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Dr. John Majercak is Head of Antibody Discovery at Lampire Biological Laboratories, a life science company at the forefront of innovation and discovery. John received his PhD in Biochemistry from Rutgers University. Afterwards, he completed an industry postdoctoral fellowship at Novartis. Over the next nearly two decades, John worked at several companies, rising in the ranks to hold various positions at Merck, Boehringer Ingelheim, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Molecular Templates before joining the team at Lampire in 2023. In our interview, John shares more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:16)
When he’s not at work, John enjoys listening to podcasts and exploring other scientific fields, including physics, astronomy, and space exploration. He also spends his free time doing home renovations, and he’s currently working on a bathroom remodel.
The Scientific Side (3:34)
At Lampire Biological Laboratories, John works primarily with antibodies, a type of blood protein. He generates new antibodies and provides existing antibodies to companies and academic institutions for use in research, development of antibody therapeutics, and other applications. Antibody therapeutics can be used to treat cancer and immune-related diseases.
A Dose of Motivation (5:15)
“Recognize your challenges, but also celebrate your victories.”
What Got You Hooked on Science? (9:31)
As an undergraduate student, John worked part-time in lab services doing general tasks like stocking supplies and fixing glassware. A new faculty member joined the department, and John started getting more involved in the lab where they were studying biological rhythms in fruit flies. John really loved being in a lab and exploring the unknown, and he had a chance to get involved in research as an undergraduate. This cemented his interest in pursuing a career in science, and he completed his graduate studies in the same lab before launching his career in industry.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (25:39)
When he was working at Merck, John and his team were trying to develop new therapeutics for neuropathic pain (nerve pain). Some of the therapeutic targets they were examining were in the Nav sodium channel family. Targeting Nav sodium channels was promising because there was potential to create non-addictive and very effective treatments for certain kinds of pain. John was tasked with developing assays to look at the properties of the Nav sodium channels across different model systems to see if the small molecule therapeutics they were developing could selectively binding to particular Nav sodium channels. There was one Nav sodium channel that John just couldn’t get to work. They were able to express the protein, but it wasn’t functional, and they couldn’t figure out why. After a lot of troubleshooting, John realized that the public genetic sequence database had an error in the sequence provided. Out of about a thousand amino acids, one of the amino acids was incorrect in the listing, and it turned out that this amino acid was critical for the protein’s function. Ultimately, they were able to find the solution and finish the project.
A Shining Success! (29:28)
For John and the teams he has worked with, a major goal is to see a therapeutic through to clinical trials and have it become available for people to use in the clinic to treat a disease. While working at Molecular Templates, he and his team were working on immunotoxins (e.g. an antibody bound to a toxic substance to treat cancer). They developed an innovative immunotoxin that targeted a particular cancer-related cell type, and this molecule is now being explored in the clinic for therapeutic use as a cancer treatment. The process is still ongoing, but a lot of progress was made over a period of three to four years.
Book and Podcast Recommendations (32:32)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, Sean Carroll’s Mindscape Podcast, and the Lex Fridman Podcast.
Most Treasured Travel (33:45)
Several years ago, John had an opportunity to travel to Madrid in Spain for a scientific conference. Since their room wasn’t ready when they arrived, they were upgraded to a gorgeous suite. The city of Madrid and the surrounding countryside were beautiful. While they were there, John and his wife enjoyed seeing a variety of cultural sites, old castles, and picturesque landscapes. John also had a wonderful time traveling to Paris for a nanobody conference last fall with his daughter, who is also a scientist. His daughter spoke French and was able to serve as an interpreter while they navigated and explored the city.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (36:01)
John was a student at Rutgers University in the 1990s when most people still had slow dial-up internet connections at home, but the university had high-speed internet. This helped a lot with transferring data and connecting lab equipment to their computers for data analysis. John and one of his colleagues were really into video games. They decided to install a video game called Quake on one of the lab computers, and they ran a Quake server from the lab. They could log on at home and use the broadband server to play the game with high-speed internet. Though John’s advisor would have frowned upon it if he knew, it was a lot of fun.
Advice For Us All (40:35)
Don’t be afraid to fail, especially early in your career. Turn failures into opportunities to learn, and apply what you’ve learned to be successful. Also, don’t be afraid of something new. This could be a new career, a new work direction, or a new place of work. Over the years, John has faced many new changes and challenges, and this has always resulted in meeting new people and learning new things, really enriching his career.
Guest Bio
John’s journey into biopharmaceuticals began with a passion for scientific exploration, driven by early curiosity and a commitment to revolutionize the life sciences. He earned his PhD in Biochemistry from Rutgers University. After completing his doctoral studies, he pursued a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Functional Genomics at Novartis. During this fellowship, his research focused on Genome-wide cDNA and RNAi libraries, as well as cell-based and in vivo models to study neuro-diseases. Throughout his career, Dr. Majercak has specialized in single B-cell antibody development, holding roles at Merck and leadership positions at Boehringer Ingelheim and Johnson & Johnson. In August 2023, he became Head of Antibody Development at LAMPIRE Biological Laboratories, a milestone for both him and the company. Dr. Majercak’s expertise aligns with LAMPIRE’s commitment to innovative scientific approaches, including the unique sequence-first approach pioneered exclusively at LAMPIRE. Spearheading antibody research, he aims to redefine possibilities in biopharmaceuticals, leveraging LAMPIRE’s global presence. Founded in 1977 by Gregory F. Krug, LAMPIRE Biological Laboratories has emerged as a global leader in the field, renowned for its dedication to research and innovation. Dr. Majercak’s journey serves as an inspiration to the biopharmaceutical world, highlighting the transformative power of dedication and scientific curiosity.
Support for this episode of People Behind the Science was provided by LAMPIRE Biological Laboratories.