Lynn Verplank Email & Phone Number

Framingham, Massachusetts, United States

Watertown, Massachusetts, United States

Function as key part of operations team in fast-paced, international pre-clinical CRO specializing in in vitro ADME-Tox assay services, ranging from early screening through IND-enabling analysis. Work collaboratively with global teams to provide services to clients from new study initiation, project management, assay support & execution, to QC of data, & delivering results•Manage client studies ensuring information is communicated effectively to staff, client requirements are followed, work is performed to high standards, & quality results returned within specified deadlines. Liaise with clients to co-ordinate transfer of information, compounds to Cyprotex, & connect directly with clients to provide expert advice, written reports, & data interpretation at completion of studies•Support business development team by acting as scientific advisor in meetings with potential & existing clients. Assist in answering enquiries, develop custom protocols, & prepare proposals •Work closely with colleagues to ensure consistency & quality. Assist in management of Business Protocols & SOPs, writing new documents & updating existing documents to reflect most effective assay execution •Assist in updating internal processes in order to increase efficiency of study management team. Revisions to systems have afforded better-organized execution of studies, more control of costs, & has increased assay turnaround times •Coordinate with other Study & Client Managers, Principal Scientists to manage projects, Information Systems (IS) team members to facilitate changes to company’s LIMS for support of custom assays & new services, & finance group members to aid in billing•Work with ADME & Tox teams on implementation, validation, & development of internal projects, new assay services, & technologies. Collaborate with cross-site team to build new LIMS, provide insight on enhancing current automation, & increasing throughput to current assay offerings & R&D support for new services

Greater Boston Area

Played a dual role as bench scientist and study manager, with performing client contracted assays, aiding in R&D activities, and while working directly with clients. •Provided laboratory support for ADME-Tox client assays including cell line-based HCS assays, hemolysis, mini Ames genotoxicity, MAO inhibition, and Caco-2 Permeability assays. Gained a strong knowledge and understanding of all the assays offered at Cyprotex.•Acted as a point person between the clients and laboratory staff. Oversaw client studies to ensure effective communication of assay details and requirements between the client and the scientists executing the assays. Provided needed support to clients from the initiation of studies, through the delivery of the results and beyond.•Offered scientific direction and trained junior staff in experimental and scientific processes. Taught staff proper laboratory techniques and provided them support to become proficient with client assays.•Aided in the writing and revising Tox and ADME SOPs, to reflect the most up to date methods.•Provided support to operations team when needed, including picking up additional tasks when staff vacancies occurred.

Cambridge, Ma

Worked with a small, dynamic team of multidisciplinary scientists to establish and expand the use of the XRpro® X-ray Fluorescence Technology to investigate ion channel and inorganic transporters. Provided contract services for organizations expanding their drug discovery efforts by allowing access to the XRpro technology for assay development, primary, and secondary screening of targets that are difficult to assay with traditional methods. • Developed and optimized new cell-based assays, focused on challenging ion channel and transporter targets that often do not have robust methods for assaying. Used XRpro’s proprietary, label-free X-ray fluorescence technology to measure ion flux.• Worked with pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic investigators on discovery and preclinical efforts, to provide research expertise. A collaboration led to a recent publication in PNAS.• Advanced the XRpro Technology by collaborating with laboratory automation vendors to design and add custom automation solutions to increase instrument throughput.• Assisted in growth and transition of Icagen, resulting from the acquisition of Pfizer’s ion channel chemical biology platform.• Supported all members of the team to achieve the company’s goals, including actively responding to customer needs, technical advancements, business development, establishing collaborations, and laboratory operations.

Boston, Ma

Instructor for General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry Laboratory (Chemistry 110)

Cambridge, Ma

Research Scientist II, Therapeutics Platform (June 2008-April 2014):•Planned, led, supported, and managed biology efforts for >40 small-molecule high-throughput screening projects. Played multiple roles in guiding projects from initiation through secondary assays, with the goal of developing small-molecule probes/tool compounds•Designed, developed, optimized, executed, and analyzed cell-based, microbial, and biochemical primary and secondary assays for high-throughput and high-content screening projects•Worked closely with medicinal chemists and compound management team to support structure activity relationship (SAR) optimization of small molecule probe candidates that were identified from screening•Facilitated the development and launch of data management, analysis, and visualization applications and tools, and became an expert user of many of them.•Served as adjunct member to several research teams from external collaborating institutions to aid in furthering their research projects. •Provided support, training, and consultation as group representative to Broad Institute Environmental Health & Safety (2007-2014).Senior Assay Developer, Chemical Biology Platform (April 2005-June 2008):•Acted as a consultant to collaborators to provide support, training, and direction for the development and execution of medium-sized (2,000-35,000) small molecule screens.•Collaborated with cross-functional team to design, develop, deploy, and enhance automated screening and compound management systems to support large-scale, high-throughput and high-content screens.•Assisted with integration of HCS imaging systems into existing Broad Institute informatics infrastructures •Led a team with emphasis on HCS assay development and execution including supervising two direct reports, and served as interim Team Lead to HTS group (2/07- 10/07), with a focus on screening operations that included the supervision of 3 team members

Greater Boston Area

Investigated the mechanisms of cytokinesis using the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model system, to understand the requirement of secretion for the completion of cell division.•Employed molecular and cellular biology techniques to construct, culture, and induce expression in the yeast strains used in these studies•Utilized high-powered imaging techniques to visualize the formation and constriction of cleavage furrows, including confocal fluorescence microscopy, time-lapse imaging, and electron microscopy

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Molecular Microbiology

Activities and Societies: Graduate Student Organization (GSO)

Bs, Molecular Biology

Activities and Societies: Sailing Club