Lila Kashi
Olney,MD
Summary
Senior Scientist specializing in cell and molecular biology, and drug discovery with a focus on high-throughput cloning and automated lab systems. Increased production capacity and established efficient workflows to accelerate biotherapeutic discovery and support cross-functional teams in advancing innovative research.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Scientist in End-to-End High throughput cloning, expression and purification
AstraZeneca
Gaithersburg, USA
04.2022 - Current
- Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot a comprehensive suite of automated lab equipment—including stand-alone liquid handlers such as Hamilton and Vantage, Echo liquid dispensers, protein quantification instruments (Octet), colony pickers (Qpix), and high-throughput sequencing instruments (GridIon)—enabling rapid, reliable discovery and screening of protein therapeutics.
- Engineered diverse antibody formats for new therapeutic modalities using advanced end-to-end high-throughput cloning technologies, increasing production capacity from 2 to 4–6 96-well plates weekly.
- Streamlined colony PCR-based plasmid screening method, lowering costs and shortening turnaround time, alleviating a critical bottleneck in production of transfection-ready plasmids for high-throughput workflows.
- Utilized Genedata Biologics, Geneious Prime, and ELN/LIMS platforms to support biologics data analysis, sequence management, experiment documentation, and workflow tracking across research programs.
- Contributed to high-throughput production of COVID-19 and influenza antibodies while advancing development of next-generation antibody candidates.
- Leveraged GBG (Green Button Go) and Biosero automation software to increase plasmid production capacity from 4 to 8 96-well plates per week, while freeing FTE time and maintaining project delivery across ongoing workflows.
- Led development of a cloning-free, automation-ready antibody expression platform capable of generating thousands of molecules in a single run, enabling rapid screening of large AI-designed sequence libraries, strengthening the DMTA cycle, and accelerating early biotherapeutic discovery.
- Partnered with teams throughout the discovery pipeline to deliver comprehensive support for high-throughput protein production on multiple internal oncology targets, facilitating candidate progression through TSID, LGID, LOID, and CDID stages.
Research Scientist managing the cell culture department
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
03.2022 - 04.2022
- Developed and performed initial expression studies for an intended NISTmAb copy in three non-originator murine cell lines, supporting evaluation of alternative expression platforms for biologics development.
- Executed transient expression, purification, and biochemical characterization of COVID-19 spike protein and NIST mAb in HEK and CHO cell systems to support biologics production and analytical evaluation.
- Supported bioreactor process monitoring and cell viability analysis using capacitance and optical probes.
- Coordinated material transfer for stable CHO cell lines released as NIST Research Grade Test Material (RGTM), supporting reliable distribution and use of critical research materials.
Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR)
01.2013 - 03.2016
- Investigated cytokine/receptor interactions (including IL-7/IL-7R), focusing on immune cell signaling and disease mechanisms.
- Produced, purified, and characterized cytokines and receptor complexes for structural and functional studies.
- Contributed to antibody development targeting the IL-7 pathway, advancing candidates into clinical trials.
Education
Master of Science - Management in Biotechnology
University of Maryland Global Campus
05-2019
Bachelor of Science - Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, College Park
05-2010
Skills
- Automated lab equipment
- High-throughput cloning
- Protein purification
- Data analysis software
- Biologics development
- Quality control
Publications
- Heterologous recombinant expression of non-originator NISTmAb, Kashi, L. et al., mAbs, 10, 922–933, 2018
- Platform development for expression and purification of stable isotope-labeled monoclonal antibodies in E. coli, Reddy, PT. et al., mAbs, 10, 992–1002, 2018
- New anti-IL-7Rα monoclonal antibodies show efficacy against T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in preclinical models, Hixon, JA. et al., Leukemia, 34, 35–49, 2019
- Creation and filtering of a recurrent spectral library of CHO cell metabolites and media components, Telu, K.H. et al., Biotechnol. Bioeng., 118, 1491–1510, 2021
Patents
IL-7Rα Specific Antibodies for Treating Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Durum, SK, Hixon, JA, Li, WQ, Walsh, STR, Kashi, L, 2017, WO2017062748A1
Timeline
Senior Scientist in End-to-End High throughput cloning, expression and purification
AstraZeneca
04.2022 - Current
Research Scientist managing the cell culture department
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
03.2022 - 04.2022
Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR)
01.2013 - 03.2016
Master of Science - Management in Biotechnology
University of Maryland Global Campus
Bachelor of Science - Biological Sciences
University of Maryland, College Park