From Laptop to Biotech Lab

By Lara Ivanitch

In the spring of 2021, David Smith sat in his dorm room and recorded himself making a presentation for the upcoming Association of Southeastern Biologists annual meeting. The COVID-19 pandemic had forced the event into the virtual world. Instead of traveling to Jacksonville, Florida, where the meeting was originally scheduled, Smith would watch speakers via Zoom.  

During a Q&A session, the senior at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga spoke with Greg Buhrman, former coordinator for the Interdisciplinary Biochemistry Master’s Program (IBMP) at NC State University, who recommended that Smith apply for the program. “And I did. I got accepted, and then the rest was history.” 

IBMP, which receives funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), is a collaborative effort between five departments in NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences — Molecular and Structural Biochemistry; Plant and Microbial Biology; Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences; Animal Science; and the Prestage Department of Poultry Science. Although the NSF grant is ending, Robert Rose, an associate professor of biochemistry who currently runs the IBMP program, hopes to regain funding from the foundation in 2025. 

First-year students in the program receive financial support through funding approved by the CALS dean as well as participating departments. “Without that funding, we would not have been able to fund our students completely,” says Rose. 

Through IBMP, low-income students who excel academically earn scholarships to pursue a Master of Science degree in biochemistry. The goal is to prepare more people from different backgrounds for graduate study and jobs in the biotech industry. To date, the program has had 22 participants, almost all of whom have found jobs in biotechnology after graduation. A total of five students have gone on to pursue doctoral degrees and one student from the program went to medical school.  

Professional Development and Lab Learning

“In the first semester, we have people think about professional development, and our connection with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, I think, is really beneficial,” Rose says. 

IBMP works to connect its scholars with people currently working in the biotech industry through events with guest speakers and encourages and arranges mentorships for interested students. A special seminar connects first-year students in the program with potential lab advisors and professional development resources. A field trip to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center also gives students an overview of the biotech industry in the state and their job support resources.

According to Rose, after students do rotations among departments in the first semester, they join a lab that funds their time there. It’s an opportunity to open more doors for students to find their scientific niche.

“We have been supporting our students completely, which we think is key to recruiting low-income students,” says Rose. “There’s not much funding for graduate students in general — and certainly not master’s students. I think this program has really been able to increase the diversity of the department.” 

In addition to the core of biochemistry classes, each scholar conducts research to complete a master’s thesis. The cross-disciplinary nature of IBMP creates opportunities for participants to apply their knowledge to solving problems outside of the biochemistry department. They can work in labs focusing on areas such as plant metabolism, human health, and microbiome metabolics.  

Smith feels his time working in the Simpson-Barycki lab, which focuses on mechanisms of prostate cancer progression, proved invaluable in helping him reach his career goals. After completing his undergraduate degree, he felt he lacked the experience he needed to land a job in biotechnology.  

“I came from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, which is a good school,” he explains. “But as far as research and lab opportunities, there just aren’t as many.”  

Rose believes the program fills a similar void for other participants of IBMP. “I feel like the experience they get in the lab as well as speaking about scientific problems puts them in a good position to get a good job and achieve their goals.” 

In addition to increasing Smith’s confidence, working in a lab gave him a place to improve his skills before stepping into the workforce. The lab’s focus on prostate cancer  allowed him to research an area of interest to him: human health.

Meaningful Work

Today, Smith continues working to improve human health in his position at gene therapy company Asklepios BioPharmaceutical Inc. (AskBio). As a member of the DNA manufacturing team, he produces plasmid DNA, which is a crucial starting material for the production of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors. Plasmid DNA serves as a set of instructions that “tells” cells how to make the viral vector that will be used to treat a variety of rare diseases.  

At this point, research and clinical trials use the modified viruses produced by AskBio. Smith says his lab experience at NC State closely relates to his work now and helped him find his career path.

 “I think that was one of the things that helped me navigate the job market successfully,” he says. “I got a lot of really good experience from my thesis.”