Tag Archives: biotech

Some science and some serendipity

Posted on by
2

What at first looks like a setback may be an opportunity in disguise, says Flavia Scialpi

I keep my business cards in the top drawer of my desk at work. They are in two bulky boxes and take up a lot of space, but I like them there because I can see them every time I pull out a pen. They are a memento of how very often you can’t foresee where an opportunity lies – and therefore to seize each and every one of them.

I have been in academia for almost half my life, and I am now engaged in my first position in industry at Synpromics, a biotech company. It is the first time in my professional career that I hold a position that requires and provides business cards.

New Accomodation at Roslin Innovation Centre

Scialpi’s new Accomodation at Roslin Innovation Centre

A few years ago I thought I wouldn’t have any chance to land a job in industry. Nor was I very interested in it, to be honest; I was content with academic research, greatly enjoying the highs and bitterly venting about the lows. I went for a well-trodden path; I got my PhD in Italy, where I’m from, and then ventured abroad for a postdoc. I felt the world was my oyster and I found a second home in beautiful Scotland. Continue reading →

The competition that likes to say YES!

Posted on by
Reply

Enterprising early career researchers get some high-level mentoring to handle the rough and tumble of the boardroom. David Payne meets finalists in the 21st annual Young Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES)

Epitome is a Singapore biotech start-up whose product pipeline is based on engineered tail proteins to tackle bacterial diseases. It wants a slice of the US’s $6bn acne market. Epitome’s founders are seeking raise $10m to build a factory where its cosmetic products can be manufactured. Investors will be rewarded with a seat on its board.

The launch team describe the company at a presentation attended by other young entrepreneurs. They brace themselves for some tough questions from a judging panel. One judge asks how a factory can be built for $10m Another challenges the team’s plan to launch an acne treatment as a cosmetic product, which means they won’t mention acne on the label (the team adopted this approach to make the US regulatory process more straightforward).

15390900_1695305427446706_286911818743892859_n

‎Elena Lurieluke, Head of Global Life Sciences Open Innovation, Corporate R&D at P&G, addresses fellow YES judges and finalists.

Continue reading →

Away from Home: Marrying bioinformatics & benchwork

Posted on by
Reply

We’re bringing you the best stories in lab mobility from Nature India.

Today we feature Animesh Shukla, a biotechnologist from Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology in Uttar Pradesh, India who went to Carnegie Mellon University and Indiana University of Bloomington in the USA for PhD. Animesh, who works as a scientist designing ELISA assay kits for Meso Scale Diagnostics now, says planning ahead of time for a postdoctoral career could open up several doors in the land of opportunities.

Animesh Shukla

The biology dream

My school teacher Jessy Kuruvilla sparked my interest in biology. She used to explain the subject in such an interesting way that I still remember many things she taught us. I don’t remember much of any other subject. In high school I was interested in both biology and physics (specifically fluid dynamics). I never used to score really high marks in these subjects but had very good understanding of the basics.

I used to catch and collect live and dead insects or small animals and used to look at them. Some of my friends used to make fun of me (they still do) but that is what friends are for! Continue reading →

London’s biotech hub with Kit Malthouse

Posted on by
Reply

Is London ready to become the next biotech hub?

Kit Malthouse

{credit}Hannah Lucy Jones{/credit}

In this month’s Windback Wednesday series, we’re all about entrepreneurship: what it takes to be one, how to become one and more. But if you’re based in London, it’s not so easy. Although it’s got the brains and research centres to make it a hub, setting up shop in London is the tricky part. In this podcast, I speak to Kit Malthouse, the Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Enterprise, and find out how London is preparing to become the next biotech hub.

Kit Malthouse, the Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Enterprise has big plans for London. In his speech at SynBioBeta event at Imperial College London, he spoke of his dreams of London becoming the next big hub for biotech start-ups. He is aware that the foundations for this already exist.

“To a certain extent we already are. We have a huge life sciences sector.” Five large research institutes, many hospitals, Institute for Cancer Research the Crick Institute (soon!) and many more are part of an ecosystem that already exists in London. But what the Deputy Mayor hopes to do is “give it some coherence, so that it comes together as an entity… promote it, and fundamentally attract investment in.” 

Continue reading →

The biotech industry with Rob Carlson

Posted on by
Reply
Rob Carlson

{credit}Eric Carlson{/credit}

In this interview, I speak to Dr. Rob Carlson, a Principal at Biodesic, an engineering and strategic consulting firm in Seattle that provides services to governments and corporations around the globe. At the broadest level, Dr. Carlson is interested in the future role of biology as a human technology. He is the author of the book Biology is Technology: The Promise, Peril, and New Business of Engineering Life, published in 2010 by Harvard University Press; it received the PROSE award for the Best Engineering and Technology Book of 2010 and was named to the Best Books of 2010 lists by writers at both The Economist and ForeignPolicy.com. Carlson is a frequent international speaker and has served as an advisor to such diverse organisations as The Hastings Center, the PICNIC Design Festival, the UN, the OECD, the US Government, and companies ranging in size from start-ups to members of the Fortune 100. Carlson earned a doctorate in Physics from Princeton University in 1997.

How did you move into the industrial world of biotech?

I followed my nose. My formal education is in physics, with some neurobiology and electrical engineering thrown in. I spent a number of years labouring under the expectations of my professors that I would eventually become a professor, too. Continue reading →

From industry to academia with Sterghios Moschos

Posted on by
Reply

In this podcast, Naturejobs interviews Sterghios Moschos, reader in Industrial Biotechnology and Biochemistry at the University of Westminster in London. We talk about his transition from industry back into academia, and the different attitudes to science that he has experienced.

You can now subscribe to the RSS feed or to our iTunes channel! Continue reading →