Name:
Michelle Saavedra

Institutions:
-Undergraduate Studies: Kean University
-Graduate Studies: New York University

Q&A

-How long have you been at Visikol?
2 years.

-What do you do at Visikol?
I work as an associate scientist in the in vitro and drug discovery division at Visikol, where I focus on a range of 3D cell culture assays.

-What’s your favorite project that you’ve worked on here at Visikol?
Although it’s challenging to single out a particular project, I must say that my favorite experience has been working on a high content screening project utilizing one of our cell-based assays.

-Most challenging part of working in the science field?
I believe the most challenging aspect of working in the science field involves deciphering and comprehending the complexities that frequently emerge when attempting to address a specific scientific question.

-Most rewarding part about working the science field?
The most gratifying aspect of working in this field is the continuous opportunity for learning and being a part of a community that shares a shared enthusiasm for knowledge and exploration.

-How does your department help Visikol accelerate the drug discovery process?
Our department offers a range of in vitro and 3D cell culture assays, which play vital roles in the drug discovery process, providing valuable insights into the safety, effectiveness, and mechanisms of potential drug candidates

-Fun fact about yourself?
In my free time, you’ll often find me enjoying two exciting hobbies that bring me immense joy: free-skating and photography!

Name:
Jenna Fannin

Institutions:
-B.A. in Zoology from Ohio Wesleyan University.
-I am currently studying for my Master’s Degree in Biology at East Stroudsburg University.

Q&A

-How long have you been at Visikol?

I have been at Visikol since September 2022.

-What do you do at Visikol?

I am a Histology Technician here at Visikol. As a Histo Tech, I do the wet lab work for our Multiplex Immunofluorescence and Immunohistochemistry projects.

-What’s your favorite project that you’ve worked on here at Visikol?

My favorite project so far has been working with non-human primate eyes. We grossed, processed, sectioned, labeled, and imaged the tissue. It was really cool seeing a project go from start to finish, whole tissue to beautifully labeled images.

-Most challenging part of working in the science field?

The most challenging part of working in the science field is knowing that science can be unpredictable and that the results you get may not be what you were expecting. In fact, with the biological sciences, experiments tend to fail more often than they succeed. You need to have good problem-solving skills to understand why an experiment may have failed and how to optimize the experiment to get good results.

-Most rewarding part about working the science field?

The most rewarding part of working in the science field is knowing that the work we do here will help to make a difference in the medical community. Many of my family members have developed cancer and other life-changing autoimmune disorders, and it feels good to be a part of the research to help find the cure for different cancers and other debilitating diseases.

-How does your department help Visikol accelerate the drug discovery process?

Our Histology department here at Visikol helps to accelerate the drug discovery process by identifying where specific proteins of interest are located within a tissue. Utilizing our unique Multiplex Immunofluorescence protocol, we are able to give our clients high-quality images of their tissues labeled with over 25 antibodies. This allows researchers to identify new targets for their drugs or determine whether their drugs work as intended.

Fun fact about yourself?

I used to work as a wildlife rehab technician where I helped to rehabilitate injured and orphaned wildlife in Pennsylvania and Ohio. My favorite animals to work with were the bats, fawns, and raccoons.

Name : Jigar Patel

Institutions:

• Rutgers University

Q&A

-How long have you been at Visikol?

1.5 years

-What do you do at Visikol?

Image and Data Analysis

-What’s your favorite project that you’ve worked on here at Visikol?

My favorite project is an R&D project where we were exploring a breast cancer TMA to see if we could perform patient stratification based on the patients’ immune profiles. This project is my favorite because I was able to combine various image and data analysis techniques to fully explore the TMA and uncover a better method of classifying patients that can help to guide treatment strategies for breast cancer patients.

-Most challenging part of working in the science field?

The most challenging part of working in the science field, and also the most rewarding, is finding solutions to the many obstacles that can arise in a project due to the variability seen in biology. It can be very frustrating when things do not go as intended, but working through the problem and eventually finding a solution is very rewarding and will teach you a lot along the way.

-Most rewarding part about working the science field?

The most rewarding part is being able to contribute to the drug discovery process by having a hand in testing treatments and researching various diseases to advance the medicinal field so that solutions and a better understanding of diseases can be found to help improve patient care.

-How does your department help Visikol accelerate the drug discovery process?

My department helps Visikol accelerate the drug discovery process by analyzing scientific images to extract and analyze quantitative data that can help answer client’s research questions about diseases or specific treatments. Image analysis helps to put numbers to observations and allows researchers to extract large amounts of information from images of their samples. The large amount of information enables researchers to explore multiple aspects about their samples and can elicit features that are important such as the effectiveness of their treatment, mechanism of action for a treatment, characterization of a disease, and much more.

-Fun fact about yourself?

Option 1: A fun fact about me is that I am a robot from outer space sent to take over the world.

Option 2: A fun fact about me is that I love to watch stand-up comedy.

Name : Katie Worley, PhD

Institutions:

• PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• BS in Chemical Engineering and BS in Human Biology from Michigan State University

Q&A

-How long have you been at Visikol?
3 years

-What do you do at Visikol?
I am a Principal Scientist and I design, oversee, plan, and execute projects related to our in vitro services. My focus is typically our liver-based assays, but I dabble in other areas as well.

-What’s your favorite project that you’ve worked on here at Visikol?
It is really hard to pick a favorite project, because I’ve worked on a lot of really cool projects. I would say my favorite types of projects are ones where I get to develop and optimize an assay. One of the coolest projects I worked on involved extracting cells directly from primary kidney tissue and then developing a 2D fibrosis assay using those cells.

-Most challenging part of working in the science field?
The most challenging part of working in science is making sure you are asking the right questions so that the answers you get are relevant.

-Most rewarding part about working in the science field?
The most rewarding thing to me is learning new things. Every time you run a study you learn something new to add to our collective knowledge.

-How does your department help Visikol accelerate the drug discovery process?
I think one of the most influential things that we do in our department is developing new in vitro assays. We strive to create assays that allow for physiologically relevant compound screening so that drugs can be screened out quickly, which can save time and money in the long term.

-Fun fact about yourself?
I enjoy painting and drawing in my free time.