Tag: science

A Front Row Seat for the mRNA Explosion – Aldevron’s Nate Russart Shares
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.

Nate Russart, Principal Scientist, R&D, Aldevron

What attracted you to the job opportunity at Aldevron?

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.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role.

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: Innovative Manufacturing Dedicated to Cell and Gene Therapy

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.

What does your day-to-day work look like?

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.

Why do you enjoy working for a leading science and technology company?

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.

Are there any career highlights that are particularly meaningful to you?

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.

Nate training for his fourth marathon—this one as part of the Emily Whitehead Foundation team. The foundation supports innovative childhood cancer treatments, such as CAR-T therapies, which are developed by many Aldevron customers.

Why do you think others in your field would enjoy a job at Aldevron?

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.

How has working for Aldevron and Danaher helped you grow?

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.
Nate’s Interviewing Tips

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:

Apply quickly. For entry-level roles, we see lots of applications come in very quickly and we move into the screening process very soon after. If you wait several weeks to apply, the candidate selection process has likely already begun.

Educate yourself. Try to understand and be able to discuss what’s going on in the industry (as much as possible). Do some research and bring your questions to the interview. This demonstrates that you’ve done your homework and are willing to educate yourself.

Study the job posting and be able to talk about everything listed in it. It’s okay if you don’t have experience in everything, but you can show the interviewer that you’ve prepared for the interview and are able to learn new things.

Always ask questions. Prepare some ahead of time. This shows that you want to understand the position, which will enable you to do your job better.

Show personality. While the interviewer is trying to understand how well your education and experience will fit for the position, they will also want to know how well you will fit with the team and how enjoyable you will be to work with.
How have you benefited from Danaher’s global footprint and multi-business structure?

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.

What does the future hold for your career?

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.

What advice would you give potential candidates considering a role at Aldevron?

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.

Work-life balance is important for everyone. Considering your growing responsibilities, how do you maintain that?

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.

After many years off, Nate ran the NY Marathon in 2024 (personally raising $8,000 for the Emily Whitehead Foundation) and is currently training for the Fargo Marathon.

Nate, his wife, 3-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, whose basketball team he coaches.

Do you see any parallels between running marathons and your work at Aldevron?

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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  From Intern to Innovator: A Systems Engineer’s Journey at Molecular Devices
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  4 Things I’ve Learned on My Journey to CIO – Bryan Smith Shares Some Perks of the Danaher Culture
- March 4, 2025
  
  From Academia to Industry: How Adam Chernick, PhD/MBA, Pivoted Roles to Enable Scientific Breakthroughs
April 18, 2025
Bringing Together Diverse Perspectives to Do Good: Ephraim Tsalik Discusses Making an Impact as the Chief Scientific Officer for Infectious Diseases at Danaher Diagnostics

When Ephraim Tsalik transitioned from academia to Danaher, he had the chance to combine his infectious disease expertise with teams across various Danaher operating companies. His work aims to accelerate medical product advancement and improve the future. We met Ephraim to discuss his experience and future goals.

Tell us about your role and what your day-to-day looks like.

My role is chief scientific officer for infectious diseases for Danaher Diagnostics.

Before joining Danaher, I was in academia. I was a tenured associate professor at Duke University, and now I maintain an adjunct appointment there. I’m an infectious disease physician by training, and I still do clinical work at the Veteran’s Affairs (VA) hospital in Durham, North Carolina.

In my role at the platform, I have the privilege of getting to interface with a lot of different stakeholders that are both internal and external to figure out what opportunities we should be pursuing.

Do you like the work that you’re doing?

I love it. It’s a lot of fun.

I came in part because I have something to give, but I also have a tremendous amount to receive just working with people who are thinking about the marketing components, the technical components, the commercial elements, and just having all of those different perspectives come together so that we can ultimately advance a product that does good in the world, but also is sort of constrained by the realities of how you make something that people are actually going to use and buy.

What are you looking forward to in your career at Danaher?

One of the things that seems to be shifting to some extent at Danaher is that there’s a recognition that if we’re only focused on the next few years, we’re going to miss out on the activities that we need to start now in order to really innovate and drive the field forward five years from now, seven years from now, 10 years from now.

Given that recognition, there are mechanisms to help enable some of that earlier-stage research, like the Beacon programs, which are opportunities to engage with external collaborators — typically in academia — to help cultivate some of the research that they’re doing with an eye on bringing those discoveries internally to Danaher to develop the products of the future.

Is there anything else that you would like to share for future candidates?

One thing that I wanted to mention for people who may be looking at a similar transition from academia or the clinical world into industry: Danaher is a place that very much embraces the idea of maintaining that visibility. In Danaher speak, going to Gemba, going to where things are, where the things are happening — I found that really valuable to maintain that connection so that I could continue to be a voice of the customer for the company.

Accelerate the Future of Science and Technology

A career at Danaher means working with leading experts across science and technology. Combine your unique expertise with the power of a global organization to create a meaningful impact for people everywhere.

Join Ephraim and the rest of Danaher’s team in making a difference by browsing our job opportunities online. You can also join our talent community for more insights into life at Danaher.

January 7, 2025
Pushing STEM Boundaries: Noreen Karim Discusses the Power of Making an Impact in Genome Biology at Integrated DNA Technologies

When Noreen Karim started at Integrated DNA Technologies in January 2023, she began a journey of impact and collaboration, using her STEM skills to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Noreen continues to gain new skills with the Danaher Business System (DBS) of continuous improvement.

We met Noreen to discuss her experience and her dreams for the future.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your role.

I grew up in a small village in the northwestern Pakistan called Malakand. I received my Ph.D. in Medical Genetics in Pakistan where I worked to unveil the genetic causes underlying inherited skin diseases. After completion of my PhD in 2019, I came to the United States for a postdoc to join Dr. Robert Rice’s lab at UC Davis in Environmental Toxicology where I worked on multiple projects of genetic and proteomic nature.

I joined Integrated DNA Technologies, IDT, last year in January as a Research Scientist III. The work IDT does resonates with me because number one, my career has been centered around DNA and protein analysis. And number two, this is just something that clicked with me most of the time. The sheer molecular scale of genetic material fascinates me, especially considering its profound impact on life. And so, I am in it to pursue a long-term career in molecular biology and genome technologies.

What does your day-to-day look like?

I was hired for a project related to making a kit that would make it easier to detect or sequence cancer-causing mutations. It was put on hold based on a business decision, but since then, I’ve worked on several other projects. Lately, I’m involved in a project aimed at developing CE-IVD approved products for the detection of diseases.

There are two categories of products — RUO or research-use-only products, that are used solely for laboratory research purposes and CE-IVD or products approved for invitro diagnostic uses can be used in clinical labs. The latter category products undergo rigorous testing and validations to meet regulatory requirements.

It is very exciting to be part of a product development process that has a positive impact on real people’s health and lives.

I am a Research Scientist, so I work in research, development and innovation. My day-to-day work includes designing and executing experiments to answer questions about the product ideas that we are working towards. It also entails data analysis and interpretation to draw conclusions, troubleshooting any roadblocks, as well as presentation and report writing. My day-to-day depends on where we are in the product roadmap.

For example, for this CE-IVD project, I need to ask myself, “What data do we need to fulfill the regulatory standards? What are the experiments we will need to obtain the data? What are the documents that we need to have completed?”

What are some of your most memorable moments over the year you’ve worked with IDT?

I worked in what IDT calls “sandbox projects” — projects that are not on the company’s project list but we test different ideas that can someday be developed into a product/project. I worked on a sandbox project related to cDNA synthesis.

We had an inhouse developed reverse transcriptase enzyme at IDT. My team and I developed the buffers and identified the optimal chemical and physical conditions for that enzyme. Now, that enzyme and the buffers can be used to make RNA from very minuscule quantities, down to the picogram scale. It was exciting to see something developed so well in such a short time.

I actually presented that work as a poster presentation at the last general meeting of Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) in Florida and . I got very good feedback on that from the attendees.

Can you talk us through what your career journey has looked like as a woman in STEM? Do you have any advice for women starting their own STEM careers?

As I mentioned, I’m from the northwestern part of Pakistan. In that area, there was a lot of resistance to women’s education at the time. During my undergrad, there were times when our university would be closed for months at a time because of threats coming from the Taliban. That was one of the things that impacted me, or rather, weighed on my mind. I was constantly reminding myself, “I have to move forward. I have to resist this resistance.” That was something that kept me progressing.

I believe that people should follow their passion, whatever resonates with them, be it STEM or any other field. We spend most of our waking hours doing our work. Therefore we should pursue what brings joy to us. I think one will be more productive at what one genuinely enjoys.

Can you tell us anything else about your experience working at IDT?

Working at IDT is my first industry job.

IDT has provided me with a valuable glimpse into the industry environment. As someone who previously used these products, I now see them from the developer’s perspective. In my past year with IDT, I learned how products are meticulously planned and developed, I observed significantly larger teams collaborating towards shared goals, and understood a bit more of how companies grow and progress.

Lately, I’m delving a lot into the DBS tools, or the Danaher Business System tools. I did a Kaizen and a PSP this year, and I really am looking forward to employing the DBS tools in my work. What appeals to me is how systematically structured these tools are – they can be applied to both small-scale and large-scale challenges. Take the Problem Solving Process (PSP) tool, for example, while it may seem very basic, its structured approach allows it to be employed across diverse scenarios, taking you to the core of issues and their solutions. I think DBS tools are a good way of gaining leadership skills allowing one to be more productive and efficient at work.

Why do you think other people in genomics would enjoy a job at IDT or any other Danaher company?

Everyone who has worked in molecular biology knows IDT for their oligos (oligonucleotides). If you talk about IDT to anyone, they’ll be like, “Oh, the oligo company.” It was the same for me. I worked with IDT products throughout my career so much that when I saw there was an opening and I got the offer, I was very excited.

Another exciting feature of IDT is the cutting-edge nature of the field and therefore, our products. To give you some background, in next generation sequencing there is pre-sequencing, sequencing and post-sequencing areas. Pre-sequencing is when the DNA/RNA samples are prepared for sequencing, and post-sequencing is when the sequencing data is crunched, analyzed and interpreted. IDT works ion the pre-sequencing area making kits for sample preparation for next-generation sequencing. We are working on continuously improving the NGS track by simplifying the sample processing and driving to obtain more in-depth information from as little sample as possible. It’s a very advanced field positioned at the very forefront.

The other thing I like about IDT is its collaborative environment. Because my experience before IDT was in the post-sequencing area, it was a switch for me. The collaborative environment of IDT made it much easier. for me to learn and be productive ASAP.

Lastly, being a part of Danaher, we have access to all the DBS tools and processes which is a great way of growing and developing one’s career.

What does the future hold for you and your career?

I do not see myself being confined to the lab forever. I definitely want to learn more about organizational structures and business strategies. I like looking at the bigger perspective, which I think is very important for even somebody who’s working in the lab.

If you could give potential candidates considering a role at IDT any information or advice, what would you share with them?

I find myself very fortunate to have landed at IDT. I would circle back to what I said earlier about the cutting-edge nature of our work, the collaborative environment of IDT and Danaher, and the impact our work has on the world of genetics and on the health of people’s lives. We are also in the Bay area, which is the hub of biotech giving us the opportunity to be more aware of what’s happening in the field. It’s these things that are important for career and professional growth.

Find Your Next Step at Danaher

At Danaher, we believe in giving people the skills they need to innovate. With us, you can pioneer groundbreaking innovation s and see the difference you make in people’s lives. As an industry leader in biotechnology and other fields, we help people build meaningful careers and push the boundaries of what’s possible.

If you’re interested in joining Noreen and the rest of the IDT team, explore our available job openings and find your niche. You can also join our talent community for regular updates and helpful tips on moving your career forward.

April 5, 2024
Raising Her Hand: Carla McDowell-Buchanan on Growing with Cepheid

From manufacturing oligonucleotides to keeping new product introduction teams aligned, to validating new facilities, to leading blue-sky innovations, Carla McDowell-Buchanan has worn an exceptional number of hats during her 14 years at Cepheid. Below, she explains the game-changing developments she’s helped launch; reflects on how both the company and its Bothell, Washington, location have evolved over the years; and shares her excitement about taking on new challenges—including as a leader.

What do you do at Cepheid?

I’m a principal scientist at our Bothell, Washington, location, which is the company’s main raw material reagent manufacturing site. There’s also an R&D component to our work that helps keep that pipeline going with new reagents, which expands our current technology capability.

My main focus is looking for opportunities to expand the value proposition of the Cepheid platform, and do everything we can to innovate first and stay ahead of the competition. I’m also now leading a team of scientists working on an innovation project involving new chemistries to enhance our tests for better use in point-of-care settings.

Tell us about your path to Cepheid—and since joining.

The work I did for my doctorate was a nice fit with what we do here. I studied electron transfer mechanisms in DNA repair resulting from the photoproducts formed in DNA, and much of that scientific understanding directly aligned with Cepheid’s molecular diagnostic technology. One of the first chemists to work here at Bothell was also a postdoc at the University of Washington, where I went to school, and they initially brought me in for a temporary position, covering someone’s summer vacation. They liked what I was able to contribute, and in 2007, I was hired full-time in oligonucleotide manufacturing.

Cepheid was much smaller then, but we were going through what at the time was a huge growth period for us, and I was able to scale up and improve some different processes so we could synthesize higher quality oligonucleotides at a larger scale. After about a year and a half, the Bothell site was getting large enough that we also needed to start establishing more formal processes for design control and product transfer, and I took the lead on developing those departments. That gave me some expertise in validating chemical reagents, oligonucleotides, and qualifying instrumentation—which then led to a role as a technical liaison, where I was part of the core teams not only here but also at Cepheid’s locations in Sweden and Sunnyvale, California. I helped keep everyone in sync on new products required to be transferred to manufacturing.

From there, my responsibilities became multi-layered—for about five years I managed Product Transfer, Program Management, and worked as site liaison for new product introductions. As our real estate in Bothell grew, we needed someone to handle facility validation—things like HVAC systems, above-ground waste tanks, and moving chemistry and oligo manufacturing, where you have to decommission and then re-qualify all the instruments. I wasn’t an engineer, but I’d learned a lot about validation protocols and systems, so I worked on those efforts for about a year and a half. We were also able to make some changes like adding large-volume solvent delivery systems. Then I moved into doing innovation, where I am now.

That’s a lot of different projects! Were you “tapped on the shoulder” most of the time, or were the moves your idea?

I’d say it’s mostly been me raising my hand—recognizing a gap and trying to put something in place to alleviate the pain points. But part of that comes from listening to the vision of our leaders. My first innovation project was sparked by a presentation from our former CEO, John Bishop. I remember he had this slide of our GeneXpert® Infinity-80 system, with DNA, RNA, cells, and proteins all run on that same device. I’d worked with proteins before I came here, and I thought, “I wonder if there’s some way to integrate protein detection on top of the nucleic acid?”

My prototype that involved detection of different types of biomarkers that took about three years for a proof-of-principle prototype. [Editor’s note: This achievement earned Carla the Excellence in Innovation Award from Danaher, Cepheid’s parent organization, in 2020.]

How would you describe this current moment, for Cepheid in general and the Bothell site specifically?

Compared to a few years ago, I do see a difference in our culture—especially here at the Bothell site. Back when I was the technical liaison between the three locations, this site was so much smaller, and it was more like a startup. It was really Sweden and Sunnyvale that had the oversight and regulatory processes in place to get their outputs onto shelves and into clinicians’ hands. At our size, and with our R&D mindset, adding those layers of accountability—things like specification settings and addressing nonconformances—was a challenge.

But we’ve grown. And I think today, people are much more willing to speak up in a meeting and share a new idea, rather than working on it in the background until they find something that works. Maybe your idea doesn’t end up being the one we use, or maybe it’s combined with something else. But you definitely have a safe space to talk about it and contribute.

At the Cepheid level, I think what we’re seeing now—especially since joining Danaher in 2016—is a real commitment to stay ahead of disruptive technology in our space. That’s important, because it’s what will allow us to stay relevant and realize the potential of all these ideas we have to help patients by developing new instruments, chemical reagents, and detection modalities. Cepheid has earned a lot of respect globally on the quality of our diagnostic tests, and we aren’t willing to bend on that. But our leaders are very focused on making sure innovation is happening, and they carve out the resources and opportunities for our scientists to think creatively and come up with better solutions.

What are you looking forward to right now?

At the moment, I’m so immersed in getting over a technical hurdle related to the current innovation project that it’s all I can think about! But I am pretty excited to someday see this project go from the blue-sky phase we’re in now all the way through to advancement in a technology that the company can use. My director has a strong background in the assay development space we are interested in, so he understands what we’re doing and he’s very supportive. He’s also exposing me to the higher-level aspects of the projects I’m working on—I sit on the steering committee, for example. Even at this phase, there is some level of structure moving the project forward, and with that comes a commitment from leadership to give us what we need to realize the vision. I started out working on it solo, but I’ve since been able to grow the scientific team to five. If we can eventually see all that work turn into something patients can use, that will be very rewarding.

I’m also looking forward to growing my leadership skills, now that I have the opportunity to manage multiple scientists and especially because we’re working across two different locations. I’m learning how to keep communication going and make sure people are engaged, feel valued, and know that they’re part of a team. I’m trying to do for them what my director does for me—if there’s a roadblock, I figure out what I can do to remove it. I do gravitate toward the early, pre-concept work I’ve done as a bench scientist. It intrigues me and feeds my curiosity. But I feel like I’m also gaining a new appreciation for being a leader.

Interested in joining Carla and the rest of the Cepheid team? Check out open roles or join the Danaher talent community today.

September 26, 2023