Location Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States Regions Southern US Gender Female
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Dr. Cymbeline (Bem) Culiat studied the genetic and molecular basis of early mammalian development for nearly a decade as a senior scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Her studies led to the discovery of the role of the NELL1 signaling protein in pathways controlling the growth and maturation of the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular
systems. This discovery is the foundation on which NellOne Therapeutics (NellOne) was established in 2008.
Dr. Culiat is the inventor on various patent applications related to the clinical applications of the NELL1 protein in skeletal muscle wound healing and treatment of cardiovascular disorders. These patents were exclusively licensed to NellOne.
While on the R&D staff at ORNL from 1999 to her early retirement on June 30, 2009, Dr. Culiat was deeply involved in technology innovation and commercialization through her longtime participation in the seed grant, invention disclosure and technology maturation programs. In addition, during that time, she was an adjunct faculty member of the College of Arts and Sciences, Graduate School of Genome Sciences and Technology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
In 2010 Dr. Culiat became a scientific consultant to NellOne, as well as the chairman of the company’s Scientific Advisory Board. On Jan.1, 2011, she became a full-time company employee and NellOne’s chief scientific officer.
Born, raised and educated in the Philippines, Dr. Culiat taught biology (from 1981 to 1994) at the University of the Philippines in Laguna, from which she earned a B.S. degree in cell biology (cum laude) and an M.S. degree in genetics.
In 1994, Dr. Culiat received her doctorate in biomedical sciences from ORNL-University of Tennessee as a full scholar of ORNL and the Hilton-Smith Fellowship. She was also awarded the Chancellor’s citation for Professional Promise. Dr. Culiat completed postdoctoral work in molecular genetics and genomics at ORNL in 1999, as an awardee of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) prestigious Alexander Hollaender Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship (1996-1999).
Formerly employed by UT-Battelle, the entity established by the University of Tennessee and Battelle Memorial Institute to co-manage ORNL for the DOE, Dr. Culiat has been widely recognized for her groundbreaking work, including Oak Ridge YWCA Woman of Distinction in Health, Science and Technology (2008), Biosciences Division Individual Achievement and Significant Event Award (2008), Federal Lab Consortium Excellence in Technology Transfer (Honorable Mention, 2008), Technology Transfer Key Contributor Award (2006) and, from the ORNL-DOE Office of Science, the Outstanding Mentor Award (2006).
