Tell us a little about your background and how you came to join BioAgilytix.
My first wet lab experience was gained during my undergrad studies at Bowdoin College in southern Maine. I majored in biology and completed an honors thesis through an exploratory study of an uncharacterized genetic locus in a pathogenic yeast. Thereafter, I moved to Boston and worked for three years at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, where I analyzed expression profiles of proteases in the blood cells of HIV+ patients. I then transitioned into the industrial sciences by joining an R&D team at a small molecular diagnostics company in the greater Boston area called AdvanDx. While there, I gained GMP experience and helped bring to market the company’s first class II medical device, a rapid diagnostic test for MRSA in positive blood cultures. A little over a year after the sale of the company, I moved to Raleigh and completed a Professional Science Master’s in Microbial Biotechnology at North Carolina State University. During that time, I interned in a microbiology lab at the Research Triangle Park site of Indigo Agriculture. A few months after graduation, I joined BioAgilytix.
What is your current role, and how has it evolved since joining the team?
I am currently a Scientist II with a focus on ADA assays to biomolecule drugs, gene therapy products, and PEG moieties. Initially, I performed mostly sample analysis before being involved in a variety of assay qualification and validation projects. Recently, I have gained experience in ADA assay development and have served as the lead scientist on an assay qualification and validation, so my role involves the entire life cycle of ADA assays.
What do you enjoy most about working in the bioanalytical field, and how are you able to see the impact of the work you do on a larger scale?
Pharmaceutical companies often receive most of the credit for the positive effects of life-changing therapies, but the successful development of these drugs often relies on an extensive community of companies that support those development efforts. At BioAgilytix, I have assisted numerous drug programs that span the clinical development timeline. In some situations, I have seen that the ADA result has an immediate impact on the interpretation of clinical data and the dosing of drug. Thus, the various techniques and quality approaches in bioanalytical studies are first and foremost patient-focused, which reaffirms the social value of the science performed in this space.
How would you describe BioAgilytix’s company culture?
BioAgilytix is a company strongly committed to the service of its clients and the thousands of people who may be positively transformed by biotherapies currently in development or on the market. In my time at BioAgilytix, I have found that this dedication to service also extends throughout the company to my many colleagues. People here are inclusive and routinely willing to cross-pollinate other teams with scientific ideas, suggestions, and technical assistance. To facilitate this, the company has created an open environment that aims for the support and continual improvement of its employees in their various roles. Outside of the lab, BioAgilytix is supportive of people in need in the greater Raleigh-Durham area through its participation in service projects and donation drives.
What is your favorite thing, personally, about working at BioAgilytix?
I greatly appreciate that BioAgilytix promotes a culture of personal and professional development while also recognizing the importance of work-life balance. There are wonderful opportunities for employees to learn and to grow at BioAgilytix within a fast-paced and rapidly-growing bioanalytical space. Employees really are at the helm of their futures once they walk through these doors.
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