April 18, 2025
The idea of mRNA therapy was conceived decades before it became a reality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, mRNA vaccines have emerged as a powerful tool against new viral infections, mainly due to their versatility and rapid development. Nate Russart, Associate Director at Aldevron (a Danaher business), explains his excitement about advancing mRNA therapies from development to the clinic.
Before joining Aldevron, headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, my wife and I were living in another state. When our daughter was born, we decided we would prefer to be near family to help with childcare. My wife was originally from Fargo, and I was looking for an R&D role. Aldevron was rapidly growing and had recently set up its R&D group, so it was a great fit.
I’m involved in developing technology to offer new platforms, products and processes around DNA for Aldevron. Much of my work is involved in science but I also work cross-functionally with other departments to ensure that our advancements fit into the business needs of both Aldevron and our customers.
Aldevron is a premier manufacturing partner providing critical nucleic acids and proteins used to make gene and cell therapies, gene editing technologies, DNA and RNA vaccines. Its custom development and manufacturing services give scientists around the world the essential components to accelerate their research and develop revolutionary treatments for millions of people.
For more than 20 years, Aldevron’s industry-leading technology and expertise has supported thousands of innovations, including the linearized DNA template for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Developing cell and gene therapies poses unique challenges, with complex manufacturing and regulatory landscapes. Since the beginning, Aldevron has supported these developments, putting its experience to work to help over 1,000 clients make their possibilities a reality.
At this point in my career, I primarily oversee the work of other scientists, so I meet with my team to review data, plan for next steps, prioritize tasks and provide guidance around technical aspects of experiments. I also often assist on customer calls as a subject matter expert.
It’s exciting to be part of new breakthroughs while they are happening. In addition, through our patient advocacy initiatives, we get to see firsthand the impact our therapies make. Aldevron is not just creating products for people to enjoy—we’re helping to save lives or make lives better.
I’m very proud of playing a key role in the development of the Alchemy cell-free DNA technology, which just launched in January (2025). I focused on creating new ways to improve the quality or reduce the cost of cell-free DNA while ensuring stakeholders get high-quality and timely DNA for their research programs. Instead of producing DNA through a traditional e. coli-based workflow, we developed a cleaner enzymatic process to produce the same material.
It’s not every day you get to take something from an idea in the lab to a service being extended to customers. It’s been very exciting to see this work go from initial ideas to a launched product.
At Aldevron our clients are always pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in cell and gene therapy. This is a very exciting field that’s progressing quickly through the explosion of mRNA vaccines during the pandemic and now gaining momentum in the approval of many cell and gene therapies.
Today, 15 commercial cell and gene therapy programs rely on Aldevron products and services. Working at Aldevron, we get a front-row seat to see these innovative programs advance to the clinic.
I was lucky to join Aldevron during a period of rapid growth and have had the opportunity to grow along with it. Using Danaher Business System (DBS) tools has enabled me to expand beyond just technical details and learn how to actively manage projects. For example, the Technology Development Process and Daily Management have given me the tools to more effectively track projects and deliver on established timelines.
When Nate interviewed at Aldevron, the job description mentioned mRNA production through IVT. While Nate didn’t have any experience in producing mRNA, he did some research on it—which he found very interesting—and ended up discussing it quite a bit during the interview. Without doing that research, Nate isn’t sure whether or not he would have been offered the job. Here are few more tips from Nate:
We have a number of collaborations with other Danaher businesses, such as IDT and Cytiva, which would not be possible in a traditional organization. As Aldevron continues on its journey to implement DBS tools, I’m able to see how the other businesses make the most of these tools. By being able to speak the language of DBS, I am well-suited to explore opportunities at other Danaher businesses if I decide to pursue something different.
I am transitioning into a director role soon, which means I will continue to work at a higher-level, coordinating cross-functional teams to bring new products and services to Aldevron. My focus will shift to longer-range planning and shaping strategy instead of the near-term technical questions that my current team focuses on.
If you like working in a culture that’s centered on continuous improvement and want to be at the forefront of exciting and promising new therapies that impact human health, this is the place for you.
I do my best to keep work at work—and Aldevron supports that goal. When I am at home, my focus is on family, my two young children, so I stick to a work schedule between the hours I drop off and pick up my kids. While in the office, I try to utilize my time as efficiently as possible and prioritize urgent tasks above those that can wait. After hours, I also enjoy running—I’m currently training for my next marathon in Fargo, North Dakota, in May of this year.
Perseverance, for sure. Our work on the cell-free DNA process has taken a long time. It was important to stay focused on that finish line and trust that we would get there.
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