Shelley Ackerman: Immunotherapeutics Development in Graduate School

Dr. Shelley Ackerman is an Associate Director & Program Team Lead at Bolt Biotherapeutics. Bolt is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering a new class of immuno-oncology agents that combine the targeting precision of antibodies with the power of both the innate and adaptive immune systems. Bolt Biotherapeutics’ proprietary Boltbody™ Immune-stimulating Antibody Conjugates (ISACs) are designed to target tumor cells for elimination by the immune system. BDC-1001 is a HER2-targeting Boltbody ISAC in an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial enrolling patients with HER2-expressing solid tumors. Shelley was a Ph.D. student in the lab of Dr. Edgar Engleman at Stanford, directly involved with the development of the technology that led to the foundation of Bolt. Dr. Ackerman finished her degree prior to joining the company. She has received recognition for her achievements, having been named to MIT Technology Reviews 35 Innovators under 35 and STAT News’ Wundekind list. Shelley did her undergraduate work at MIT.In this episode, we discuss Bolt’s proprietary drug development platform, technology commercialization in graduate school, and finding creative inspiration in the realm of science.Hosted by Joe Varriale.