Daniel Schabacker holds the position of Team Leader, Bio-Detection Technologies, where he is the lead scientist for the development of Argonne’s biochip portfolio. In this role, he is leading the development of nucleic acid and protein array applications. He also serves as a Vector Lead in Biosecurity for Argonne’s National Security Programs. Current projects include the development of a high-resolution biomolecular characterization platform, a bovine mastitis diagnostic, cancer biomarker discovery and the detection of threat agents. 

Previously, Schabacker was the protein array group leader at Argonne, becoming the lead scientist for the development of protein/peptide arrays.

Schabacker received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Immunology / Protein Biochemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana. Upon graduation, Schabacker accepted a position with Pierce Biotechnology, where he held the positions of manufacturing biochemist, research scientist for technology transfer and senior research scientist-group leader for the protein array group.

Education

• B.S., Cell and Structural Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana, 1991
• M.S., Immunology, University of Illinois at Urbana, 1994
• Ph.D., Biochemistry/Immunology, University of Illinois at Urbana, 1998

Awards, Honors and Memberships

• Named one of ​“The Best and Brightest Innovators in the Energy Labs” by Innovation Magazine
• Board of Directors, Sentinel Bioactive Paper Network, MacMaster University
• Fellow, University of Chicago, Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology
• Member, DOE Emergency Management Issues Special Interest Group – Biological Working Group
• Member, American Biological Safety Association
• Member, American Society for Microbiology
• Member, The Science Advisory Board
• Member, Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society, University of Illinois Chapter
• Member, Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society of Agriculture, University of Illinois Chapter
• Session Chair, Proteome Analysis at the Bench Top, 2011 CBD S&T Conference

Publications and Patents

• U.S. Patent No. 7,799,570, ​“Methods for Validating the Presence of Proteins Deposited onto an Array” and ​“Methods for Characterizing Proteins Deposited onto an Array”
• U.S. Patent Aplication 11/693,523, ​“Methods for Fabricating Protein Arrays on Gel Drop Biochips”
• U.S. Patent Application 0003/02402, ​“High Resolution Characterization of Biological Matrices”
• Nancy Reau, Daniel Schabacker, Timothy Barder, Sang Mee Lee, ​“Protein Biomarkers serve as a signature for Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC),” Hepatology, Vol. 56, No. 4, 2012.
• Schabacker D, Adam Driks, Tim Barder, Tasha Pravecek, Joe Conway, and Sara Forrester, ​“Molecular Signatures of Bacillus anthracis Spores for Microbial Forensic,”. 2010 CBD S&T Conference, 2010.
• Chandler D.P., Schabacker D., Gavin I., ​“Leaving the Surface Behind: At the Intersection of Protein Microarrays and Mass Spectrometry,” Chapter 11, Functional Protein Microarrays in Drug Discovery, Drug Discovery Series Vol. 8, CRC Press, 2007.
• Schabacker D., Stefanovska I., Gavin I., Pedrak C., Chandler, D.P., ​“Protein array methods for undefined protein content, manufacturing quality control, and performance validation,”. Analytical Biochemistry 359, 84, 2006.
• Gavin, I.M., Kukhtin A., Glesne D., Schabacker D., Chandler D.P., ​“Analysis of protein interaction and function with a 3-dimensional MALDI-MS protein array,” Biotechniques 39, 99, 2005.