William Lenh
Research Associate II
Waltham,MN
Summary
Dynamic research professional with extensive experience in biotech, excelling in directed evolution and phage display technologies. Proven ability to execute and think critically of next steps leading to accelerated project timelines. Adept at fostering collaboration across teams to drive innovative solutions in research.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
2021
2021
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Research Associate II
Stealth-Stage Biotech Startup
04.2024 - Current
- Established a new modality for discovery in the platform to allow for both validation and discovery of novel binders and targets
- Validated binders and targets generated by the platform
- Performed biochemical and biophysical studies to nominate and characterize the best binders coming out of the platform
- Investigated the mechanism of binding and epitopes for the best hits on a given target
- Engineered mammalian cancer cell lines and generated stably overexpression cell lines to characterize binders coming out of the platform
- Conducted phage display campaigns to identify novel binders and targets in cancer
- Generated CRISPR-KO libraries for CRISPR screens to deorphan the targets
- Wrote module II reports for IND filing
Research Associate
Resonance Medicine, Inc.
02.2022 - 11.2023
- Successfully conducted directed evolution campaigns using PANCE (phage-assisted non-continuous evolution) technology to reprogram a protease to cleave a therapeutic target.
- Designed, constructed, and implemented two separate arms of the PANCE evolution platform: one to increase enzymatic activity and another to eliminate off-target activity.
- Developed and established a PCR detection-based system for undesirable phage contaminants
- Conducted reporter assay screens to identify viable proteases/protease substrates
- Pioneered and implemented a directed evolution logic/decision tree system that resulted in 3-4 month acceleration of deliverables
- Cloned expression vectors, phage, and accessory plasmid libraries required for evolution campaigns
- Analyzed research data to create representative graphs and charts highlighting results for presentations for managers/other departments
Contract Research Associate
Fog Pharma
08.2021 - 02.2022
- Constructed focused and naive phage display libraries to discover peptides that have the ability to bind to key cancer targets such as KRAS, MDM2 and CHIP.
- Developed cloning methods for the modification of PVIII protein of M13 phage to investigate the phage viability and the effect of negative charges on resulting phage screens
Research Technician
Nanoview Biosciences (Unchained Labs)
02.2021 - 05.2021
- Maintained laboratory equipment, reagents, buffers, consumables, and certifications
- Planned and conducted experiments for assay development under the guidance of the senior scientist
- Hosted meetings within the company to share experimental data
Undergraduate Research Associate
Rosbash Lab
09.2017 - 04.2020
- Investigated the molecular and neural mechanisms behind temperature compensation of circadian rhythms on Drosophila melanogaster and the role of Doubletime (DBT) in temperature compensation
- Performed immunostaining, confocal microscopy, dissection of fly brains, DNA extraction/purification, and behavior experiments on Drosophila melanogaster
- Designed and constructed LUC reporter systems to analyze mRNA levels of specific gene products in specific neurons in Drosophila melanogaster
- Generated and validated a library of fly lines knocking out GCPRs to investigate the neuronal mechanisms of circadian rhythms
Education
Bachelor of Science - Biology
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA05-2020
Skills
- Flow cytometry/ELISA/BLI
- Mammalian/Bacterial Cell Culture
- Enzyme engineering
- Assay Development
- PCR/Cloning/Library construction
- DNA/RNA extraction and purification
- Microscopy/Immunohistochemistry
- SnapGene, Geneious, Benchling, PRISM
- Microsoft Office
- Literature review
Timeline
Research Associate II
Stealth-Stage Biotech Startup
04.2024 - Current
Research Associate
Resonance Medicine, Inc.
02.2022 - 11.2023
Contract Research Associate
Fog Pharma
08.2021 - 02.2022
Research Technician
Nanoview Biosciences (Unchained Labs)
02.2021 - 05.2021
Undergraduate Research Associate
Rosbash Lab
09.2017 - 04.2020
Bachelor of Science - Biology
Brandeis University
Publications
Dopamine and GPCR-mediated modulation of DN1 clock neurons gates the circadian timing of sleep, Schlichting M, Richhariya S, Herndon N, Ma D, Xin J, Lenh W, Abruzzi K, Rosbash M., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A., 08/23/22, 119, 34, e2206066119, 10.1073/pnas.2206066119, 35969763, PMC9407311