Client background: The client, Sundew ApS, an aquatic animal health biotech startup, had acquired a cutting-edge, patented microalgal-based drug delivery system. 

Project Goal: The company was looking to further develop an antiviral treatment for a commercially attractive disease target in aquaculture. The client needed to improve the potency of the product, and design a robust challenge trial model to validate the therapeutic RNAi product. 

Project Scope: I was engaged to guide the molecular biology team at Sundew ApS in building its microalgal product development strategy, and to push their redesigned RNAi product from design stage to animal trials. The scope of the project included:

• Developing novel approaches to increase the potency of the therapeutic algal-expressed RNA

• Training and supporting scientific staff in the execution of the product development roadmap

• Identifying suitable contract research organisations for conducting the necessary animal studies

• Designing, coordinating, and managing in vivo validation trials on behalf of the client

Approach: I conducted extensive scientific review of the literature to inform the experimental design, and to discover novel molecular approaches to improving the potency of the RNAi product. I also made multiple on-site visits to instruct the molecular biology team on current state-of-the-art approaches, and performed due diligence to identify a suitable contract research organisation for the animal trials.

Outcome: Following implementation of the suggested strategy, the client now has a robust animal trial model, a collaborator with expertise in aquatic animal challenge trials, and a product that has achieved its primary endpoints in the first stage of animal trials. 

Client background: SP2 Therapeutics (SP2TX) is a bioinformatics-aided drug discovery company with a disruptive and proprietary peptide/protein chemical synthesis platform.

Project Goal: The client needed assistance to determine which type of adjuvants would be most likely to elicit a protective immune response for their candidate vaccine. The client also wanted to know what kind of in vitro and in vivo assays could be performed to validate the protective response. 

Project Scope: I was tasked with helping the firm navigate its pre-clinical decision-making process by synthesizing and distilling the most important details to be considered when developing and formulating a vaccine at the pre-clinical stage and identifying the appropriate immuno-assays to measure immunogenicity. 

Approach: On behalf of the client, I leveraged my existing expertise in animal vaccine development and immunology. In order to best advise the client, I performed the following tasks:

• A comprehensive literature review of various adjuvants, and immunological assays

• A techno-economic and risk-benefit analysis of the various types of pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo immunological assays that could be performed to validate the protective immune response

Outcome: In the end, the client found an ideal adjuvant formulation that would elicit the appropriate immune response, as well as the appropriate in vitro and in vivo assays to validate the vaccine's efficacy.

Client background: Consultants in Science provides scientific writing and recruitment services for clients in the pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and consumer product industries, both in Switzerland and internationally. 

Project Goal: The consultancy firm needed to quickly and efficiently provide scientific advising to one of its largest clients. In order to do so, their recommendations needed to be evidence-based and backed by data. The firm needed to have the most up-to-date information in the particular scientific field of its client. 

Project Scope: The company needed a robust, curated database of peer-reviewed clinical and pre-clinical scientific studies on the specific topic on behalf of their large client, which could be used to provide scientific advising.

Approach: Along with several other freelance consultants, we conducted extensive research on the specified topic, manually curating hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific primary sources against predefined categories (e.g.: in vitro/in vivo, dose, type of exposure, study endpoints, endpoints affected, statistical methods used, etc.).

Outcome: We developed a robust and detailed database of curated scientific literature indexed by predefined categories, simplifying information retrieval for the consultancy firm. The firm had sufficient data to provide scientific advising to its client. 

Client background: Axion Biosystems is a privately held company that manufactures and sells a suite of live-cell analysis instrumentation for continuous, noninvasive monitoring of in vitro cell culture models on benchtops or inside cell incubators. In 2021, Axion grew its revenues by 44% to US$16.4m. 

Project Goal: As part of its product marketing campaign, the company wanted to showcase the potential of its live cell imaging microscopes and cell counters 

Project Scope: The client needed to develop new and engaging content that would help them to market their microscopy products, such as the Omni and Lux by providing real-world examples of how the technology could be used for scientific research. 

Approach:  I joined as a guest writer for Axion Biosystems to write a short, engaging review on the use of live cell imaging in vaccine research.

Outcome: The client's scientific blog articles quickly gained traction, attracting a growing number of page views across social media. As a result, the company grew its audience base, leading to an increase in product inquiries and new customer engagements. (https://cytosmart.com/resources/resources/live-cell-imaging-vaccine-research-taking-your-2d-cell-culture-models-another)