Please introduce yourself in a few sentences!
I am a Senior Scientist in the Nonclinical Pharmacology laboratory, which is part of the Analytical & Pharmaceutical Development of Fresenius Kabi SwissBioSim in Eysins, Switzerland. I am working within a team of seven women, and in my personal life, I am also a mother of a 2-year-old girl, a foodie and a fan of walks in nature.
What is a project or breakthrough you have been part of that you are most proud of, and how is it contributing to advancing science/healthcare?
Last year, I struggled to develop an analytical method to characterize the affinity of one of our biosimilar candidates to its target. It has been a long series of trial-and-error experiments when trying every possible assay format. With the help of my team members, I finally managed to get an optimal assay. This will enable to ensure that our biosimilar candidate is similar to its originator.
What future scientific advancements do you hope to see, and how are you/your team is contributing to making them a reality?
I hope that future scientific progress will enable to develop, manufacture, and deliver affordable treatments to patients, while keeping the best quality. Fresenius is engaged in this with the development of biosimilars, by making these expensive treatments available to more people.
How has working with diverse teams influenced your scientific perspective and solutions?
It is always enriching to work within collaborative groups that are as diverse as possible. Diversity can be reached by having teams with different origins, cultures, background, years of experience, skills, or diplomas for example. Having different points of views and ways of thinking is always helping the experiments and projects to go forward, as long as our goal is the same. It increases the chances of having people thinking outside of the box.
What inspired your love for science, and how do you keep that passion alive in your daily work?
I always wanted to contribute to science by helping people who suffer from a disease.
I am happy to go to work every day knowing that I commit to putting medicines on the market that directly impact patients’ life by improving their health and offering them a more enjoyable life.
How does your work as a scientist contribute to addressing global challenges like sustainability or healthcare equity?
When working in the biosimilars field, we are directly contributing to healthcare equity because our aim is to bring cheaper monoclonal antibody therapies on the market, enabling a wider access to these expensive treatments. This is especially relevant for autoimmune disorders, which is our focus, and that requires a chronic treatment, increasing even more its cost. Regarding sustainability, I am part of a small group of people named “Green Team” and we are putting actions in place to reduce our impact on the environment, both at our workplace and in the surroundings.
How do you support young scientists, especially women, on their career journey?
I am regularly managing interns who work on a small project in our laboratory for about 6 months in order to complete their Bachelor or Master in Science (respectively BSc or MSc). It’s very enriching to share our work experience with young scientists. By doing this, we contribute to the training of the next generation of scientists. I encourage every girl or woman who is interested in science to pursue her dream. It’s a fun world with a huge variety of things to do! There is a place for every one of us. I found this quote by Harriet Tubman, an American abolitionist and social activist, which summarizes what I would like to tell my daughter and every girl or woman who has an interest in science: “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
