Shen Shen enrolled in the Biophysics Program led by Dr. Barry Lentz in 2008, as one of the first BBSP students. In summer 2013, she graduated from Dr. Aravind Asokan’s lab at the Gene Therapy Center. Currently, Shen Shen is Senior Director of Gene Therapy Vectorology at Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston, MA. Her expertise involves gene therapy vector design, therapeutic CRISPR/Cas9 editing design, preclinical pharmacology studies for both viral and non-viral delivery modalities, and molecular engineering of AAV production platforms.
“Coming in as the only medicinal chemist in my class, I faced enormous challenges in the first semester at the Biophysics Program, academically and culturally. Professors in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics welcomed me with patience, encouragement, and a collegial student group they built over the years. This graduate program offered flexibility for students to explore interesting research topics across campus and supported students throughout graduate school. This supportive and multi-disciplinary environment transformed me from a medicinal chemist working with chemical synthesis to a gene therapy scientist designing transformative medicine using genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, and pharmacology. More importantly, I became a scientist ready to tackle challenging projects with confidence.”
“I thank the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics for starting my scientific career. As an alumna, I hope to help future students to achieve their aspirations.”