Anindita Bhoumik

I attribute my success to my team and to the people who are around me. Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to work with talented individuals at every level, and I have learned from mentors, colleagues, and team members alike. I have had incredible champions throughout my journey, starting with my mentor Sev Aroni during my academic career, then Kevin DeMore who hired me at Viasite and is now VP at Kenai Therapeutics, Everett Kroon who was VP of non-clinical at Viasite, and Howard Fedorov, our co-founder and chief medical officer at Kenai who encourages me and the entire company. I have to say that in most or almost all cases, there have been men in my life as mentors, and I always emphasize that a woman's success can happen when men are also aligned with your thoughts. I believe in collaboration and learning from everyone, from top to bottom, because there is so much to learn from different people and different perspectives. That openness to learning and working with great teams is what has enabled me to achieve my goals.

The best career advice I have ever received is to always move forward and always learn from failures. In my field, clinical trials can fail, but that doesn't mean you pause or get disappointed. You keep moving forward. Even when a trial fails, there is so much learning that comes from it, and that learning moves the next generation of trials forward. I have embraced this philosophy throughout my career, understanding that failures are part of the journey to success. I also believe strongly in continuous learning. I keep learning from different mentors, from different people, from top to bottom, everywhere. There is so much to learn, and it just motivates me. This mindset of perseverance, learning from setbacks, and constantly seeking knowledge from everyone around me has been fundamental to my career.

I would advise young women entering my industry to be innovative, no matter whatever field they are in or whatever aspect of the work they are doing within the company. It is essential to continue learning throughout your career. I emphasize the importance of collaboration and being inclusive in your approach. Take a multidisciplinary approach to your work, because the best solutions often come from bringing together different perspectives and expertise. Do not limit yourself to one narrow focus. Be open to learning from everyone around you, from all levels and all disciplines. Innovation, continuous learning, collaboration, inclusivity, and a multidisciplinary mindset are the keys to success in this field.

In terms of opportunities, the cell therapy field is blooming right now. Since we are in the regenerative medicine space, we have the opportunity to replace cells that are lost in different diseases, which is incredibly important because it means we can actually cure the disease and not just improve quality of life. For example, when we were working on type 1 diabetes, our goal was to replace the islet cells that are lost in the disease process by generating those cells. Similarly, with Parkinson's disease, we are replacing the dopaminergic cells that patients lose. This approach of cellular replacement therapy represents a fundamental shift in how we treat disease. However, there are also significant challenges. One of the biggest challenges is the manufacturing and CMC aspect, which is very unique for each of the cell therapies. While there are some commonalities across different cell therapy products, there are also specific challenges for each of the diseases and the particular cells you are making. Solving these manufacturing challenges while scaling up production is critical to bringing these therapies to patients.

I would say I am a go-getter. I like to set up goals and I like to achieve those goals. For example, my goal has always been bringing treatments to patients, and I work hard to achieve that. At the same time, I am not rigid in my approach. If I need to pivot to something that is more critical along the path to achieving my goals, I am not shy about pivoting. I can easily adapt and change direction when needed, and that flexibility has been important throughout my career as a leader of the research team. Every day when I am on site working with my team, I want to make sure that everybody is working very happily and healthy, and that they are learning every day. Creating an environment where my team can thrive and grow is one of my core values. Ultimately, my focus is on curing disease and giving patients a good quality of life. That patient-centered mission drives everything I do.