Development and validation of quantitative real-time PCR for the detection of residual HEK-293 host cell DNA

With a lifelong passion for improving health care through cutting-edge research, new technologies, and cross-disciplinary teamwork, Dr. Kara Norman has played key roles in developing myriad new quality assurance products for oncology research. She currently leads the Pharma Analytics R&D team at Thermo Fisher Scientific, overseeing the development of reagents and software to help ensure the quality and safety of biopharmaceutical products via DNA sequencing and real-time PCR. Previously,

Dr. Norman led an R&D organization developing quality controls and standards for clinical lab testing. She was a key member of the team that launched the first IVD products for next-generation sequencing (NGS) for oncology, and also helped develop custom controls for IVD manufacturers and QC monitoring software for clinical labs. Dr. Norman received her PhD from the Universityof Calgary, Canada, where she studied molecular oncology and virology. There, she helped pioneer development of Reolysin, a novel, virus-based anti-cancer therapy that is now in late-stage clinical testing. She subsequently did postdoctoral research at Stanford University, where she led studies in NGS of miRNA and determined key molecular off-target effects of the antisense miR-122 oligonucleotide, a promising anti-hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) therapy.