- Highlighting the scale-up opportunity for dramatic patient benefit through the lens of a patient
- Outlining the inextricable link between manufacturing and the patient experience for autologous cell therapies
- Considering the different scaling goals: commercial viability, reliability, patient access, etc.
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Chief Technology and Manufacturing Officer
bluebird bio
Derek Adams joined bluebird bio in March 2017 as Chief Technology and Manufacturing Officer leading all pharmaceutical sciences that includes process and analytical development, manufacturing, technical operations, and supply chain. Prior to joining bluebird, Derek was the Senior Vice President of CMC at Evelo Biosciences. At Evelo, Derek established the initial process development function and supply chain for clinical studies and drove strategy for product development. Prior to his time at Evelo, he served as Vice President of Technical and Strategic Product Development at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, where his responsibilities included developing and supporting all manufacturing processes globally as well as global clinical supply chain. His Alexion career also included roles as Plant Manager for Alexion’s Rhode Island Manufacturing facility and head of upstream process development. Derek began his career in process technical support for live virus vaccine production at Merck & Co, Inc.
Derek holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with High Distinction from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).
