Driving innovation in biotechnology: Podcast guest Dr. Mimi Roy shapes the future of human health

Dr. Sushmita 'Mimi' Roy is a distinguished scientist and biotechnology expert known for her significant contributions in chemistry, biochemistry, and analytical sciences. With a diverse career in academia, industry, entrepreneurship, and leadership, Roy specializes in proteomics, metabolomics, and biologics.

Roy's academic journey began with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from St. Stephen's College, Delhi, where she developed an assay to measure glutathione levels in whole blood. She then pursued a Master's degree in Biochemistry at the University of Sydney, focusing on NMR studies of metabolites in human blood and cells.

Continuing her studies in the United States, Roy obtained a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Princeton University, where she specialized in protein design and characterization. Her doctoral research involved protein overexpression, purification, and biophysical characterization using advanced analytical techniques.

As a post-doctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute, studying DNA design with Peter Schultz, Roy contributed to pioneering research on expanding the genetic code through unnatural DNA base. Her work involved DNA sequencing, polymerase kinetics characterization, and high-throughput screenings of polymerase libraries.

Roy then moved into industry in 2000, where she made significant contributions while working as a Scientist at SurroMed Inc. and Biomarker Discovery Sciences, PPD Inc., focusing on technology and platform development for proteomics, metabolomics, and CNS proteomics.

Roy then assumed the role of Senior Director and USA Site Head at Caprion Biosciences Inc. from 2010 to 2014. In this role, Roy managed the company's operations in the US, overseeing technical and business operations, and successfully led projects supported by multi-million dollar contracts and grants from esteemed institutions including the National Cancer Institute and the NIH. Roy's work primarily focused on developing methodologies, studying biological and preanalytical variation, and unraveling proteomic changes in cancer and neurodegeneration.

In 2014, Roy co-founded Sensibrace Technologies Inc. and invented an electronic medical device to correct hand posture, addressing carpal tunnel syndrome. Roy also founded iON Bioservices LLC in the same year, providing analytical services in biologics development, including mass spectrometry, proteomics, and metabolomics.

In 2015, Roy joined BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., where she served as the Executive Director of Analytical Chemistry, overseeing assay development and characterization for therapeutic proteins, gene therapies, and small molecules. She played a pivotal role in regulatory submissions, analytics support, and managed technical groups in various analytical areas.

In 2021, Roy established Ion Bio Enterprises LLC, offering consulting services in gene therapy, pharmaceutical development, analytical science, and proteomics. She later served as the Vice President and Head of Process R&D at Resilience, leading CMC technology development for AAV gene therapy and cell-free biologics production.

Currently, Roy holds the position of Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at Grace Science, LLC. Her work focuses on the Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Control (CMC) of viral vectors used in Phase 1/2/3 clinical trials for ultra-rare and rare diseases, with a specific focus on NGly-1 deficiency. She is a respected leader in the field of biotechnology and holds expertise as an inventor in AAV gene therapy.

SelectScience^® CEO, Kerry Parker, recently spoke with Dr. Mimi Roy about her work developing gene therapies for ultra rare diseases in “The Accelerating Science Podcast by SelectScience”. To learn more about how gene therapies and viral vectors work and the accelerated impact of AI and mass spectrometry in scientific progress, listen to our podcast today.

Listen to “The future of rare disease therapies: Dr. Mimi Roy explores gene therapies, AI, and mass spectrometry” here!