M.S. in Biotechnology Management and Entrepreneurship

Natania Birnbaum, a 2024 graduate of the M.S. in Biotechnology Management and Entrepreneurship, conducted a comprehensive survey of the available literature on duckweed biology, genetics and cultivation methods, as well as an investigation into the major companies in the industry and economic projections for the future of the duckweed market.

Read the story in the Katz School blog.

Researchers have developed a series of algorithms using Siamese networks, a type of artificial intelligence, to better identify and track the body movements of stroke patients in order to assist in patient treatment and recovery. 

Read about the story in the Katz School blog.

Collaborations, like the one between Weill Cornell Medicine and the Katz School’s M.S. in Biotechnology Management and Entrepreneurship, have emerged as catalysts for the development of the next generation of drugs, devices and services. 

Read the story in the Katz School blog.

Managing an intricate balance between sodium intake, blood pressure and the volume of bodily fluid is key to minimizing the risk of further harm to individuals with end-stage kidney disease, according to a paper co-authored by Dr. Jochen Raimann, an industry professor in the M.S. in Biotechnology Management and Entrepreneurship.

Read about the story in the Katz School blog.

Alumna Rebecca Russo-Schlossberg is developing an at-home miscarriage test kit for her own startup Genosa Diagnostics. More than half of miscarriages are the result of chromosomal abnormalities in the fertilized egg, which can cause developmental problems that result in an unviable fetus. Russo-Schlossberg’s test would be important because individuals who miscarry in their first trimester typically do so at home and thus don’t have the opportunity to genetically test the fetal tissue to determine a cause.

Read the entire story here.

In The Innovation Mindset, Lorraine Marchand shares her eight laws of innovation, a formula for driving significant and lasting transformation in any organization. Marchand emphasizes the frame of mind needed to spark the innovation process, underscoring the importance of creating a problem-solving culture and supporting personal curiosity, passion and talent.

Read the entire story in the Katz blog.

A Yeshiva University researcher and several Katz School graduate students will investigate how inhibiting the function of a cluster of small proteins in testicular cells affects spermatogenesis, or the production and regulation of sperm. The research is being supported in part by a grant from YU’s Provost Faculty Research Fund awarded to biotechnology Program Director Dr. Rana Kahn.

Read entire story on the Katz blog.

When Shanza Baseer Tariq graduated in May with a master’s degree in biotechnology, she already had a publication track record and a job waiting for her as a research assistant at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Read the entire story in the Katz blog.

Avi Strauss, a recent Katz School biotech graduate, has performed a detailed market analysis on a new drug therapy for colorectal cancer. 

The analysis recommended that Sapience Therapeutics, a New York-based biotech company, develop a molecule called a novel beta-catenin antagonist for treatment of the cancer. Beta-catenin is part of the Wnt signaling pathway, which promotes tumor growth and suppresses the immune system. 

In addition to colorectal cancer, Strauss reviewed four other types of cancer that have high mortality rates and resist conventional therapies: acute lymphocytic leukemia, breast cancer, melanoma, and multiple myeloma. 

He found that colorectal cancer patients would be a prime population for Sapience’s novel peptide because of the high incidence of a mutation in the Wnt signaling pathway that results in its overactivation and leads to the formation of cancer. “Colorectal cancer presents the highest upside according to the revenue projection model,” said Strauss, who is a healthcare consultant for the Marwood Group, “and presents the largest potential available population among the five cancer types studied.” 

Sapience’s therapeutic approach, according to Dr. Kappel, is to target protein-protein interactions (PPIs) that seem necessary to the survival of cancer or that inhibit the immune system’s response to cancerous tumors. The interactions targeted by Sapience are considered “undruggable” due to the intracellular location of the PPIs, making them difficult to treat with small-molecule drugs such as chemotherapies that are incapable of disrupting PPIs, and biologic-based drugs like monoclonal antibodies that are too big to enter cells. 

“Peptides combine the best properties of small and large molecules,” said Dr. Kappel, “and present an opportunity to disrupt intracellular PPIs and to reduce mortality in cancer patients and possibly in other diseases.” 

Robert Friedman, an adjunct professor in the biotechnology program and Strauss’s advisor, said that Strauss’s presentation demonstrates the strength of the “molecule-to-market nature” of the Katz School’s biotechnology program and its emphasis on understanding the science, and translating it into practical and actionable decisions. 

“Avi’s understanding of the science, clinical development and the market were all critical to successfully completing the project,” he said. “The piece de resistance of his elegant work is undoubtedly the market forecast model that the client will incorporate in its corporate planning process for years to come.”

Four of the top 10 biopharma clusters are located in the New York area. New York City’s Economic Development Corporation has started investing $500 million into LifeSciNYC, an initiative enshrining New York as a global leader in life sciences innovation and R&D. The initiative is also attracting entrepreneurs from around the world who have started 4,000 companies. 

From deploying therapeutic glycoproteins to treat autoimmune diseases to commercializing CRISPR-edited genetic material for pesticide-resistant crops, biotech entrepreneurs are improving global health conditions and the quality of life for millions of people.  

Startups, large multinational companies and leading medical and research facilities are seeking managers of new products, projects, business development, regulatory and compliance, and clinical trials. Secure your place in this fast-growing, high-paying job market with a master’s in biotechnology management and entrepreneurship.