Science & Ideas Group. From DNA to Drugstore: A Journey Through Pharmaceutical Biomanufacturing

Presenter: David L. Sloane, Ph.D., Executive Director of Process Development, Nektar Therapeutics (retired)
Description of talk: The development of biological therapies is one of the greatest advances in medicine in our lifetimes. Many diseases previously refractory to therapies have been successfully treated with biological therapies. In 2022, the global market for biological therapies totaled $461.7 Billion and this is expected to grow at an annual rate of 10.3% from 2023 - 2030. This presentation will first define what biological therapies are and how they differ from more conventional "small molecule" drugs. The focus will be mainly on proteins as biological therapies, therefore, there will be a brief introduction to protein structure and complexity. This will be followed by a very brief introduction to GMP manufacturing. Finally, the challenges of manufacturing proteins as drugs will be discussed.
Short biography: Dave was raised in the Bay Area and got his PhD at Berkeley in Molecular Biology in 1988. While at Berkeley his interests shifted from molecular genetics and DNA to proteins and protein structure. After a four-year post-doctoral fellowship at UCSF, researching a protein involved in fatty acid metabolism, Dave moved on to a 30-year career in biotechnology. This career was in a variety of companies, ranging from 10 employee start-ups to large multinational corporations (e.g., Pfizer). At each company, he worked on different disease targets, but the one constant in his career was the purification and manufacture of proteins as therapeutics. After retiring from Nektar Therapeutics in 2021, Dave moved to Tucson, AZ, where he continues to consult for various companies in biomanufacturing. In his spare time Dave loves riding his bicycle, traveling with his wife, watching movies and reading books. Transforming how we age in our communities, Ashby Village connects older adults with one another, offering support and opportunities for meaningful, engaging experiences.
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Live transcription available here: drive.google.com/file/d/1cTjw...