BioBuilder Career Conversation: Jorge Sanchez-Salazar Transcript

Transcript:

Speaker 2: (00:12)

Speaker 1: (00:13)
Why don’t you start maybe by saying who you are, your name, where you work what you do, and then maybe we’ll back it up, um, to how you got started on all this.

Speaker 2: (00:24)
Okay. My name is Jorge Sanchez-Salazar. I work at a company as a small biotech, not that smaller, uh, right now actually we’ve got a hundred employees now called, uh, Codiak Biosciences. Um, it is in the Alewife area of Cambridge. And at the moment I am the manager of the exome production core. Uh, so the company is, uh, involved in using exosomes, which are small extracellular vesicles, uh, that we isolate, uh, using, um, some well, they used to be proprietary there, but we’ve got patents for them now. So they’re out in the open, um, using some, um, overexpressed proteins on the outside of the exosomes that we can use for, uh, engineering. Uh, we can use it for isolation of the exosomes, um, and, uh, we’re trying to use them as therapeutics for, um, modifying the outside of the exosomes, the, the proteins that are on the outside of the exosomes, let’s say with antibodies on the outside or different, uh, proteins that can bind to different receptors.

Speaker 2: (01:38)
Uh, we’re also trying to load things inside the exes exosomes, cause they’re, they’re just, you know, they’re vesicles, so they’re hollow. They can be hollow on the inside and we’re trying to put stuff actively put stuff in the middle on the inside. Uh, and then combinations of the two where we can direct the exosome to go to some particular, um, tissue with some particular payload, uh, and, and effect some sort of therapeutic effect have a, some sort of therapeutic effect. So that’s what we’re working on. Um, the company I am in charge of the group that makes like the large scale exosomes. So we have one particular flavor of Xs over that we’re using for a lot of our clinical trials. Um, and we’re putting stuff inside of this sort of vanilla sexism. Uh, but we need just gobs of it as you can. Uh, you know, it’s, it’s like our, uh, it’s our drug product, so we need just gobs of this stuff. So I’m in charge of the people who were making the cops apparently are, uh, making the gobs of exosomes, um,

Speaker 1: (02:41)
A bio manufacturer, like you, you are scaling up the, the discovery and the creativity and the ingenuity that, that you know is going to be the therapeutic. I mean, we read about it all the time now because of the need for, you know, lots of mRNA for these lots of antibodies for these treatments. So, um, you are, you are the person that we think about who’s responsible for taking the discoveries that are working at the venture and making, making large scale,

Speaker 2: (03:11)
Right. There are, there are other people in other, uh, in the, we have a whole manufacturing facility in Lexington that are doing just gigantic scale, like 500 liter reactors, uh, profusion reactors that are constantly going. So the bio reactors, they’re getting 500 liters of material from the reactor every day. And they have that assessment process. We’re working on a scale of like 10 to 25 liters somewhere on it. Um,

Speaker 1: (03:38)
So way more than I’ve ever worked with in the lab,

Speaker 2: (03:42)
It’s still worth it. Yeah.

Speaker 1: (03:44)
Yeah. That’s great. And so, um, uh, what is your group like? Do you have a lot of people you work with every day or, I mean, I know we are in strange times.

Speaker 2: (03:55)
Uh, there’s, there’s two young women who reports to me. We are, we are the X’s on production court. Um, we’re here every day. Um, and yeah, they’ve done, you know, even in this, you know, these crazy times, we’ve managed to really do quite a lot. We were going over, you know, now it’s like the year end, um, uh, conversations about like, you know, how, how, how did you hear it go? What did we do this year? Um, so we’ve been going through all that stuff and it’s just, we’ve done a lot. Um, and I can only imagine how much more we would’ve done it. Would’ve been like more, um, um, we will probably be neat. I would probably be needing to hire more people in the short term. I mean, in the new year coming up soon. Um, if all things go well, uh, so yeah, there’s two young women who worked for me, uh, work with me and, um, yeah, we just plugging away. We’ve got a nice, we’ve got a nice rhythm going and, and, uh, you know, we’re looking forward to a break. We’ll shut down for Christmas, but we’re looking forward to a break to just not to be. Yeah.

Speaker 1: (05:08)
I think everybody needs to take a little bit of a breather, um, given all that’s gone on. So, so you are, you were working in industry. Um, did you always know you wanted to work in industry, um, you know, biotech industry or bioengineering industry?

Speaker 2: (05:24)
Uh, I was lucky enough that I, you know, I grew up in San Francisco Bay area, so I was lucky enough that there were a few companies way back when, when I was in high school, um, that were actually doing like this sort of thing. There was like Genentech. Um, there was Roche a company, I think they’re defunct, or they’ve been swatted by some other company called Kyron, uh, at the time. Uh, so I didn’t know that these sort of jobs existed. Uh, I really didn’t have an idea of how to get into one, but I knew that, you know, I liked, I really liked in high school and I had this idea that I could do that for a living, um, which was, which is kind of cool. I mean, I, I think, I think I have a really cool job. Um, and I really, I like, I like the people I work with. I like the things I’m doing. Um, I like the fact that hopefully someday the things that we’re doing well will affect, you know, humans, pain patients, people with diseases, and we will be able to make the disease better or even make it go away somehow. Um, so yeah, I, I that’s, that’s

Speaker 1: (06:33)
Think the impact that you can have working in industry it’s very, um, direct, right. You can see the line it’s very directly drawn when, when you’re working in industry that you’re having on public health and public wellbeing. So I think that’s very cool. And, you know, it sounds like you really like working in an industry that you work with great people and that you do creative things.

Speaker 2: (06:54)
Yeah, I do. I do like, uh, I really like industry. I like working, um, and you know, the kids that are probably listening in right now, you live in an area where there, I mean, you can’t swing, you know, whatever you can’t, you can’t spit without hitting, you know, someone who you can’t spit out as, um, you can’t do those sorts of things without hitting someone who works in biotech around here. Right. I mean, I can see from my window four or five companies, um, I could go up on the roof and I could point out where all the, you know, there’s probably 10 companies around here. If you’re down, we’re, we’re in the alewife area. Um, if you’re down in the Kendall square area, there’s, you know, there’s MIT, first of all. Um, but there’s just so many companies down there that you can. Yeah.

Speaker 1: (07:45)
And what I love about the field that we’re, we’re working in bioengineering that are biology and general biotechnology for the 21st century, is I really do think that those opportunities are going to expand across the country. You know, that we are, if you’re living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or working in Cambridge, Massachusetts, there is a abundance of places to do this work. But I think that that opportunity is going to expand generally. And you, you know, it sounds started in San Francisco, so there is also a lot going on there. So,

Speaker 2: (08:14)
Yeah, there’s lots going on there. I think I saw him the day about the, you know, the, I think it was like 95 corridor by like all the square footage of biotech that there is, you know, it’s like millions of square feet of Cambridge, New York in the New York area. There’s quite a lot, you know, down to Washington, Philadelphia, um, in the Maryland, Oh, you know, the Maryland DC, um, and IAH area and all that. There’s just this big corridor going on, but there’s also a little pockets here and there. Like where was one, uh, Boulder, Colorado, there’s some, there’s a little bit there. And then somewhere in the Midwest, I was surprised by that one. I think it was somewhere. I want to say Iowa, I think somewhere, somewhere in that area. Um,

Speaker 1: (08:57)
I think there’s a lot of ag tech that’s going to expand. And, you know, I know that the Southeast region is also expanding all the technologies for fermentation are useful for growing up bio bio based products. So I think we’re going to have a great, a great boom, a great a series of opportunities outside of just even our, our, a window on the world here. So, yeah. So let’s see. So in San Francisco you could see companies and you knew that there were good jobs there. Is that what led you to think that you wanted to just continue to pursue science? Was that just like a smooth, like arrow from walking past Genentech into your,

Speaker 2: (09:33)
Uh, not really. Um, I, I mean, I saw that there was those companies were there and that there were probably opportunities there, but what I really wanted to do, I thought I really wanted to do was something like in the ecology field, like, um, I don’t, I already been, you know, like working out in the field, like, you know, taking, um, samples of, you know, fish or something or doing something like that. So my undergraduate degree is actually in ecology. Um, well actually integrated biology with an ecology emphasis. Um, but I soon lot of that, there were not a lot of jobs for people with, with that kind of education. So I went back and I got my master’s degree, um, in molecular and cell biology. Um, where did you do those two degrees? Did you mention? Uh, I have my, my undergraduate degrees from, uh, university of California Berkeley.

Speaker 2: (10:22)
Uh, and then, um, I met a girl and, uh, I moved to Pittsburgh to follow her. Uh, and I got my master’s degree at Duquesne university in Pittsburgh. Um, and then, uh, we moved here. We’re still married, we’re married, we’re still married, um, after all these years. Uh, and then we moved here, which just, she did her residency at new England medical center. Um, and I think it’s just really kind of luck that I ended up here because she could have taken a residency somewhere else. Um, but luck smiled upon me and I ended up here and, um, I started working, um, at Harvard Biolabs, um, on the Harvard campus, um, when I first moved here and then I moved to this super tiny company called genetics pharmaceuticals. Um, they’re like nine people who work there. Um, and I worked there for about a year.

Speaker 2: (11:22)
Uh, actually they sort of went underground and, and they became virtual for awhile, but then they reemerged and are the Genesis of that company became, um, Bluebird bio. Yeah. So unfortunately I don’t have, I didn’t have any stock options in there. Uh, but then I went from, um, Genentech or excuse me from genetics to, uh, Biogen. Uh, and I worked at Biogen for second and a half or so. Uh, and then eventually I almost 20 years actually there, then eventually I came and ended up here at Kodiak. There are a lot of Biogen, um, alumni here. Um, our, our C our CEO is, uh, is Biogen alum. Yeah.

Speaker 1: (12:13)
So I think some of the things that might be surprising that the people, you know, listening and hearing about your career trajectory is, um, the notion that you can sort of go from place to place small startup to larger established place to, you know, act that you, you can sort of have a more meandering path, um, and land in places. It’s kind of an opportunity that comes up and then you, you can take it. And that luck, luck factors in so much to all of this, you know, right place, right. Time kind of feeling.

Speaker 2: (12:45)
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, um, it all depends on what you like or what you’re ready to take on. I mean, I was, I was a Biden for a long time just because, um, I had small kids, um, they’re not small anymore, but, um, I had small kids and the groups I worked in at Biogen were very, um, we’re kind of flexible for my schedule. Like, you know, if I have to run because somebody had a fever or something, and the daycare was calling, I could run, I could run off those people had kids, they understood. Um, it was more my, my life fit into the box of my job better, or right. So, uh, and the reason I took this job is my kids are older now. Uh, I thought it was a bit of a leap of faith for me is also is, um, you know, wondering, uh, how my life will fit into the box that is Kodiak.

Speaker 2: (13:37)
And it’s been quite well so far. Uh, luckily, but, um, yeah, I did, I did take a little leap of faith about that, about working out, but, um, mostly I came here because I thought the science was cool. Um, and, uh, the person I was working for when I came here was this really nice guy. He was just, uh, for the longest time, I thought he was Canadian, but he’s actually not. Um, but he’s just such a nice guy that I just really wanted to work for him and with him. Um, and he’s really bright and everything on top of that. So it was, you know, uh, I’ve read articles about like, you know, don’t pick a job, pick a manager, uh, sort of thing. I mean, your job, you can do, you know, you could probably do whatever someone asks of you. Um, if you are engaged enough in it, but, you know, managers, you have a bad manager, you know, that in fact that, uh, affects your day to day and you just, you just don’t want to get out of bed and go to work sometimes, right.

Speaker 1: (14:42)
Finding a good fit, a happy place to be working really, really matters. Cause like you were saying that the coolest job in the world, if you’re miserable doing it is going to be an exciting thing to get up and do every day. So, yeah. So, um, so you have great, you know, confidence that you’re going to land on your feet. You have great, you know, background and talent and everything else. So, um, do you come from a big family of scientists that you kind of always knew that you would do this and uh,

Speaker 2: (15:09)
Oh no, absolutely not. My parents, my parents or my parents are I’m first generation American. My parents are immigrants. Um, I, my, my parents worked in food industry, uh, their whole lives. My dad was a manager of a restaurant. My mom worked, uh, in cafeterias pretty much her whole life. Um, so yeah, I had no idea that I just really liked science. Uh, and it just turned out that he could make a decent living doing it luckily. Um, so no, I didn’t. I had, no, it wasn’t. Yeah. It wasn’t like a, you know, my parents were doctors and I was supposed to be a doctor or lawyer or something like that. I just sort of really like doing this. Uh, I thought it was, I mean, it is intellectually engaging and it’s just, um, it’s just fascinating. I really like, like, there are times during my weeks where, you know, I’m in the shower and I’m thinking about, Oh, you know, how did this experiment turn out? You know, cause there’s been going overnight or, um, you know, like the other day, I, you know, you have like these, these, um, aha moments, you know, like when your mind is wandering, like I’m brushing my teeth. I’m like, Oh, maybe if I do this, you know, this, something is this good thing will happen. Um, so I just, I like, I like that. That’s just what really drew me to it. Yeah,

Speaker 1: (16:29)
Me too. I thought that was always just so fun that you could be, um, excited to come in in the morning and see what happened overnight. And then also have that ability to decide like, well, what am I going to do without that next? Right. Like, you know, just to be able to sleep on it, roll, roll, you know, experiments over in your head and feel like, yeah, I could just try that. Maybe that will pay for it. Right. That’s very, um, it’s driven by curiosity and excitement and you have some agency with it, which is really very, very cool. So, um, so did you have great people along the way helping you to, to realize all of this, this wonderful career?

Speaker 2: (17:03)
Um, my high school, my family life wasn’t that great. I have to say. Um, so, uh, high school, I just, luckily again, luck got into the university of California. It was, I didn’t, I was, uh, commuting because, you know, I grew up bringing the San Francisco Bay area. So it was there and it was pretty much free, uh, at the time. And, uh, and I applied and I got in, so that’s how I ended up at, by the time I ended up at Berkeley. Um, I know there’s people who would kill themselves to get there, but, um, I kind of looked into it. Um, and then I will have to credit one of my, um, my, um, master’s advisor, um, his name’s John doctor, doctor, doctor, um, he, he really, I got, I got to Duquesne. Um, I didn’t do well. I didn’t really do very well at Cal.

Speaker 2: (18:03)
I just barely graduated us. So, um, I was working like 30, 35 hours a week. Um, and I got to say Duquesne, I didn’t have a, um, a, I didn’t have any money. You know, I was taking loans. I wasn’t part of the actual, um, you know, um, I didn’t have a stipend, excuse me, I didn’t have a stipend or anything. Uh, I wasn’t a TA. I was just, you know, they’re doing the classes and stuff. And then one day, uh, we, it was, it was a development of biology class. I took, it was our first exam. It took our exam in, uh, a little biology and doctor, doctor was a professor and call me in his office and I thought I was in trouble. And, uh, I remember he said, um, he was really impressed with my, uh, my answers to the questions. Right. Um, sorry, I’m getting a little bit, so, um, you know, I feel that he really was, um, the one who got me rolling right, is if, you know, I got this position in my, in my lab. Um, you know, you’re much, you’re much brighter than you appear on paper. Um, and, uh, you know, I want you to be in my lab. So that’s what got me going there.

Speaker 1: (19:25)
It’s a wonderful story. I, um, I love that that’s amazing and how wonderful to, to, you know, turn around and, and recognize talent and, and foster it. And, you know, um, uh, I will sort of mention while you take a sip of water, then, um, it was your interest in doing exactly that for students that we work with in bio builder that led you and I to, to connect. And I know that you have done a lot of mentorship and a lot of, um, work with students in bio builder while we were in person. For sure. And, and now obviously virtually, um, uh, so, you know, you know, it, it’s clear that this is important and meaningful to you, um, to foster this next generation.

Speaker 2: (20:15)
Uh, yeah, I think, I think so a science education, it’s just, it’s, for me, it’s the most important thing, um, because it brings it all, all kinds of different things together. It’d be, you know, math and science and I mean, you have to be able to communicate your, your experiment, you know, your, your assaults, your data and everything. And, um, you know, it’s just sort of a catch all and everything.

Speaker 1: (20:40)
Yeah, it’s true. And, uh, yeah, so I think it’s wonderful when we can hear from people in the industry who have made it through, um, taking, you know, dedicating their life to doing of science.