Biotechnology for Science & Health Academy

He is the Co-Curriculum Director for Experiences in Biotechnology. Dr. DiVito joined the department in November 2018 and looks forward to returning to both the classroom and the laboratory. In the Spring, he will teach components of multiple courses including Core Methods; Protein Production and Bioprocessing; Applications of 3D Cell Culture.   Prior to joining the faculty at Georgetown, Dr. DiVito was a Staff Scientist at the Center for Veterinary Medicine at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Rockville, MD. He reviewed sterile injectable generic pharmaceutical applications for veterinary products. He also coordinated with colleagues to draft guidance documents for industry and provided organizational support for site visits to pharmaceutical facilities.    From 2014-2016, Dr. DiVito was the recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and completed his fellowship at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC. His work on synthetic blood vessel fabrication and organ-on-chip technology continued from 2016-2018 first as a Jerome Karle Fellow and then a Staff Research Biologist at NRL. While at NRL, Dr. DiVito developed a novel functional microfluidic platform that uses poly-ethylene glycol based polymers to fabricate bio-compatible, synthetic human blood vessels. This work utilized microfluidics and bioengineering to create an in vitro model to mimic human vasculature. These fabricated blood vessels were then used in either human skin reproductions or as an in vitro model of the human blood-brain barrier.    Dr. DiVito received his B.S. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Connecticut in 2002. Prior to entering graduate school Dr. DiVito was a Research Associate in the Pathology Department at Yale University School of Medicine under the guidance of Drs. David Rimm, Robert Camp and Harriet Kluger. While at Yale, Dr. DiVito used tissue microarray technology coupled with the Automated QUantitative Analysis (AQUA®) platform to investigate prognostic biomarkers in both melanoma and breast cancer. As a scientific consultant, Dr. DiVito also helped establish HistoRx, Inc (now Genotpix, a Novartis company) a spinoff biotechnology company from Dr. David Rimm’s laboratory at Yale which provided a quantitative approach to diagnostics in pathology.      Dr. DiVito completed his PhD at Georgetown University under the mentorship of Dr. Dean Rosenthal in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology. Dr. DiVito’s thesis work focused on carcinogenesis, specifically, mechanisms related to the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) pathway in melanoma. His work led to identification of a novel signaling pathway in melanoma that controls processes related to melanin synthesis. Dr. DiVito’s work also uncovered mechanisms related to cell adhesion in non-canonical TGF-β signaling. Dr. DiVito maintains a strong scientific interest in skin cancer and melanoma in particular.   

He received a Masters degree from the University of Texas, Austin and has over 30 years’ experience in Biotechnology in both academic and industrial laboratories. Mr. Donahue is an inventor on several patents for Biotech products and processes in the area of bacterial gene transfer. He has experience in the conception, development and commercialization of Biotechnology products generating several million dollars in revenue. Mr. Donahue has experience in protein purification, enzyme assay development, process development and scale up in a commercial environment. Mr. Donahue has experience in training and supervision of non-scientists in the preparation of reagents and the production of biomolecules. Mr. Donahue has utilized his background in Biotechnology to teach and mentor students in the Masters in Biotechnology Program at Georgetown University for more than 5 years. With his knowledge of how a Biotechnology company operates on a daily basis Mr. Donahue is a valuable member of the Biotechnology Program Staff.