As an MSL with Sanofi Pasteur I establish and maintain relationships with key opinion leaders (KOLs) in vaccines, educate KOLs on current vaccine news and recommendations, obtain KOL feedback on recommendations, usage, future needs, and more, and train speakers for promotional talks and recommend proper speakers to colleagues. Additionally, I have established comfort working in clinical settings in a medical affairs environment; become an active member of working groups that educates entire MSL team on current news for our company’s major product, seasonal influenza vaccine, and our new dengue vaccine with a more global focus; and maintained education on a broad field of products covering many infectious diseases

Thermalin designs and develops next-generation insulin analogs to address unmet clinical needs in a rapidly growing market. As a development scientist, I work on assessing physical and chemical stability of our lead molecule, a highly concentrated, rapid acting insulin being prepared for upcoming phase I trials. I also work on structural and biophysical characterization of other analogs in our pipeline to help guide decisions on suitability of each molecule for further development. Additionally, I am developing an in vitro assay to assess characteristics of candidate molecules that are predictive of potentially significant side effects that will be faster and cheaper than animal or cell based studies. I trained for work in a GMP facility following internally developed SOPs.In addition to R&D activities, I managed relationships and projects between the company lab and academic lab of company’s founder to aid the translation of discovery in the academic environment into clinical delevlopment in the company setting. I managed grants for well defined segments of our product portfolio. I also identified and initiated negotiations with CMOs to fulfill our formulation and filling needs as we prepared for pre-clinical and phase I clinical trials.

In order to gain a better understanding of the structural features of the clinically relevant herpesviruses and to potentially identify targets for drug development, I implemented cutting edge methods to model HSV-1 capsids by fitting available atomic structures into cryo-EM density maps reconstructed in our lab and refining the fit of each atomic structure using molecular dynamics simulations.

The overall focus of my work was to characterize viral interactions with cellular receptor and immunological molecules in order to identify potential targets for drug development as well as enhance antigen design for vaccine development. I cultured and purified viruses that I subsequently used in structural studies employing x-ray crystallography and cryo-EM. My work focused on a variety of viruses, including the emerging pathogen enterovirus 71 (EV71), the clinically important human papillomavirus (HPV), and coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3). I also developed a protocol for isolation of a virus that is a putative causative agent of a specific leukemia.

I worked in the lab of Michael Rossmann studying virus structure and viral interactions with receptor and immunological molecules. I cultured and purified rubella virus, then studied its structure using cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). I also cloned, expressed, and purified the envelope glycoproteins of rubella virus for structural and biochemical studies. I studied the structure of a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine for Chikungunya virus. I developed a bioassay for identification of cellular receptor molecules that interact with dengue virus. I produced and purified West Nile virus like particles (VLPs). Additionally, I managed a lab of more than 20 people, mentored two undergraduate researchers, supervised two undergraduate lab technicians, and organized functions for our entire department of 14 labs. Received training for work in BSL3 conditions for handling hazardous pathogens.

Working in the laboratories of Steve Harrison and Phil Dormitzer, my dissertation project was the Structural, Biochemical, and Biological Characterization of the Role of Outer Capsid Protein VP5* in Rotavirus Cell Entry. I determined x-ray crystal structures and biophysical properties of two biologically relevant oligomers of VP5*, developed a panel of immunological reagents and assays capable of discerning discrete confirmations of VP5* throughout the infectious cycle, and developed novel biochemical methods to demonstrate formation of VP5* trimers from purified virions. As part of this project, I designed and produced a molecule consisting of an antigenic domain of VP5* that was patented for inclusion in a next-generation subunit vaccine for rotavirus.