Sara Potter Email & Phone Number

Boston, Ma, Us

Novato, California, Us

Leading the cell-based assay team in Analytical Development to drive our gene therapy products forward.

Novato, California, Us

Novato, California, Us

Cambridge, Ma, Us

• Applied virology expertise within the Gene Therapy/Bioassay team in Analytical Development to support testing of AAV-based gene therapy candidates and their helper virus process intermediates• Established a versatile toolkit of viral assays for both specific gene therapy programs and platform approaches• Developed novel assay approaches, optimized existing methods, and implemented cutting-edge technologies to improve assay robustness and increase testing throughput

Thousand Oaks, Ca, Us

• Drove commercialization of the HSV-based oncolytic immunotherapy talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), achieving FDA approval as IMLYGIC in October 2015 and EMA/TGA approval in December 2015• Collaborated with upstream and downstream process development teams to optimize process robustness, increase product yield, and minimize production costs

Cambridge, Massachusetts, Us

• Conducted research on herpes simplex virus 1 in David M. Knipe’s lab in the Microbiology and Immunobiology Department at Harvard Medical School in fulfillment of the Virology Ph.D. Program• Designed and implemented mass spectrometry-based proteomic screens to identify novel interacting proteins of viral and cellular proteins with a focus on E3 ubiquitin ligases• Characterized novel virus-host interactions and examined their roles during HSV infection• Developed multiple assays to explore the significance of cell death pathways during viralinfection, with a focus on differentiating apoptosis and necroptosis induced by variousstimuli such as tumor necrosis factor• Gained experience with proteomics analysis, mass spectrometry, compleximmunoprecipitation, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, quantitative PCR, and basic virology techniques including the construction of novel full-length mutant viruses

Cambridge, Massachusetts, Us

- Invited by faculty to facilitate VIR200, a graduate level introductory course in virology- Advised students, maintained websites, managed grades, prepared notes, graded exams

Switzerland 🇨🇭 , Ch

• Examined steady-state kinetics of enzymes, developed radiometric enzyme assays, and executed compound potency screens using various robotic platforms• Cloned, expressed, and purified multiple proteins for in vitro experiments and assays; developed FRET assays to assess enzymatic activity of proteins such as RNase L• Performed selection studies on the hepatitis C virus replicon in order to generate compound resistance mutations; explored the genotypic and phenotypic response to various compounds to elucidate their mechanism of action• Gained experience with protein purification, Western blotting, transfection, viral replication assays, and sequence analysis

Thousand Oaks, Ca, Us

• Developed and optimized assays to screen for novel cancer targets as part of the Lead Discovery team• Validated a high content image-based approach to identifying siRNA inhibitors of HIF-2α translocation as a therapeutic approach to targeting tumor growth• Gained experience with mammalian cell culture and equipment including the Evotec Opera, Biomek FX, and various robotic workstations

Phd, Virology

Bse, Chemical Engineering

Semester Abroad, Biomedicine