Michelle Lira Email & Phone Number

As Channel Program Manager at New England Biolabs (NEB), I blend my strengths and passions to foster partnerships with our key distributors and digital marketplaces.

Ipswich, Massachusetts, United States

Ipswich, Massachusetts

United States

Cambridge, Ma

• Implemented basic molecular biology techniques including cloning and protein expression in various E. coli expression systems to express protein candidates needed for MAPS vaccine production• Responsible for implementing a streamlined system for the receiving, organizing and cold storage of various animal sera samples and subsequent shipping to collaborators• Responsible for ordering, stocking and maintaining general consumable supplies in the laboratory• Developed shared spreadsheets to manage stock/usage of various heavily used samples in the laboratory (DNA stocks, antibody stocks, glycerol stocks, protein stocks)• Responsible for inventory and tagging of laboratory assets and equipment • Responsible for interfacing with various vendors to supply lab consumables, capital equipment and storage space for sera within budget

Cambridge, Ma

Marlborough, Massachusetts

My primary responsibility was to provide an exceptional client experience by functioning as a role model and consistently ensuring the client remains the top priority. Through relationship building and product knowledge sharing, clients walk in and walk out feeling heard, welcomed, related to and inspired.

Worcester, Ma

Shaw Lab, August 2014-present- Worked to elucidate the biological roles of the Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins (IRS1, IRS2) in primary and metastatic mouse mammary tumor cell lines.- Worked to develop an IRS1-/- /IRS2-/- cell line through the use of CRE-LOX recombination Baehrecke Lab, July 2014-August 2014- Investigated the role of critical autophagy genes in Drosophila intestinal stem cells using temperature sensitive RNAi and MARCM (Mosaic Analysis with a Repressible Cell Marker) analyses- Learned the proper techniques for Drosophila husbandry and maintenanceEmployed confocal microscopy and Image J software to image the specimens and quantify the dataOutreach Efforts:- Served as student recruiter and interviewer for the Summer Scholar program at the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research via a trip to speak with students at the University of Texas at El Paso (November 2014)- Served as a student speaker for the 2014 BSCP Skills Workshops "Student Panel"​ to aid high school and undergraduate students in successfully navigating their career goals- Served as student interview guide for the Fall 2015 incoming applicant recruitment weekend for admission to UMASS Medical School's Graduate School of BioMedical Sciences - Volunteered for the Worcester EcoTarium "STEM Discovery Day" to teach and inspire young children to learn about science via hands-on experimentation

Research:- Elucidating the molecular mechanism of growth arrest in a malignant rhabdoid tumor cell line through the use of widely used molecular biology techniques (molecular cloning, lentiviral production/transfection, shRNA, CRISPRi) - Learned how to independently formulate a hypothesis and the rationale behind experimental design and execution - Responsible for the generation and subsequent maintenance of cell lines expressing shRNAs against specific target genes used for various growth proliferation assays (ViCell, CTG, BrdU, foci formation)- Designed and optimized a method to efficiently measure optimal viral titer for the cell line used in the study - At program's end, independently wrote up a scientific report of the research project entitled: "Elucidating the Mechanism of EZH2 Inhibitor-Mediated Growth Arrest in the Rhabdoid Tumor Cell Line (G401)"Presentation and Outreach Efforts:- Through bi-annual oral presentations, effectively communicated the progression of the research project to colleagues and the scientific NIBR community- Actively participated in outreach efforts as a student representative of the Gap Year program through attendance at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (2012, 2013)- Presented a scientific poster at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS), held in San Jose, (2012): "Haploidy has no dramatic effect on DNA damage response and cell division"- Presented a scientific poster at the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, (2014): "Probing EZH2-Mediated Growth Arrest in Rhabdoid Tumors"- Successfully hosted and organized a visit for an external scientist, Dr. Michael Overholtzer (MSKCC) to share his latest research "New Forms of Cell Death Come to Life" through the NIBR Weekly Seminar Series, April 2014.

Identifying whether a unique near-haploid leukemia cell line displayed aberrant differences in DNA damage/repair mechanisms and the mitotic cell division cycle.

Cambridge, Ma

- Determined the feasibility of using electrophoretic mobility to characterize monoclonal antibody formulations- Identified that higher stability of therapeutic antibodies conferred to a higher zeta potential, relating to a less likelihood for aggregation of the molecule - Concluded that zeta potential can greatly impact therapeutic protein solubility and can be used as a parameter for assessing solubility of monoclonal antibody formulations early on to avoid complications with commercialization. Presented these findings at the Summer Research poster session.

- Assisted graduate student in preparing a novel drug delivery system for the treatment of osteoarthritis- Prepared fluorescently labeled liposomes- Prepared a written review on the current treatments for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Bachelor Of Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Activities and Societies: Pharmaceutical Business and Science Society

Post-Baccalaureate/Non-Degree, Molecular Cell And Cancer Biology

High School

Activities and Societies: National Honor Society, Journalism Club (1 year), Drama Club (1 year), Concert Chorale (3 years), Jazz Choir (3.