Manu’s Minute
February 23 marked the end of a 17-year journey for me. Or, to be more accurate, it began a new chapter of my life.
On that morning, along with 49 others from 24 different countries who’d gathered at the Oklahoma City office of the Department of Homeland Security, I became a U.S. citizen. As you can imagine, it will go down as one of those unforgettable moments for me. But in another sense, my own odyssey from Kerala, India to Oklahoma City parallels a broader story in the world of technology transfer.
At my first AUTM and LES conferences a decade ago, I encountered only a handful of people of international origin. In February, when I traveled to San Diego for the 2016 edition of AUTM, I was reminded of how much the picture had changed. Gone was the homogeneity of the early 2000s; the conference is now packed with folks from Asia, Europe, South America and just about every other foreign destination you can imagine.
Not long ago, if you were born in, say, India and developed an interest in bioscience or medicine, your career choices would have been quite limited. You could’ve headed to the lab to become a bench scientist. Or you could have trained your sights on medical school. And that was pretty much it.
But as the world of biotechnology entrepreneurship has exploded, it’s opened the eyes of talented young people everywhere. Increasingly, they’re choosing careers in tech transfer and biotech business. As a result, the field is swelling with bright, ambitious entrepreneurs from around the world. They’re bringing new talents and resources to the table, and they’re blazing novel paths for the development of promising technologies. Globalization has expanded the horizons of our business.
As you’ll read in this issue of BioBlast, OMRF is benefiting from this increasingly international world of tech transfer. Our newest partner is a Korean biotechnology firm, and, together, we’re focused on bringing a new therapeutic for brain cancer to market.
Of course, there’s still a long road ahead. But I love a good journey!
Best Regards,
Manu Nair
Vice President of Technology Ventures
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