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Chahrzad
Senior Research Advisor
Lead Optimization, Biology
Lilly employee since 1998
Education
PhD in Pharmacology, Lausanne University,
Switzerland .
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What
I Do for Lilly
My role at Lilly is as a research biologist.
My responsibilities include developing biological
testing systems (which we call assays),
and using these assays to provide feedback
to the chemists on the biological properties
of their new molecules. These new molecules
have the potential to develop into drug
candidates.
Career Path
Initially, I was in the Endocrine therapeutic
area where I worked on biochemical assays
and collaborated with chemists to produce
early stage drug candidates. I then had
the opportunity to move to my current position
to do the similar things but in a bigger
scale for many therapeutic areas.
The Reason I Came
to Lilly
I worked at John's Hopkins University on
molecular biology of ion channels and at
the National Institutes of Health in diabetes
research, working on a molecule that helps
insulin secretion from the pancreas. I was
involved in very early discovery process.
I wanted to continue in endocrinology and
work in a pharmaceutical company to be involved
in later stages of discovery. I wanted to
see a drug through to clinical trials. I
have seen this, and it is very rewarding.
During clinical trials, I've seen the impact
they've had on people. They are not yet
on the market, but have the potential of
helping patients.
How Lilly Has Helped
Me Develop in My Career
In general, you are rewarded for what you
do. You're given the opportunity of developing
new ideas and novel hypotheses, and pursuing
them. That is the key to career development—to
do new things and investigate different
possibilities.
What I Have Learned
at Lilly
I have learned a lot about drug discovery
and putting the whole picture together.
During my career at NIH, I was very focused
on the early stages of target identification
and validation. I've learned and have an
appreciation for the path to get all the
way to the clinic. It's very rewarding.
What I Like Best
About Living in Indianapolis
The safety and child-orientation is much
better here than on the east coast.
Ways that Coming to Work at Lilly Has Exceeded
My Expectations
The level of teamwork. At other organizations
I've been in, people were very nice, but
we worked in isolation. Here, we all work
toward the same goal. You can call someone
and ask for help or someone may call you
to ask you to do something - it happens
- everyone helps each other at some level
or other. That exceeded my expectations.
It's not just the expertise here but the
team mentality.
Favorite Pastimes
Skiing, walking, tennis.
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