Dr. Berger - The Scientist Behind LifeSense®

Dr. Alvin Berger (MS, Ph. D, Prof) has 30 years of research experience in nutritional and pharmaceutical sciences in both academic and commercial settings. He has been responsible for leading teams and identifying research directions to support business goals, and developing, designing and releasing new products.

Dr. Berger is a world renowned lipid biochemist and nutritionist, who is also a specialist in ketogenic fats with 89 peer-reviewed publications in prestigious scientific journals around the globe, with 139 presentations on lipids at technical conferences.

 

Dr. Berger has a demonstrated ability to evaluate scientific merits and commercial feasibility of concepts and products. He has managed substantial budgets and obtained funding from government agencies. He is a champion for utilizing novel and disruptive technologies (such as “omics”) and adapting processes to resolve research obstacles. Alvin is able to analyze research data to generate clear, concise reports and presentations for lay, business, and scientific audiences. He is a published expert on signaling and nutritional aspects of lipids, with a broad knowledge of whole body metabolism and current trends in nutrition research and product development. He is a scholar publishing his findings in eminent journals, innovative thinker, problem solver and polished presenter.

ACADEMIC DEGREES, PROFESSORSHIPS

Dr. Berger holds a BS degree in Fisheries Science and Natural Resources from University of Michigan, MS degree in Fish nutrition/aquaculture from University of Washington, Ph. D course work University of Washington, Ph. D degree from University of California Davis in Lipid- and Nutritional Biochemistry, and NIH Post-doctoral Fellowship at Georgetown University/Lombardi Cancer Center in lipid signaling molecular biology. He is a past Adjunct Associate Professor of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (2004); and is currently a Full Adjunct Professor of Nutrition at the University of Minnesota (2009 on).

PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

As a Senior Project Leader at the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, Dr. Berger led large teams in development of nutraceutical ingredients (infant lipids, medicinal mushrooms, amaranth, plant sterols, isoflavones, others). For various projects including plant sterols, he directed: research in cells, animals, and humans, conducted numerous clinical trials, and patented/published the findings; and developed a milk containing plant sterols (ACTICOL™). Alvin was one of the earliest nutrition researchers to embrace “omic” technologies (lipidomic and transcriptomic effects of dietary LC-PUFA using microarrays). He opened up several other new fields in lipid research including: connecting intake of dietary fatty acids with changes in endocannabinoids (anandamides, CBDs, others) and specific behavioral end points; and anti-inflammatory effects of novel classes of uncommon plant fatty acids (sciadonic acid, companies Sciadonics, Inc. and SciaEssentials LLC). Since leaving Nestle, he directed analytical-, biochemistry-, and metabolomic departments in three biotechnology companies (Cytochroma, Icoria, Metabolon). He then worked at Cargill in Wayzata, MN, as Nutrition Leader in Global Food Research-North America/Global Leader Lipid Nutrition. He led food digestion programs, and contributed to research and product development for glucosamine, erythritol, sucromalt, pectin, pre- and probiotic, vegetable oil, fish oil, algal oil, and transgenic canola oil rich in DHA. Alvin was CSO at Arctic Nutrition in Norway. There, he developed the scientific program, and participated in marketing, sales, customer interactions, commercialization, and customer education. Alvin was then the Global Business Development Director, Nutritional Sciences, ABITEC/Associated British Foods (a manufacturer of MCTs), Columbus, 2014-2015. Alvin is currently CEO of Sciadonics and SciaEssentials, companies developing novel anti-inflammatory fatty acids for oral and topical use; and Co-Founder of Life Sense International, a company developing ketogenic products such as KetoMCT. Last, Alvin is keenly involved in developing better nutritional regimens for children with Type 1 Diabetes, to improve the life of his diabetic son and those like him.

OUTREACH

Alvin is on the board of various academic/industrial organizations, and a Food Cooperative; is a reviewer or on the Editorial board for various journals; and a key note speaker at symposiums Beginning in 2016, he has increasingly spoken to diverse audiences on podcasts and radio shows to provide education on ketogenic diets and fats, to improve the life of diabetics and others.