2004
A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO INTERPRETATION OF SVD RESULTS. R.J. DeSa and I.B.C. Matheson

Patents

Subtractive double grating monochromator with moving intermediate slit.
US Patent 5.285,254, issued Feb 8, 1994

Patents to be applied for in 2004:
1. A sample holder for conventional optical cuvettes, said holder producing an intense magnetic filed, said field being parallel to the measurement beam (thereby supporting MCD, MLD, and MORD applications, among other).
2. A method and device to measure fluorescence polarization

Relevant Publications

Robust Multicomponent Analysis applied to the Separation of Components in a mixture of Absorbing Species, I.B.C. Matheson and R. J. DeSa, Computers and Chemistry, 14,157-164 (1990)

Rapid-scanning Stopped-flow Study of the Oxidation of PMNH2 by O2 Catalyzed by Bacterial Luciferase, G. J. Faini, Richard J. DeSa, and John Lee, Flavins and Flavoproteins, T.P. Singer, Chapter 7 (1976)

Recording Polarization of Fluorescence Spectrometer -- A Unique Application of Piezoelectric Birefringence Modulation, John E. Wampler and Richard J. DeSa, Analytical Chemistry, 46,563 (1974)

A Laboratory Computer System for Biochemical Research, Richard J. DeSa, Computers in Chemical and Biochemical Research, 1, (1972)

An On-Line Spectrofluorimeter System for Rapid Collection of Absolute Luminescence Spectra, John E. Wampler and Richard J. DeSa, Applied Spectroscopy, 25, No. 6, 623-627 (1971)

A Practical Automatic Data Acquisition System for Stopped-flow Spectrophotometry, R. J. DeSa and Q. H. Gibson, Computers and Biomedical Research, 2, 494-505 (1969).

MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATIONS

Fluorescence emission and stopped-flow kinetic studies of the acid expansion of bovine serum albumin, Brewer JM, DeSa RJ, Wampler JE, Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1976 May 23;76(2):572-8

Mechanism of action of putrescine oxidase. Binding characteristics of the active site of putrescine oxidase from Micrococcus rubens, Swain WF, Desa RJ, Biochim Biophys Acta. 1976 Apr 8;429(2):331-41.

Stopped flow spectrophotometric studies of yeast enolase subunit interaction Brewer JM, DeSa RJ, J Biol Chem. 1972 Dec 25;247(24):7941-7

Putrescine oxidase from Micrococcus rubens. Purification and properties of the enzyme DeSa, RJ, J Biol Chem. 1972 Sep 10;247(17):5527-34

A simple precision current-regulated power supply for laboratory lamps DeSa, RJ, Anal Biochem. 1970 May;35(1):293-6

Investigations of the chymotrypsin-catalyzed hydrolysis of specific substrates. IV. Pre-steady state kinetic approaches to the investigation of the catalytic hydrolysis of esters. Himoe A, Brandt KG, DeSa RJ, Hess GP. J Biol Chem. 1969 Jul 10;244(13):3483-93.

EARLY RESEARCH WITH J. WOODLAND HASTINGS

DeSa, R. and Hastings, J.W. (1968) The characterization of scintillons: Bioluminescent particles from the marine dinoflagellate, Gonyaulax polyedra.. J. Gen. Physiol. 51: 105-22.

Hastings, J.W., Vergin, M., and DeSa, R. (1966) Scintillons: The biochemistry of dinoflagellate bioluminescence. In: Bioluminescence in Progress (F.H. Johnson and Y. Haneda, eds. ), pp. 301-329, Princeton University Press.

DeSa, R.J., Hastings, J.W. and Vatter, A.E. (1963) Luminescent "crystalline" particles: An organized subcellular bioluminescent system. Science 141: 1269-1270.

Bode, V.C., DeSa, R.J. and Hastings, J.W. (1963) Daily rhythm in luciferin activity in Gonyaulax polyedra.. Science 141: 913-915

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