Irene Chen Email & Phone Number

•Sourced early-stage investments and identified potential opportunities, resulting in successful creation of NewCo.•Led and supported due diligence process for potential investments.•Established and nurtured relationships with leading academics and innovators to access cutting-edge research.•Collaborated with senior leadership on target selection, nominating targets with highest probability of success based on existing chemical matter, safety, and available disease model validation… Show more •Sourced early-stage investments and identified potential opportunities, resulting in successful creation of NewCo.•Led and supported due diligence process for potential investments.•Established and nurtured relationships with leading academics and innovators to access cutting-edge research.•Collaborated with senior leadership on target selection, nominating targets with highest probability of success based on existing chemical matter, safety, and available disease model validation data.•Played a key role in company building activities: crafting investment memos, competitive intelligence, securing initial funding, and operational support. Show less

San Francisco, California, United States

•Directed four collaborative research projects involving multiple functional teams to publication.•Managed BSL-3 level components for 8+ collaborative antiviral discovery projects for NIH-funded AViDD program.•Worked cross-functionally with structural and mass spectrometry teams to characterize SARS-CoV-2 variants.•Communicated progress and roadblocks to collaborators and recommended solutions to ensure timely progress.

•Characterized humoral responses and novel host-pathogen interactions during SARS-CoV-2 infection.•Investigated the basic molecular mechanism behind HIV latency reversal mediated by FOXO1 inhibition.

La Jolla, California

•Started a new line of investigation into the function of a novel adenovirus protein in viral replication.•Engineered recombinant adenovirus for analysis on fluorescent assay, immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence.•Evaluated diffraction patterns with molecular replacement software to determine protein structure of small viral proteins •Cultured various cancer cell lines for adenovirus infection experiments to visualize protein localization.

San Francisco Bay Area

•Contributed to a Cell publication on the therapeutic potential of small molecules targeting TFs in breast cancer.•Started a new line of questioning into the structural interactions of small molecules and the estrogen receptor.•Validated mechanisms of SERM and SERD in inhibiting downstream effects of estrogen receptor activation.•Evaluated breast cancer drug compounds’ effect on estrogen receptor mutants in estrogen reporter assay.

Munich Area, Germany

•Selected as one of the top 5% of applicants to the international research program run by the German government. •Concluded the lack of poly-ADP-ribosylation’s role in the mobilization of heat shock proteins after stress.•Assessed intracellular response, specifically poly-ADP-ribosylation, to cell stress and DNA damage.•Visualized cellular location of DNA Damage repair proteins after oxidative stress with live cell imaging.•Generated Macrodomain and TARG knockout cell lines… Show more •Selected as one of the top 5% of applicants to the international research program run by the German government. •Concluded the lack of poly-ADP-ribosylation’s role in the mobilization of heat shock proteins after stress.•Assessed intracellular response, specifically poly-ADP-ribosylation, to cell stress and DNA damage.•Visualized cellular location of DNA Damage repair proteins after oxidative stress with live cell imaging.•Generated Macrodomain and TARG knockout cell lines using CRISPR technology in U2OS cell lines. Show less

New Taipei City, Taiwan

•Explored molecular pathways of inflammasome-induced pyroptosis and its involvement in pre-term births.•Evaluated effects of the addition of drugs and inhibitors on cell vitality with fluorescent flow cytometry.•Investigated the effects of pyroptosis-inducing cellular insults on oocyte maturation and morphology in mice.•Optimized drug concentrations and time-points for cell proliferation assays to detect pyroptosis phenotypes.

Pasadena, California

•Investigated the reaction kinetics of the formation and behavior of plant SRP protein complexes.•Developed new protocols for the expression and purification of co-translational pathway proteins. •Designed SRP clones for optimal hetero-dimerization for crystallization.

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Biomedical Sciences, General

Bachelor’S Degree, Biochemistry And Cell Biology

Activities and Societies: UCSD Biological Sciences Student Association, UCSD Social Tennis, Chamber Orchestra

High School

Activities and Societies: Science Olympiad, Ocean Sciences Bowl, National Honor Society, Marching/Concert Band