Industry Panel
Mike Berke, Director, Research and Automation Technologies, Amgen Inc.
Bio: Mike Berke has spent the last 23+ years developing novel lab automation software and hardware in the Research and Automation Technologies department at Amgen. Projects have focused on opportunities where there are no commercially available solutions: instrumentation for unique processes, integrations of novel hardware into existing systems, firmware and software to control devices and integrations, as well as software to automate informatic processes. Mike is driven by the opportunity to develop streamlined, innovative solutions that enable scientists to focus on the critical scientific problems they are working on, rather than being bogged down with cumbersome tools and infrastructure.
Prior to joining Amgen, Mike was a software developer for Perot Systems, and a Special Forces officer in the US Army. Mike holds degrees in Computer Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point (BS) and California Lutheran University (MS).
Franck Modoux, Automated Screening Platforms Head, Amgen Inc.
Bio: Drug Discovery specialist with training in cellular/molecular biology, a Ph.D in Neuroscience and 15+ year experience in High Throughput Screening (HTS): four years in a small, fast-paced startup biotech, ten years in a world-class, state-of-the-art academic screening facility, and now with one of the world's largest biotech company. Strong expertise in cell-based assay design, development, optimization, miniaturization, troubleshooting and implementation for uHTS up to the 1536-well plate format. Proven record of the identification of potent, selective, non-toxic, and cell-permeable lead compounds. Conversant with long-term, multidisciplinary internal & external collaborations geared towards hit identification, structure-activity relationship (SAR) determination, lead optimization, mode of action elucidation, target identification, and preclinical studies. Strong personal interest in the development of the next generation of more physiologically relevant cell-based assays relying on stem cells and either high-content or label-free technologies as readouts.
Shirley Ng Palace, Senior Systems Specialist, Genentech.
Bio: Automation Engineer with over 10 years of experience working with various laboratory liquid handling automation to assist automating cell culture workflows, assay development, compound library prep, screening, system validation and system integration in pharmaceutical industry.