Innovative Research is delighted to welcome Shanon Turnbaugh as Head of our Molecular Biology program. With almost two decades of experience in molecular biology and protein science, Shanon brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to our organization. Lucky for us, she willingly agreed to the marketing team’s request for an interview! Find out more about Shanon below, as she shares her career path, discusses the challenges she has overcome, and reflects on her favorite projects.
Hi Shanon, welcome to the Innovative Research team! We’re so glad you’re here. To start, can you share a bit about your background and what led you to molecular biology?
I always wondered what made humans, animals, and basically organisms work. This lifelong curiosity to find the “why” was what started my love of science and wonderment. In my undergrad years I worked with cyanobacteria studying iron depletion in the Great Lakes, we were using a bioreporter gene, this was my intro into DNA plasmids and the world of molecular biology. This interest would take me from Ohio to Seattle, WA where I started the next chapter of my life.
While in Seattle I worked for Amgen in their Protein Science department. I started in stable cell line development and transient transfection. I was learning so much about protein and antibodies but when the opportunity to work in the molecular biology department came up, I jumped on it. I was part of an amazing team making constructs for all of Amgen research for almost 13 years. The genes I cloned became part of important therapeutic advances of which I am very proud. While at Amgen I earned my masters in Pharmaceutical Bioengineering from the University of Washington and eventually moved on to protein purification at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for the next 7 years. I always say that I can go from primers to proteins, but if I am being honest, DNA is kind of my favorite.
DNA is super cool. We’re a fan. Sounds like you have worked at some really cool institutions. What would you say are some of the most exciting projects you’ve worked on in the past?
I have worked on a lot of projects in my almost 20 years in biotech, but there are a few projects that stand out. I really enjoyed my work making panels of bispecific antibodies and other novel modalities for Amgen. It was interesting to see how small changes could affect the protein’s binding to its target. Another very exciting project was all the work I did in Dr. Jim Olson’s lab at Fred Hutch. We were expressing tiny knotted peptides in effort to make powerful therapeutics that would be stable and cross the blood-brain barrier. I was a part of something special at Fred Hutch and it still brings a smile to my face when I think about it.
Smiling when you think about past workplaces is a great thing! Now for the future..how do you see molecular biology evolving in the next few years?
I was asked a similar question about 15 years ago, “Where do I see molecular biology advancing in the next decade?". I replied that I thought you would be able to design a plasmid in DNA editing software and then click print. This action would be linked up to a machine that would simply eject a tube with your DNA. I have to say we are getting closer and closer to that every day.
That would be incredibly cool. In terms of things that currently exists in science…what specific applications or techniques in molecular biology are you most passionate about?
Something that always excites me about molecular biology is designing a new construct. I love to piece together the signal sequence, make several variants, decide what tag we need for downstream processing, and put it in the most appropriate expression vector. After the constructs are made, there is always this anticipation around if it will express. I really like being a part of that process, it kind of seems like magic.
Making magic happen in the lab is an Innovative Research specialty and what our customers love and know us for – you’re in the right place! Speaking of our customers, what challenges do you often encounter from customers in your work, and how do you think our products can help address them?
Some of the biggest challenges in molecular biology and protein expression revolve around, is the protein active, does it behave as designed? Innovative Research has many different kits to determine protein function. Customers are most often asking … is your product going to work on our assay? We do some trouble shooting in the lab for customers to help advance their research, based on storage of the products, best practices during use, and activity ranges. We can usually find a solution for the questions they’re asking.
Great! What about customers who are just starting out – what advice would you give to students or young researchers interested in pursuing a career in molecular biology?
If a young person is interested in pursuing a career in molecular biology, I would suggest learning about the advances in the CRISPER Cas 9 system. This is just an amazing tool to modify DNA and advance research. It all starts with the DNA, the code of life. I would also suggest learning about the advances and tools in DNA automation.
Fantastic advice.
OK, final question, we just have to know… what excites you most about joining our lab and contributing to our research goals?
There are many ways to contribute to science, some labs develop novel processes and others make amazing discoveries. What I like most about Innovative Research, is that our lab provides the tools to advance research in all sorts of labs. I am excited to provide quality reagents that labs can depend on to make their ideas come to life. It is a privilege to be a part of something so big.
And we’re SO EXCITED to have you here. Welcome to the team, Shanon!
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