well - Keck Graduate Institute

Team Masters Project Presentations
The Team Masters Project (TMP) is the capstone activity
for students in the Master of Bioscience (MBS) and the
Postdoctoral Professional Master of Bioscience Management
(PPM) degree programs at KGI. In accordance with KGI’s
mission of translating the potential of the life sciences into
practice, the TMP offers a rigorous and experiential learning
opportunity which immerses students in the type of work
many will pursue after graduation. TMPs are supported
by interdisciplinary teams made up of three to six students
who work with sponsoring companies to address real world
company objectives.
Replacing the traditional Master’s thesis work found in
standard programs, these projects provide students with the
opportunity to apply their marketing, business, financial
and science training to state-of-the-art corporate challenges.
Importantly, our teams are advised by both KGI faculty
and expert industrial liaisons to assure that academic rigor
is paired with pragmatic focus. Our typical TMP Team is
composed of MBS, PPM, and senior undergraduate students
from The Claremont Colleges (Harvey Mudd, Claremont
McKenna and Scripps) resulting in a rich and diverse set of
skills, backgrounds and expertise.
TMP activities emphasize problem-solving, project
management, new business opportunity, productive
teamwork, and effective communications skills that will be
critically important to KGI graduates as they pursue careers in
the bioscience industries. Representing about 35 percent of a
student’s final year of academic work, these contract research
projects are designed to produce valuable deliverables for the
sponsoring companies.
Team Masters Project PresentationS
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Program
7:30 am
Continental Breakfast
517 Bldg., Founders Room
8:00 am
Introductions
517 Bldg., Founders Room
8:20 am - 11:45 am
Team Presentations (Group A and B)
Time
Group A
Location: 517 Bldg.,
Lecture Hall
Group B
Location: 535 Bldg.,
152 Classroom
8:30 - 9:00 am
Eli Lilly
US Script
9:00 - 9:30 am
Terumo BCT, Inc.
Amicus Therapeutics
9:30 - 10:00 am
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Castle Biosciences
10:00 - 10:15 am
Break
10:15 - 10:45 am
Monsanto
Astellas Pharma US, Inc.
10:45 - 11:15 am
Aemetis, Inc.
Yumei Hospital
11:15 - 11:45 am
Veracyte, Inc. II (Sample Adequacy)
Meditope Biosciences, Inc.
11:45 - 12:45 pm
Lunch
517 Bldg., Founders Room
12:45 - 1:30 pm
Combined Corporate Liaisons’ Meeting
517 Bldg., Room 147
1:30 - 4:45 pm
Team Presentations (Group C and D)
◆
Time
Group C
Location: 517 Bldg.,
Lecture Hall
Group D
Location: 535 Bldg.,
152 Classroom
1:30 - 2:00 pm
Veracyte, Inc. I (Market Research)
Beijing Zhongmei Group
2:00 - 2:30 pm
Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Life Technologies (Water Testing)
2:30 - 3:00 pm
Endologix, Inc.
Life Technologies (Forensics)
3:00 - 3:15 pm
Break
3:15 - 3:45 pm
City of Hope
Proteus Digital Health, Inc.
3:45 - 4:15 pm
Edwards Lifesciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
4:15 - 4:45 pm
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.
Project Summaries
Feasibility Study of an Advanced Energy Feedstock
for Ethanol Production
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
Andy Foster
Jarrett Hollis
Eric McAfee
Faculty Advisors:
KiriLynn Svay
Joel West
Students: Jesus Cuaron, Taylor Jones, Giselle Perez,
Krishna Ramaswamy, Jeffrey Welch
Aemetis, Inc. is an industrial biotechnology company
producing renewable chemicals and fuels using
patented microbes and processes. Derived from the
Scottish “Ae,” meaning “the one” and the Greek
“Metis,” meaning “prudent wisdom,” Aemetis means
“the one prudent wisdom,” referring to the prudence
and wisdom of replacing petroleum with renewable
chemicals and fuels. Focusing on the development
and commercialization of innovative industrial
biotechnologies, the Aemetis technology platform
helps companies increase their brand value and
operating margins while decreasing their environmental
footprint. By converting existing bio-refineries and
substantially reducing capital expenditures, Aemetis
assists in the quick commercialization of technologies
through joint ventures with existing biofuel plants.
Aemetis is currently in the process of investigating
new biofuel feedstocks to supplement their existing
corn ethanol plant in Keyes, CA. Initial tests have
been completed and potential feedstocks identified. To
determine the feasibility of making an industrial-scale
transition, Aemetis asked the Aemetis TMP team to
perform a detailed feasibility analysis.
Specifically, the Aemetis TMP team was asked
to develop a financial feasibility study under the
constraint of using one specific advanced feedstock.
To accomplish this objective, the Aemetis TMP
examined the economic, technical and regulatory
aspects of this novel feedstock as a supplement for the
existing ethanol process at the Keyes facility. The team
examined three major components of the feedstock
value chain: upstream, midstream and downstream.
All three elements were included in the final detailed
financial model. Ultimately, the team’s final report will
provide Aemetis with an analysis which may help guide
the use of this interesting feedstock.
Project Summaries
Analysis of Newborn Screening for Lysosomal
Storage Disorders and Opportunities for Fabry
and Pompe Diseases
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
Jeff Castelli
Jayne Gershkowitz
Brandon Wustman
Faculty Advisor:
Timothy Coté
Students: Aylene Bao, Ujval Kondragunta,
Porus Shah, Hoang-Lan Tran
Amicus Therapeutics is a Cranbury, New Jerseybased biopharmaceutical company discovering and
developing next-generation medicines to treat a
range of rare and orphan diseases, with a focus on
improved therapies for lysosomal storage diseases
(LSDs). LSDs are a family of rare genetic metabolic
disorders that are chronic, degenerative conditions
which are usually fatal.
Amicus is interested in understanding the current
status of newborn and related screening practices for
LSDs in the United States. Of particular interest is
how these practices relate to patient populations and
diagnostic trends.
The Amicus TMP team was tasked with assessing
the feasibility of implementing newborn and atrisk population screening programs for LSDs. In
conjunction with the Newborn Screening Branch of
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the team conducted a nation-wide survey to capture
the attitudes of state health departments towards
the mandated screening of LSDs in newborns. The
team also conducted primary research to determine
the mechanics of screening both family members of
affected children and high-risk clinical populations.
In their analysis, the team explored ethical concerns,
technological hurdles, market dynamics, and
future trends that may affect screening programs.
Ultimately, the team recommended strategies for
Amicus Therapeutics to facilitate national screening
procedures and increase the detection of individuals
with lysosomal storage diseases.
Actionable Recommendations to Astellas to
Become Global Oncology Leader
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaison:
David Stover
Faculty Advisor:
Larry Grill
Students: Billy Chen, Andrew Jerome,
Sheldon Mink, Sarjan Shah
Astellas Pharmaceuticals is a global pharmaceutical
company with the aim of improving lives through
innovative and effective medicines. Astellas
Pharmaceuticals was formed by the merger of two
established Japanese pharmaceutical companies in
2005. It is headquartered in Japan and has seven
therapeutic areas of focus. They are currently
global category leaders within the urology and the
transplantation therapeutic areas.
Astellas has entered into the oncology therapeutic
area and is focused on becoming a global category
leader in oncology. To this end, it has allocated
significant investments to enhance its presence within
the oncology market. In support of its leadership goals
in oncology, Astellas tasked the KGI TMP team to
conduct a gap analysis comparing current oncology
companies and Astellas.
To complete the goals set for the TMP, the project
was divided into three phases. In Phase 1, the Astellas
TMP team reviewed the larger oncology landscape
and interviewed key members of the Astellas oncology
leadership team. In Phase 2, pipeline analysis, image
ranking and company profiles were built through
interviews and surveys of oncology company executives
and medical oncologists. In Phase 3, the Astellas TMP
team identified existing gaps between Astellas and
other global category leaders. Specific evidence based
recommendations were provided to Astellas oncology
leadership to bridge gaps and further their goal of
becoming a global category leader in oncology.
Project Summaries
Licensing Anti-aging and Stem Cell Technologies
to China
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
Zhang Xiao Xia
Chen Yong
Faculty Advisor:
Ian Phillips
Students: Richard Chen, Jessica Costales,
Nathan Hsu, Meghana Joshi
Zhongmei is the largest medical group in China, with
its medical chain spanning across 7 major hospitals. In
2007, Zhongmei funded a subsidiary company geared
to target the healthcare industry in China: Beijing
Zhongmei Aochi Biotech Co. Ltd. Partnering with
Blue-Bio Research Institute and KND. Co. Ltd, with
$180 million in investment, Aochi Biotech produced
collagen supplements, which have been the best-selling
anti-aging supplement in China. Anti-aging therapies
aim to increase longevity through the treatment
of various age-related metabolic, cardiovascular,
neurological, and immune diseases. As the aging
population of China increases, such therapies have
potential to expand the market.
Beijing Zhongmei Aochi Biotech Co. Ltd. is interested
in licensing advanced anti-aging and stem cell
therapies. The Zhongmei Group has a commercial
interest in developing these novel technologies for use
in clinical settings in China. In support of this strategy,
our TMP was asked to identify and assess anti-aging
technologies from US universities and companies which
might be further developed by Aochi Biotech and
implemented in Zhongmei hospitals. Each technology
was carefully evaluated with respect to effectiveness, IP
protection, regulation, and market potential.
From our survey of numerous of cosmetic anti-aging
technologies, we have created a database consisting of
20 potential candidates. Of these, five novel products
and devices have been pursued further according to
the sponsor’s request. The scope of our investigation
has since expanded from cosmetic technologies to
include advancements utilizing stem cells. We are thus
engaged in surveying potential stem cell therapies in
cardiovascular, neurological, and kidney diseases.
This assessment aids in our development of a robust
database consisting of both cosmetic and stem cell
therapies that treat diseases prevalent in aging China.
Upon project completion, we will have pursued
technologies of particular interest to the sponsor, which
will ultimately aid the Zhongmei Group in bringing
therapies that can be adopted in the Chinese market.
Project Summaries
Unified Template Solutions for Clinical Product
Cold Storage and Shipment
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaison:
Kim Fellows-Peake
Faculty Advisor:
Vince Anicetti
Students: Ian Brown, Kencey Busick, Sean Delfosse,
Stephen Kim, Hadi Mirmalek-Sani
BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., of Novato, California,
develops, manufactures and commercializes
biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of rare diseases.
BioMarin has successfully launched four products and
is actively engaged in joint ventures and partnerships.
With commercial operations in over forty countries
and a robust clinical pipeline, BioMarin is a key
player in the rare (orphan) disease market, providing
access to treatments for patients with historically
unmet medical needs.
Cold chain refers to a temperature-regulated supply
chain, encompassing storage, handling, shipping, and
distribution activities. Cold chain is a fast-growing
part of the healthcare logistics industry, and providers
are adapting to meet the ever-changing regulatory
demands. In addition, biotechnology companies ship
high-value and temperature sensitive products, often
in experimental or developmental phases of clinical
trials, the latter comprising the majority of industry
costs. Cold chain compliance, although a non-revenue
generating activity, is essential to the operation of
modern biotechnology companies.
Currently, BioMarin has a very product-specific
approach to the clinical product cold chain and is
looking for a template strategy that will provide a
consolidated, integrated and up-to-date solution to
their cold chain needs. The BioMarin TMP team
approached this project in two phases. First, the team
determined the current landscape of pharmaceutical
cold chain through conference attendance and
interviews of subject matter experts, and gathered
BioMarin’s requirements for their cold chain. The
BioMarin TMP then applied these requirements
through a decision matrix of vendor solutions to
identify the most appropriate primary and tertiary
containers for shipping of bulk clinical products. The
project’s second phase focused on qualification testing
of the container candidates, analysis of cargo carriers,
as well as an examination of commercial cold chain
requirements (bulk drug substance and vial shipping).
Ultimately, our team provided a comprehensive,
commercial-ready list of solutions to meet BioMarin’s
cold chain needs for their pipeline products.
Project Summaries
Market Analysis and Portfolio Strategy of
Diagnostics for Rare Cancers
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaison:
Derek Maetzold
Faculty Advisor:
Animesh Ray
Students: Jagan Choudhary, Robert Davies,
Juee Kotwal, Alexander Kreisman,
William Leonardi, Pankit Shah
Castle Biosciences Inc. is a privately held company
specialized in developing diagnostics for rare cancers.
Castle Biosciences works alongside leading cancer
institutions to develop diagnostics designed to
individualize treatment plans. Castle Bioscience’s
mission is to provide improved prognostic guidance to
medical practitioners for patients with rare cancers. The
company’s proprietary diagnostic technology platform—
DecisionDx—is the outcome of both technology
in-licensing from centers of excellence in oncology as
well as internal development. The company currently
has four commercially available diagnostic tests for
uveal melanoma, thymoma, glioma and glioblastoma.
Castle Biosciences is currently pursuing the launch of a
novel diagnostic for esophageal cancer (DecisionDx-EC)
and a second diagnostic test for cutaneous melanoma
(DecisionDx-Melanoma).
The first phase of the project involved a literature search
to identify potential biomarkers for company-selected
rare cancers, which might provide utility in predicting
therapeutic response. To facilitate this goal, the team
constructed a database which consolidated numerous
biomarkers across a number of rare cancers, as well as a
second database consisting of key opinion leaders with
expertise in both cutaneous melanoma and esophageal
cancer. These efforts are expected to support Castle
Bioscience’s efforts to identify new diagnostic targets for
portfolio expansion.
The second phase of the project involved demonstrating
the economic value proposition for their esophageal
cancer and cutaneous melanoma diagnostic tests. The
Castle Bioscience TMP constructed and distributed
surveys aimed at identifying a surgeon’s willingness
to alter treatment strategies based on a predictive
assessment of neoadjuvant therapy. Ultimately, the
Castle Bioscience TMP will publish results from this
survey as foundational support for the product launch.
Additionally, the team built a budget impact model
designed to identify the financial benefit to stakeholders
providing care for patients diagnosed with cutaneous
melanoma. The end goal for this objective is to provide
a data-based economic rationale for the adoption of
DecisionDx-Melanoma by clinicians who seek to better
predict the occurrence of aggressive manifestations
caused by cutaneous melanoma.
Offering:
Master of Bioscience
Postdoctoral Professional Masters
Postbaccalaureate Premedical Certificate
PhD Programs
PharmD
www.kgi.edu
Project Summaries
Development of Cost Effectiveness Models for
Personalized Medicine in Oncology
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaison:
Richard Jove
Faculty Advisor:
Craig Adams
Students: Reva Culpher, Karishma Dagar,
Patrick Harkins
City of Hope (COH) is a non-profit institution
dedicated to fighting life-threatening diseases using
a three-pronged approach that combines biomedical
research, treatment and education. COH’s research
arm, the Beckman Research Institute, focuses on
diabetes and HIV/AIDS, but has a particular emphasis
on cancer research. This emphasis has produced results
that have garnered national and worldwide recognition
by being included within The National Cancer
Institute of the National Institutes of Health designated
Comprehensive Cancer Centers.
Recent advances in our understanding of the
molecular basis of cancer have resulted in a surge in
‘personalized medicines’ for the treatment of cancer.
These personalized medicines target specific molecular
changes which cause different forms of cancer.
Fortunately, some personalized medicines such as
Gleevec® and Herceptin® have resulted in significant
improvement in therapy while producing fewer side
effects than older medicines. The Beckman Research
Institute has invested heavily in research aimed at the
expanding the number of personalized therapies. To
better understand the impact personalized medicines,
the Beckman Research Institute commissioned this
TMP to investigate the impact of these medicines from
a patient and payer perspective.
In order to create cost effectiveness models, the team
investigated all personalized therapeutics from 1995
until today creating a short list of drugs which have
made a major impact in the oncology disease space. A
quantitative model was developed to determine the cost
per life month added based on the clinical utility, adverse
events and overall survival rate. The output from these
models will be used to determine the cost-effectiveness
ratios of major personalized medicine therapies and
will be analyzed using cost effective thresholds around
the world. It is hoped that these quantitative models
will help guide COH to better understand the required
cost-effectiveness ratios necessary to create revolutionary
personalized medicines.
Project Summaries
Contributing to the Design, Implementation, and
Testing of a Biomedical Engineering Platform
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaison:
Alex Holland
Faculty Advisor:
Hsiang-Wei Lu
Students: Andrew Barajas, Alan Chen,
Eter Rodríguez, Sarah Vitak
Edwards Lifesciences is the global leader in the science
of heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring. Founded
in 1958, Edwards has grown into a global company
with a presence in approximately 100 countries and
more than 7,800 employees around the world. Edwards
focuses on medical technologies that address large
and growing patient populations in which there are
significant unmet clinical needs, such as structural heart
disease and critical care monitoring.
Edward’s hemodynamic monitoring instruments
measure cardiovascular system parameters that are
derived from sampled data acquired by sensors.
Typically, sensors are attached to, or integrated
within catheters which are inserted into blood vessels.
Occasionally, sensors may be placed externally to the
patient to provide less invasive sensor information.
Edwards has created a proprietary biomedical
engineering platform to support the rapid development
of biomedical algorithms for these hemodynamic
monitoring instruments.
The core goal of the Edwards TMP is to facilitate the
software design, implementation, and testing of Edwards
biomedical engineering platform. The project focuses
on two interrelated subprojects: physiological modeling
and statistical performance testing of experimental/
simulation data. The key objective of physiological
modeling is to complete development of a physiological
mathematical model to generate realistic, simulated
blood pressure signals coupled with cardiovascular
parameters. The objective for the statistical performance
testing is to develop a library of hemodynamic
algorithms. In support of this project, the team has
developed an application programming interface to read/
write patient signals and to maintain database archives
encoded in the Edwards signaling format.
Utilizing Co-Creation to Impact Patient Outcomes
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
Brian Cooley
Brett Huff
Carrie Smith
Faculty Advisor:
Jim Osborne
Students: Alison Blaschke, Eric Houghton, Marc
Nurik, Michelle Plummer, Ryan Shade, Deepali Shinde
Eli Lilly was incorporated in 1881 and even after more
than a century, it continues to be at the forefront of
pharmaceutical research. Lilly has been a leader in the
industry for both small-molecule development as well
as biologics research. It has pioneered many areas in
the industry, being the first company to successfully
produce and deliver penicillin on a large scale, as well
as the first to use recombinant DNA techniques to
manufacture insulin for production.
Traditionally, pharmaceutical projects have been
managed, scoped and led through cross-functional
internal project teams focused on delivering a new
medicine that meets the requirements of two key
documents: the Draft Launch Label (DLL) and
the Manufacturing Marketed Forms Agreement
(MMFA). Typically, these documents contain a set
of manufacturing and launch requirements that
are created by medical, marketing, regulatory,
manufacturing, quality and product development.
While this process can be effective, it is believed that
additional value may be gained by using co-creation
techniques with customers at time points earlier
than the DLL and MMFA to create more robust
and complete product design requirements. The
hypothesis is that we often neglect to consider all of the
stakeholder interests during development that could
lead to a more valuable product in terms of improved
patient outcomes and a lower cost of care.
In order to address these issues, the Lilly TMP team
conducted research on application of co-creation to
the Lilly drug design and development process. We
then identified, developed, and refined six separate
engagement platforms that will serve to incorporate
Lilly customers more effectively in the design process
as a means to improve the end value of their products.
Towards that goal, we conducted interviews and a
survey with the Lilly development teams as well as
experts in Clinical Trials, Patient Advocacy, Legal
and Information Technology to determine processes
that would help Lilly interact more effectively with its
customers. We are currently incorporating feedback
from the interviews and the survey to define metrics for
success and devise a plan for implementation of a pilot
study at Lilly for the top two engagement platforms.
Project Summaries
Technical Feasibility Studies of Core Technology
for New Indication
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
William Colone
Stefan Schreck
Faculty Advisor:
Anna Hickerson
Students: Felicia Amaechi, Christian Gallardo,
Adrian Li, Kierra D. Wright
Endologix develops, manufactures, and markets
minimally invasive medical devices for the treatment
of aortic disorders with a focus on the endovascular
repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). On
December of 2010, the company finalized the
acquisition of Nellix, a next-generation endovascular
aortic repair (EVAR) technology designed to reduce
the rate of secondary interventions and post-procedure
surveillance. Unlike currently available technologies,
the Nellix device seals the aneurysm sac by filling
“endobags” with a biocompatible polymer to minimize
the potential for aneurysm growth and rupture, and
device migration.
The Endologix TMP team was tasked with conducting
technical feasibility studies of the Nellix device for a
new indication in the thoracic aorta, which has unique
and dynamic biomechanical constraints. An initial
assessment of the competitive landscape helped the team
clarify the value proposition for the Nellix platform
and identify areas where the Nellix device can lead to
improved quality of life and reduced cost. Following
this analysis, the team investigated the physiological
constraints observed in the thoracic therapeutic in an
effort to clarify design parameters and engineering
constraints for a future Nellix EVAR device.
The Endologix TMP developed, and implemented
experimental and computational protocols to test
the ability of the Nellix polymer formulation to
withstand the dynamic environment in the thoracic
aorta. Based on the data collected, the team developed
recommendations to optimize therapeutic performance,
reduce operating costs, and enhance market strategy
for a future Nellix EVAR device.
Cell Line Development and High Throughput
Technologies for Rapid Bioprocessing Design
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
Gayle Derfus
Rajesh Krishnan
(fall project);
Jared Broddrick
Michael Molony
(spring project)
Faculty Advisor:
Tina Etcheverry
Students: Juan Jose Aponte, Sezen Balli,
Zainab Ibrahim Bello, Rajesh Velagapudi
Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that
researches, develops and markets innovative treatments
for life-threatening diseases. Gilead’s therapeutic areas of
focus include HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, serious respiratory,
cardiovascular, and metabolic conditions, cancer and
inflammation. Since their founding 25 years ago, Gilead
Sciences has grown rapidly, with a portfolio of 15 marketed products and a growing pipeline of investigational
drugs and approximately 5,000 employees across four
continents.
Process development for monoclonal antibody (mAb)
production is a time-consuming, labor intensive and
expensive effort due to the number and complexity individual steps involved. To prevent bottlenecks and ensure
commercial viability of future monoclonal antibody
manufacturing, it is important to accelerate the development of both upstream and downstream processes, as
well as to improve process analytics at each step.
The Fall Gilead TMP provided an exhaustive assessment
of recent innovations in mammalian cell line development
for mAb production. Commercially available mammalian
expression technologies for mAb products were identified
and compared. The team provided a recommended list
of top mAb expression systems which provide outstanding features and have a large client base. This analysis
provides Gilead Sciences with cell line options which are
friendly to regulatory agencies and have a proven performance in antibody production.
For the Spring TMP Project, the team identified, evaluated and made recommendations for high throughput
analytical technologies which can be used for rapid
bioprocess development at Gilead. The recommendations
were based on the need to optimize the bioprocess design
space (QbD enabling), easily integrate into high-throughput upstream and downstream technologies and provide
resource efficiency. In support of this objective, the team
explored high throughput technologies being developed
at a number of academic institutions and companies. To
provide a detailed analysis of each technology, the team
conducted detailed interviews with scientists developing these high throughput platforms. Finally, the team
provided Gilead with a report which included a detailed
evaluation and recommendation of technologies which
could be integrated into their processes and optimize their
bioprocess design space.
Project Summaries
Evaluation of the Forensic Rapid DNA
Profiling Market
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
Ravi Gupta
Bob Kays
Faculty Advisor:
Susan Bain
Students: Ifeanyi Amadi, Jinghua Jia, Aimee Lake,
Jennifer Lee, Duojiao Ni, Amanda Walker
Life Technologies is a global biotechnology tools
company formed in 2008 through the merger of
Invitrogen and Applied Biosystems. The company
supplies instrumentation, consumables and services to
laboratories working across the biological spectrum.
By focusing on supplying innovative technologies
that drive the advancement of medicine, molecular
diagnostics, environmental research, and forensics, Life
Technologies hopes to improve the human condition.
Currently, Life Technologies is one of the leading
suppliers of DNA testing systems to forensic
laboratories. To maintain market leader status in
the forensics and human identification market, the
company is interested in expanding its product line
to include rapid integrative DNA processing systems.
This new technology gives personnel with limited
training the ability to generate DNA profiles outside
of a centralized laboratory. Although there are many
theoretical benefits to decentralized rapid DNA
profiling, the market need for this new technology has
not been verified.
The Keck Graduate Institute’s Team Master’s Project
(TMP) team was sponsored by Life Technologies to
validate the needs of the potential market for rapid
and decentralized DNA testing. To accomplish this
objective, the TMP team investigated the current
forensic DNA testing market and was able to identify
key challenges with the existing workflow that
rapid DNA profiling could address. Additionally,
the team examined the forensic chain of custody for
DNA profile generation and utilization in the justice
system and identified the challenges to adoption
of decentralized rapid DNA profiling. Finally,
recommendations regarding the potential viability of
the rapid and decentralized DNA testing market were
made to Life Technologies to assist with the business
decision to pursue or abandon this market.
Evaluating the Unmet Needs in the Water
Testing Market
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
Vicki Singer
Rodney Turner
Faculty Advisor:
Yvonne Klaue
Students: Joanna Asprer, Benjamin Brahm,
Alejandra Klauer, Alison Lerner, Brett Vincent
Life Technologies Corporation is a global biotechnology tools company serving over 75,000 customers in
more than 160 countries worldwide. Through constant
innovation, Life Technologies is dedicated to improving the human condition. The company prides itself on
consistently being at the forefront of scientific discovery,
with novel technology development and commercialization. It has over 10,000 employees, approximately
50,000 products and over 4,000 patents and exclusive
licenses worldwide.
Through the Applied Biosystems® and Ion Torrent™
brands, Life Technologies provides innovative equipment to labs around the world. Life Technologies also
provides a broad range of consumables through worldrenowned brands including Invitrogen™, GIBCO®,
TaqMan®, Novex®, Molecular Probes®, and Ambion®. Life Technologies commits itself to providing products that enable lab functions in the basic, applied, and
medical sciences. It is currently interested in expanding
its market within the applied sciences sector, and wishes
to learn about opportunities in water testing.
Water is an invaluable natural resource that is vital to
all living beings. Proper handling, monitoring, treating
and conservation are critical to protecting this essential
resource. Water testing technologies are necessary to ensure safety of water usage and release into the environment. A variety of consumers with different needs makes
up the water testing marketplace. They include private
users, specialized laboratories, government agencies,
utilities companies and industrial manufacturers. Life
Technologies’ overarching goal for the team is to gain an
understanding of the unmet needs of these consumers.
The team conducted primary and secondary market
research to examine the water testing marketplace. Interviews with users of water testing products from different
industries and organizations were found to be particularly valuable. The team also learned about regulatory
guidelines in specific areas of interest. The information
from these efforts allowed the team to perform a market
segmentation analysis and identify unmet needs and
opportunities. Equipped with an understanding of the
unmet needs for different water testing market segments,
the team provided Life Technologies with recommendations on which markets to target and how existing Life
Technologies products and technologies could be leveraged to meet market needs.
Project Summaries
Identification of a Lead Candidate for Development
of an Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC)/Cancer
Therapeutic
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
Ellen Goldberg
Stephanie Hsieh
John Charles Williams
Faculty Advisor:
Craig Adams
Students: David Chung, Bo Fan, Tina Mathew,
Joanna Naymark, Flaka Radoniqi
Meditope Biosciences is an early stage biotechnology
company with a unique technology that can add molecules such as therapeutics or imaging agents onto monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that allows specificity, control,
and no changes to the antibody’s binding capacity.
The company holds an exclusive global license to this
platform technology which was developed at Beckman
Research Institute of City of Hope. Often characterized
as a ‘LEGO-like’ system, this technology has the potential for a broad set of applications such as: new 2nd
generation antibody technologies (e.g., antibody-drug
conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies), enhanced
imaging agents for PET, and other technologies to allow
more specific detection of cancers and other diseases.
The precision and control afforded by Meditope’s technology in comparison to alternatives is expected to lead
to enhanced efficacy and lower toxicity therapeutics,
which are much needed in cancer treatment.
Meditope is interested in developing an ADC cancer
therapeutic partnership with a company that has an
existing mAb in either clinical trials or on the market.
In doing so, Meditope’s main objective is to identify
a lead candidate that will ensure speed to market,
commercially attractive partnering opportunities, and
capability of highlighting broader application of its
technology optimally.
The Meditope TMP team was asked to evaluate the current universe of oncology mAbs in order to determine
the top candidates for ADC development by Meditope,
taking into account commercial potential, accelerated
time to market, likelihood of partnership success, and
features/capabilities of the Meditope technology. The
team started by researching the current landscape of
mAbs and formed weighted criteria through careful
consideration of commercial, regulatory, and technical
factors. These criteria shaped the creation of a scoring
system used to filter the mAb universe yielding the top
candidates through an iterative process. Each top candidate was assessed further to produce a small list of high
priority partnering opportunities and strategies, including lead mAbs, clinical indications, and recommended
regulatory path. Ultimately, the team provided Meditope
with a comprehensive report on recommended partnering candidates and strategies as well as an adaptable
selection tool for additional screening and evaluation.
“Anytime you get students who are learning, they ask questions and
draw unique conclusions. They raise ideas and bring up points you
may not have thought of otherwise. They're in a different paradigm,
than people who are in the company and heading down a certain path
just because that path was decided on.”
–Bonnie Anderson, CEO and co-founder, Veracyte, Inc.
“KGI makes the process easy, even the contracting, and its students
are coming from a different perspective, developing creative new ideas
we haven't thought of before.”
–Tom Lester, BioMarin
Project Summaries
Studies in Innovative Seed Treatment Technologies
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
Jerald Heise
Brad White
Faculty Advisor:
Jim Sterling
Students: Johnathan Chai, Alex Flake,
Chokdee Siawsolit, Jaclyn Smrecek, Alice Zhang
Monsanto is a multinational agriculture and biotech
company committed to meeting the needs of today
while preserving the planet for tomorrow. It is the
leading producer of genetically engineered seeds
and herbicide, which is sold under the brand name
Roundup. Monsanto is the largest American producer
of corn, which is mainly used in animal feed and to
produce high fructose corn syrup. Monsanto, which
belongs to the materials sector and the agricultural
chemical industry, actively pursues novel process
enhancements to support their Biotechnology and
Breeding pipelines for rapidly changing technologies in
the agriculture industry.
The purpose of this project is to explore innovative
seed treatment technologies to keep pace with evolving
chemistries and needs. Existing technologies and
processes for seed treatment are becoming outmoded
with advancements in chemistries and in-field
performance requirements. The team investigated
novel seed treatment methods which demonstrate
improvements over conventional processes in terms
of delivery mechanisms and efficacy. The scope of this
TMP is to deliver a prototype capable of producing
coated seeds using various novel delivery methods for
studying coating efficiency and efficacy. Additionally, the
team has developed methods for studying the dynamics
of liquid seed coating by using high-speed videos and
supporting analytical techniques for generating delivery
performance metrics. This will help Monsanto better
understand the relevant fluid properties and physics to
improve current coating systems.
The Monsanto TMP team designed and built a
functional prototype to transport seeds and integrated
the prototype with a seed formulation dispersal system.
The prototype was tested and optimized to insure that
it accomplished the project objectives. In addition to
the testing process, the team successfully captured
video of liquid droplets impacting seeds at 16,000
frames per second. With the ability to create these highspeed videos, the team investigated the dependency
of fluid-seed surface interactions to dimensionless
variables, including the Reynolds number and the
Weber number. Finally, performance metrics were
devised by the team to compare Monsanto TMP
coating efficacy with efficacy studies performed at
Monsanto internal trials.
Continuous Biometric Monitoring in
Competitive Athletics
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
Willy McAllister
Todd Thompson
Mark Zdeblick
Faculty Advisor:
John Milton
Students: Kerry Chin, Kevin Cho, Jackie Coburn,
Melissa Sathavipat, Erin White
Proteus Digital Health is a pioneer in digital healthcare.
By creating medical devices that communicate with
digital technology, such as smart phones, tablets, and
cloud computing, Proteus enables people to develop and
sustain healthy habits and businesses to develop new
information-based business models. Founded in 2003,
Proteus’ flagship technology revolves around wearable
and ingestible sensors. In July 2012, Proteus gained
FDA clearance of their ingestible sensor that is powered
by stomach fluid. Sensor-enabled pills communicate
when they have been ingested by transmitting a signal
to an adhesive, wearable sensor patch that also collects
physiologic data such as heart rate, skin temperature,
and physical activity. Data is transferred via Bluetooth
to a paired device and uploaded to the Cloud. Users
can then share their data with family, caregivers, and/or
clinicians to build a community of individuals that help
each other stay healthy.
The patch system was conceived to serve the elderly
or chronically ill; however, Proteus’ long-term mission
is to provide a range of lifestyle tools that serve
individuals of all ages and stages of health. Proteus
wanted to evaluate the potential uses of the patch in a
competitive athletics environment.
The Proteus TMP team was tasked with identifying
how the patch might be used in this new market and
what user requirements needed to be changed to target
this new audience. To accomplish this objective, the
team met with coaches and athletic trainers from many
different sports and conducted extensive research to
evaluate the current state of athletic monitoring and
identify ways the Proteus patch could address an unmet
need. During this initial phase, the team identified
swimming as a unique point of entry into the larger
athletics market. The team then focused the remaining
stages of the project on producing a working prototype
of the patch and user interface for use as a training
tool for swimmers and coaches. Through testing of the
device on athletes from the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
swim team and garnering feedback from swim coaches,
the Proteus TMP team will make recommendations
regarding the features and marketability of the
potential commercial product.
Project Summaries
Evaluating Critical Components of Patient Care and
Management of Pharmaceuticals within the
Critical Care Setting
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
Jim Knight
Marilee Moy
Julie Wilson
Faculty Advisor:
Alan Rothfeld
Students: Jacob Bowland, Stacy Crawford,
Ramkumar Dorairaj, Brigette Duran, Chintan Ramaiya
Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical
company, which focuses on difficult-to-treat and severe
autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. The company
was formed in 1999 from the merger of Cypros
Pharmaceuticals and RiboGene Inc. and has two main
products; H.P. Achthar® Gel and Doral®. With current
strategies in place, Questcor Pharmaceuticals is growing
rapidly and the company posted net revenues of $268
million in 2011.
Questcor would like to investigate new market
opportunities for various indications within the critical
care setting. Additionally, the company would like to
evaluate the management of pharmaceuticals within
this critical care setting to more fully understand the
challenges found in this marketplace.
The Questcor TMP team was tasked with performing
a market assessment which included the identification
of current unmet clinical needs for a number of clinical
indications. Ultimately, the team identified high value
market opportunities for consideration in Questcor’s
strategic market development. To accomplish these
goals, the Questcor Pharmaceuticals TMP team carried
out extensive secondary research including interviews
with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in various specialties.
Finally, the team produced a comprehensive case study
analysis to aid in corporate planning.
Benchmarking Study to Evaluate Trends for Viral
Barrier Implementation in Commercial Cell Culture
Processes
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaison:
Michelle LaFond
Faculty Advisor:
Matthew Croughan
Students: Sean Delfosse, Nathan Hsu,
Melissa Sathavipat
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a fully integrated
biopharmaceutical company headquartered in
Tarrytown, New York. Founded in 1988, Regeneron
presently has three marketed products: EYLEA®
(aflibercept), ZALTRAP® (ziv-aflibercept), and
ARCALYST® (rilonacept). In addition to these
marketed products, Regeneron has 13 product
candidates in clinical development.
In an effort to reduce the risk of viral and
mycoplasma contamination of current and future
products, Regeneron has initiated efforts to bring
viral barriers and testing methods into upstream cell
culture processes. Various point-of-use viral barriers
were investigated and Regeneron has decided to
move forward with the implementation of High
Temperature-Short Time (HTST) treatment of media
and feeds in upstream cell culture processes. However,
throughout these initial studies, many uncertainties
have arisen regarding HTST implementation,
particularly for legacy-approved processes.
This one-semester Team Master’s Project was
commissioned to survey and benchmark the
biopharmaceutical industry to learn more about
how leading companies are addressing viral barriers
and what, if any, hurdles they have experienced in
implementation. Our study surveyed nine leading
biopharmaceutical companies, as well as six
industry-leading consultants, who were able to share
insights into the regulatory landscape and potential
hurdles, scalability challenges, best practices for viral
inactivation and validation studies, as well as the
impact to cost of goods. Results were compiled and
shared in a white paper that will serve as a guide for
viral risk mitigation efforts, at both established and
start-up biopharmaceutical companies.
Project Summaries
Evaluating U.S Market Opportunities for Whole
Blood Treated with Pathogen Reduction Technology
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaisons:
Susanne Marschner
Derek Guyton
Faculty Advisors:
Gail Baura (Fall)
Jim Sterling (Spring)
Students: Onofre Bacani, Pratishtha Duhan,
Victoria Gawlik, Kelly Gross, Rajesh Pareta
In 2011, CaridianBCT and Terumo Transfusion
merged to create Terumo BCT, a company that
has become a global leader in cellular and blood
component technologies. It is the only company that
has the unique combination of apheresis collections,
manual and automated whole blood processing, and
pathogen reduction coupled with leading technologies
in therapeutic apheresis and cell processing. With
commercial operations in over 120 countries and a
robust product pipeline, Terumo BCT is a key player in
the blood industry, continuing to unlock the potential of
blood to benefit patients even more than it does today.
Terumo BCT has developed the Mirasol® System,
a pathogen reduction technology (PRT) capable
of inactivating leukocytes and pathogens in blood
products. It has received the CE-mark in Europe and the
company is currently seeking approval of the technology
in the US. With the military’s interest to use Mirasoltreated whole blood in combat and trauma settings,
Terumo BCT would like to evaluate the feasibility of
Mirasol-treated whole blood for civilian applications.
Granted that no PRT is approved in the US and the
blood supply is considered very safe, Terumo BCT
would also like to understand the requirements, barriers
and the economic impact of introducing a new medical
device in the US.
To accomplish these objectives, the Terumo BCT TMP
team performed a two-phase analysis to characterize the
market opportunities for the Mirasol System. The first
phase involved a thorough evaluation of the U.S whole
blood transfusion market, including an analysis of
market size and attractiveness for the Mirasol System. In
parallel, the team conducted interviews with key opinion
leaders and industry experts. The combined research
results provided a foundation for a market survey which
provided critical data for the next part of the project.
During the second phase, additional rounds of surveys
and key opinion leader interviews were completed to
generate a market definition report citing the team’s
strategic recommendations. Hence, the team provided
Terumo BCT with actionable information for future
marketing activities and strategic planning in support of
the Mirasol System.
Project Summaries
Developing a Marketing Strategy for the
Implementation of Innovative Self-Service
Technology Tools
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaison:
Elisa McNamara
Faculty Advisor:
Luann Bangsund
Students: Haritha Haridas, Brady Miller,
Shrina Shah, Drew Vo
Founded in 1999 and acquired by Centene
Corporation in 2006, US Script, Inc. is a full-service
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) that provides a
comprehensive suite of cost-effective prescription
drug benefit services to its members. US Script serves
over 3 million members with 2.5 million Medicaid
members and the remainder from behavioral health
programs, third party administrators, labor unions
and self-funded employers. US Script is headquartered
in Fresno, CA with additional offices in St. Louis,
MO; Tempe, AZ; Ft. Worth, TX; Texarkana, TX; and
Atlanta, GA. US Script provides customized services to
clients through claims processing, flexible plan design,
pharmacy network management, formulary and rebate
management, clinical programs, reporting, 24/7/365
customer service support, specialty and mail order
pharmacy, and data integration services.
The PBM marketplace has become highly
commoditized with competitors developing technical
solutions to improve customer service. US Script is
looking to develop a strategy to become the leading
innovator of PBM self-service technologies that
will revolutionize patient empowerment, decrease
prescription costs, and ultimately create value for
their clients. The US Script TMP was divided into two
phases: (I) surveying the industry landscape and (II)
recommending a strategy to deploy a novel self-service
technology platform.
The US Script TMP team began Phase I by performing a
comprehensive analysis of competitor technologies. The
team then identified emerging trends in the PBM and
healthcare sectors by attending industry conferences,
interviewing key stakeholders, and monitoring social
media and industry publications. The results of Phase I
were compiled to guide the development of a marketing
strategy for self-service technology deployment in Phase
II. Finally, the team interviewed potential internal and
external partners to provide a final recommendation and
process for future execution.
Team Masters Projects range from highly technical to business-oriented.
KGI offers its students experiential learning opportunities that prepare
them to translate their education into practice in industry. Past project
categories have included:
• Therapeutic and diagnostic market opportunity evaluation
• Product launch model and go-to-market strategy development
• Pharmacoeconomic and cost-effectiveness analysis
• Bioprocessing technical feasibility assessment
• Medical device prototyping, including VOC input
Project Summaries
Identifying the Unmet Need for Early Diagnosis
to Determine the Market Potential of a New
Diagnostic Test
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaison:
Brooke LeVasseur
Faculty Advisor:
Steven Casper
Exploration of Approaches to Thyroid Biopsy
Sample Adequacy Testing
Sponsor Company
Students: Maria Filippou, Snehal Jadey,
Supriya Kadam, Akhilesh Kumar, Stephanie Sakamoto,
Thuy Truong, Samet Serdar Yildirim
Veracyte, Inc., (San Francisco, CA) is a privately
held molecular diagnostics company pioneering the
emerging field of molecular cytology. The company
discovers, develops and commercializes molecular
diagnostic solutions that enable physicians to make
more informed early treatment decisions, thus helping
patients avoid unnecessary invasive procedures while
reducing healthcare costs. Veracyte’s first product – the
Afirma® Thyroid FNA Analysis – combines specialized
cytopathology assessment with the Afirma® Gene
Expression Classifier, a genomic test that clarifies
inconclusive thyroid nodule results as benign or
suspicious for cancer.
Veracyte, Inc., is currently focusing on opportunities
to add to their product pipeline of minimally invasive
diagnostic tests for newer indications. The TMP team
at KGI is focusing on validating the unmet need in the
early diagnosis of one of these indications, by assessing
the market potential for a novel minimally invasive
diagnostic technology. An early diagnostic test enables
doctors to make more informed treatment decisions
thereby improving the quality of patient care which, in
turn, leads to costs savings for the healthcare system.
The team performed an extensive literature review
and conducted interviews with Key Opinion Leaders
(KOLs) to gather data on general trends and practices
in the diagnosis and treatment of the study indication
This work allowed the team to determine the patient
population served and the location where the diagnostic
test would be most efficiently used. The team also
designed expanded surveys to gather larger data sets in
an effort to understand patient dynamics for the specified
indication. From the literature and initial interviews,
the team identified a potential market opportunity for
a minimally invasive early diagnostic test for the study
indication. Finally, additional interviews and results from
expanded surveys were performed to validate results
obtained by the literature review.
Corporate Liaisons:
Dan Pankratz
Jonathan Wilde
Faculty Advisor:
Angelika Niemz
Students: Carrie Cao, Lakshmi Dharmarajan,
Kosalai Kaliappan, Ricardo Kim, Angela Quintana
Veracyte Inc. is a company based in San Francisco
founded in 2008 with a vision to transform molecular cytology. The company is committed to enable physicians to
improve the quality of patient care and generate savings
to the healthcare system. Veracyte develops molecular
tests for oncology, for example related to thyroid cancer,
that are designed to clarify ambiguous cytology results.
According to the American Cancer Society, there are approximately 60,220 new cases of thyroid cancer annually.
The diagnoses entail cytopathology of samples obtained
via Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) from the thyroid. It
is estimated that 450,000 FNA samples are collected in
the United States, of which 100,000 yield indeterminate
results and most are referred for thyroid surgery at a
cost of $12,000 per procedure. However, approximately
70% of post-surgical pathology tests suggest nodules are
actually benign and improperly diagnosed. The Veracyte
Afirma® FNA Analysis addresses this unmet need, by
enabling these indeterminate results to be re-classified preoperatively, thereby reducing the number of unnecessary
surgeries. The Afirma® FNA Analysis combines specialized cytopathology and the novel Afirma® Gene Expression Classifier (GEC) test, which entails microarray based
quantification of mRNA extracted from the sample. Both
approaches, however, require FNA samples with a sufficient number of thyroid follicular cells, and a sufficient
amount of extractable RNA. Inadequate sampling for the
cytopathology and Afirma® GEC test occurs in a small
number of cases, causing a “no result” to be reported.
This often results in a repeat of the FNA procedure, with
substantial time delay, negatively impacting the patients.
Therefore, it would be ideal for the adequacy of the
sample acquisition to be determined immediately at the
point-of-care.
The Veracyte II TMP team was tasked to investigate
technologies that could be used to determine, at the time
of FNA sample acquisition, whether a sufficient number
of thyroid cells have been collected for the cytopathology and GEC tests. To accomplish this objective, the
Veracyte II TMP: is clarifying the requirements for this
Sample Adequacy (SA) test; is evaluating the suitability of
different biomarkers for FNA SA testing; and, is gathering information on technologies that can appropriately
detect these biomarkers with suitable analytical and
clinical performance in the targeted use settings. Finally,
upon consolidating the data from literature research and
feedback obtained from key opinion leaders, the team will
recommend the most suitable approaches or combinations of technologies.
Project Summaries
Evaluating Tech-Transfer Opportunities for Kidney
Regenerative Technologies to China
Sponsor Company
Corporate Liaison:
Eric Hsu
Faculty Advisors:
Jay Chok
Alan Rothfeld
Students: Christopher Cantrell, Ankit Lodha,
Hemal Subhash Somaiya
Keck Graduate Institute
would like to thank all our
sponsors for their generous
support of the Team
Masters Project.
The Zhongmei healthcare group is a multi-facility
organization within several cities throughout China, and
includes medical schools, anti-aging clinics, and specialty
hospitals. One such hospital is the Yumei Kidney Disease Hospital in Yanjiao, Hebei, China. This hospital explores the interface of Western therapies with traditional
Chinese medicine, and is exploring new therapies in the
kidney disease sector. Kidney disease affects millions
of people globally, and can also be linked to several
ailments including diabetes and autoimmune disorders.
Current therapeutic options either involve invasive
treatments to filter the blood (dialysis), supplements to
slow the progression, or full kidney replacement surgery.
While each of these improves the quality of life, it is
often a short-lived improvement. Many researchers and
companies are investigating the potential of stem cells
and tissue engineering for regenerative therapies in the
treatment of renal failure.
The goal of KGI’s Jingdong Yumei Kidney Disease Hospital TMP was to work with the liaisons and investigate
research groups and companies exploring kidney repair
through reconstructive methods. The TMP then evaluated these technologies according to Yumei’s strategic
and therapeutic goals. Ultimately the TMP team made
a prioritized list of potential technologies and facilitated
communication with the final group of investigators responsible for the technologies of interest. To accomplish
these tasks, the team began their efforts by building a
portfolio of innovative kidney disease technologies that
were in development or approaching market approval.
By attending conferences for nephrology and discussing
new advances in the nephrology with KOL’s, the most
interesting list of technologies was narrowed to a final
list of potential collaborative opportunities. Through
additional evaluation, as well as communication with inventors and investigators, contacts were then established
to facilitate potential partnerships with the Jingdong
Yumei Kidney Disease Hospital. Progress so far has suggested that there are numerous opportunities within the
United States to develop a regenerative approach for the
treatment of kidney disease.
As a result of this TMP, the Jingdong Yumei Kidney
Disease Hospital in China made several connections to
different institutions exploring regenerative medicine
for kidney disease. Thus, our efforts have provided the
opportunity for collaborative research or licensing agreements between US research groups or US companies and
the Jingdong Yumei Kidney Disease Hospital.
For more information
about TMPs contact
Diana Bartlett Assistant Vice President,
Corporate Partnerships
at Diana_Bartlett@kgi.edu
Abbott Medical Optics
Abbott Nutrition
Allecure
Allergan
American Commercialization Institute
Amgen
Amylin
Applied Biosystems
Arterial Light Sciences
AVI Biopharma
Beckman Coulter
Biocatalytics
BioHelix
BioMarin
Bristol Myers-Squibb
Broadley-James
Ceres
Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
City of Hope
Clear Springs Land Company
Dow Agrosciences
Eidogen
Eli Lilly and Company
Equigene Research
Genomatica
Genentech
Gilead Sciences
Health IQ
Illumina
Invitrogen
Ionian Technologies
Kinetic Concepts
KGI/Sun Micro Systems
Legendary Medical Information Systems
Life Technologies
Lnx Research
Medco
Monsanto
Nanostream
Navigant Biotechnologies
Northrup Grumman
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics
PBS Biotech
Pfizer
Pioneer Hi-Bred International
Prairie Ventures
Sigma-Tau
Syngenta Seeds
Tecan
Theravance
UVP
Veracyte
Waters
Zuyder
Mission
Keck Graduate Institute is
dedicated to education and
research aimed at translating into
practice, for the benefit of society,
the power and potential of the
life sciences.
Culture
KGI seeks to sustain an
interdisciplinary and entrepreneurial
culture, working in partnership with
industry to develop leaders for the
biosciences, while promoting
academic freedom and the highest
ethical standards.
Core Values
• Entrepreneurial and Reflective
• Ethical and Responsible
• Collaborative and Independent
• Interdisciplinary and Applied
535 Watson Dr.
Claremont, CA 91711
www.kgi.edu