Navigating academia and entrepreneurship: insights from a medicinal chemist

Introduction

The journey of a researcher is often paved with challenges, from balancing academic responsibilities with personal commitments, to adapting and thriving in both academic and entrepreneurial spheres and also securing funding.

Today, we delve into the story of Professor Tracey Pirali, a leading medicinal chemist who navigated the complex world of research, entrepreneurship, and grant writing and coordination with remarkable success.

Tracey, a full professor at the University of Piemonte Orientale, has dedicated her career to drug discovery. She has not only achieved academic excellence but also co-founded a start-up, ChemICare, focused on developing orphan drugs for rare genetic myopathies. In this interview, we explore her experiences balancing these diverse commitments and the challenges and lessons learned in her role of Coordinator of an EU-funded grant.

Serena: Could you please share something about yourself and your career path with the reader of my blog?

Tracey: I achieved the position of full professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Piemonte Orientale by following the traditional academic career path: a degree in medicinal chemistry and a PhD in drug discovery. During my career, I had the opportunity to gain valuable experiences abroad, including at the CNRS in Gif-sur-Yvette (Paris) and at the School of Chemistry in Edinburgh. In addition to my academic work, I am a co-founder of the start-up ChemICare (www.chemicare.it), a company dedicated to developing orphan drugs for rare genetic myopathies. I am also a mother to an 11-year-old child and proud owner of two red pets, a cat and a dog.

Serena: Balancing your academic responsibilities with your role as a founder of a start-up can be challenging. Could you kindly share your personal experience with this?

Tracey: I co-founded ChemICare with Beatrice Riva in 2016. During its early-stage start-up phase, I was actively involved in the company by conducting various experimental activities in our academic laboratory to identify the best drug candidate. I recall that period as a highly enriching experience where I gained knowledge on preparing a business plan, pitching to investors, and managing a company. However, as ChemICare expanded, I found it challenging to balance my academic responsibilities with my involvement in the company. Additionally, as the need for experiments to be conducted under GLP conditions arose, we had to outsource them to Contract Research Organizations. I still remain a founding partner of ChemICare, but the management activities are now handled by Beatrice, who is currently the CEO, along with her team and the support of Bio4Dreams. While I chose to focus on my academic career, Beatrice decided to leave the University and dedicate herself full-time to the company.

Serena: What lessons have you learned from this entrepreneurial experience that have had a positive impact on your career and overall professional profile?

Tracey: I have learned many lessons, but the main ones are three.

First, if you have a promising compound in your hands that exceeds the state of the art, do not publish it. Instead, start collaborating with a patent attorney and conduct a prior art search. If the novelty is sufficient, file a patent application and consider founding a company with a precise business model. This is the only way to ensure a future for a class of compounds and to translate the discovery into innovation.

Secondly, in my opinion, every academic should be involved in at least one translational project (an entrepreneurial initiative or a collaborative project with a company). This allows the researcher to experience the productive world and transfer "more practical and transferrable" knowledge to the next generation of scientists.

Thirdly, if you realize that reconciling everything is not feasible, recognize it and start trusting the other team members. This is the only way to make the venture successful. Not being too jealous of your discovery, but letting it go was the hardest thing to do on my path as a medicinal chemist, and it happened more than once.

Serena: Which funded projects are you currently working on?

Tracey: Currently, I am working on three main funded projects in the field of drug discovery. The first project is an investigator grant funded by the AIRC Foundation for Research against Cancer (https://www.airc.it/), focusing on identifying new compounds for cancer immunotherapy. The second project is an Horizon 2020 MSCA Innovative Training Network project (PIANO), which aims to develop therapies for neuropathic pain. The third project (NODES) is funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, where my role involves investigating small molecules in myopathies and autoimmune disorders.

In addition to these research projects, I have been the coordinator of an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master program called EMOTION (http://www.emotion-master.eu/) since 2019. This program involves three universities and provides training for international students in the area of skin health and care.

Serena: When we first met, I helped you prepare the first edition of the EMOTION Master. Although the proposal was not funded at that time, you revised it based on feedback and successfully secured funding the following year. As the first edition of EMOTION was coming to an end, you once again sought my assistance in preparing the application for the second edition of the Master. What lessons did you learn from the implementation of the first EMOTION edition that influenced the preparation of the second application?

Tracey: Within the first grant, we encountered a critical issue involving one of the Partners in the Consortium. From this unfortunate situation, I learned that it is better to thoroughly evaluate the composition of the consortium before applying and to involve partners whom you know and trust. "Few but good" is the best choice. I also learned that it is important to find the right balance between your aspirations and the resources and services provided by the Universities. Furthermore, in such large projects, it is not feasible to focus all activities on a single University or individual. Therefore, it is essential, from the preparation of the application, to clearly define the composition of the boards/committees, allocate responsibilities, and involve colleagues (both academic and administrative staff). However, it is challenging to identify those who truly have the passion required for this type of project. Not everyone has the emotional fortitude needed, as the reward comes from helping others and offering life-changing opportunities to young people, rather than personal gain. This is the driving force that motivates me every day, despite the challenges and difficult moments I encounter.

Serena: When you reflect on the moment when you decided to apply to the second edition of the EMOTION Master, were there any aspects that you found challenging in the process or in writing your application, despite your previous experience? What value did you see in my support?

Tracey: I have always found it difficult to understand what is expected for each section of the application. Some titles are very similar, and only an expert can understand the subtle differences between each section and what the project evaluators expect to see. Your guidance has been essential in this aspect.

I also struggled to find time to manage the administrative tasks of the application, as my focus was on the content. Your assistance was invaluable in this area, as without it, I would not have met the deadline.

Lastly, I experience a great deal of anxiety as the deadline approaches and still have a lot of work to complete. Your support not only helped me organize the remaining tasks in a rational manner but also provided psychological support to prevent panic. Your availability, especially in the days leading up to the application deadline, was crucial in helping me stay motivated and successfully submit the application.

Serena: Were there any recommendations or suggestions that I provided which initially made you hesitant to follow?

Tracey: Honestly, meeting your high-quality standards was quite challenging. You often pushed me to revisit certain sections when I wanted to move forward. However, I must admit that it is thanks to these demands that the final result was amazing and we received excellent feedback from the reviewers. As you may recall, I was hesitant to include the KPIs for our project, but you insisted and that ended up being the aspect most appreciated by the evaluators. I will always be grateful to you for that!

Conclusion:

Professor Tracey Pirali's experiences highlight the importance of adaptability, trust, and passion in navigating the complex worlds of academia and entrepreneurship. Her journey demonstrates that while balancing multiple roles can be challenging, it also offers unique opportunities for growth and innovation. Tracey's insights on patent applications, translational projects, and grant coordination provide valuable lessons for researchers looking to expand their impact beyond traditional academic boundaries. Ultimately, her story underscores the transformative power of collaboration and the rewards of pursuing projects that offer life-changing opportunities to others.