Protein Dynamic Solutions appoints Selena Larkin as Chief Commercial Officer

July 23, 2018

WAKEFIELD, MA - Jul 24, 2018 - PDS, developer of breakthrough technology for biologics characterization, appoints Dr. Selena Larkin to leadership team. 

 

PDS’ flagship product is a high-throughput drug developability and comparability assessment tool, ProteinMentorTM, which uses a unique combination of laser-microscopy and molecular spectrometry to determine aggregate size as well as the identity, extent, region and mechanism of protein aggregation - thus allowing for improved clonal selection, formulation and re-engineering. An array-based format, 24 samples can be assessed simultaneously for direct comparison of clones, formulations or other factors over a range of stressor conditions such as ramped temperature or agitation.


“We are delighted to welcome Selena to the PDS team”, said Dr. Belinda Pastrana, CEO.  “Her experience promoting innovative technologies across her global biopharmaceutical network and her understanding of, and enthusiasm for, protein chemistry will further speed adoption of PDS’ enabling platforms”. 

 

In addition to critical quality attribute (CQA) assessment, ProteinMentor also enables comparability testing following process changes and has been demonstrated for biosimilarity testing, including use by innovator pharma companies to extend their patent protection. 

“I am very excited to join this growing organization and drive continued market development for a truly enabling technology across the biopharmaceutical value chain”, Dr. Larkin said. “The platform is elegant in the simplicity of the workflow and user experience, with no confounding fluidic streams or labels, and also in the richness of actionable data generated from each and every experiment.”

 

Dr. Pastrana’s team is comprised of scientific and regulatory experts from the biopharmaceutical and bioprocessing industry including such companies as Eli Lilly, Abbvie and Johnson & Johnson. PDS’ platforms were specifically developed to address the need to study many sample permutations in the one experiment over a range of stress conditions at concentrations and sample sizes pertinent to the biopharma industry. The ProteinMentor platform is a turn-key, no maintenance system, with real-time data acquisition and enhanced signal to noise that allows users to actually “see” particulates within the sub-visible range and zoom in to evaluate each for molecular mechanism and structural change. This simple, multi-parameter analysis makes PDS data actionable across the drug development pipeline from candidate selection through excipient optimization and final delivery / quality testing.
 

“An exciting aspect of working with the PDS team is that they come directly from the biopharma space and have developed a solution to a very real problem.” Selena said. “They really appreciate their clients’ workflow and needs because they have lived in those peoples’ shoes and lab coats!”


Selena has a strong track record of driving business growth for small and large enterprises alike. Having kick-started the commercial efforts for a number of emerging technologies, she most recently served as Senior Director of Business Development at SCIEX, a Danaher company. Selena has held senior leadership roles at Agilent Technologies, including supporting the post-acquisition integration of BIOCIUS Life Sciences, where she was a founder and led the commercialization of RapidFire technology. Selena holds a Ph.D. in Medicine, majoring in protein chemistry, from the University of Melbourne, Australiaand an M.B.A. in International Business from the University of Maryland.

 

 

About Protein Dynamic Solutions (PDS):

Headquartered in Wakefield, MA, and founded in the US bioprocessing hub of Puerto Rico, PDS develops breakthrough tools for bioanalysis of therapeutic candidates. Founder, Belinda Pastrana, is a renowned expert in protein conformation, having lectured over the world and trained a generation of analytical and physical chemists to work in the biologics industry. Her entire PDS team, including Board members and advisors, are veterans of biopharma and the life sciences with a strong track record for realization of cutting-edge technologies.

PDS’ flagship product is a high-throughput developability and comparability assessment tool - ProteinMentor - which utilizes a unique combination of microscopy and molecular spectroscopy to provide array-based visualization and analysis of protein drug formulations.