M. Jimenez

Research and Breakthrough Innovation:
Lead bioanalytical strategy, assay development, and execution for early research and development programs, providing critical data that advances Elanco’s innovation pipelin.

• Lead development, validation, and optimization of bioanalytical assays (MSD, ELISA, cell-based) for therapeutic proteins and vaccines, ensuring data integrity across a complex biologics pipeline.
• Generate stable cell lines to establish cell-based neutralizing antibody assays supporting biologics discovery programs.
• Manage cross-functional collaborations with Discovery, PK, Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Clinical teams, as well as external CRO partnerships including assay transfers, study monitoring, and data review.
• Spearheading the build-out of the first in-house small molecule screening platform at the Indianapolis site, including site-to-site transfer of the small molecule assay portfolio from Monheim, Germany.

Internal Medicine Research Unit (IMRU) / Portfolio Strategy/Cardio-Renal:
Research strategy to address the increasing global impact of the dysmetabolic state, with key focus in the areas of Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, and associated indications including NASH, T2DM, and Cachexia.

• Executed in vitro pharmacological experiments in stable and primary cell lines as well as ex vivo tissues and in vivo-derived samples, supporting cardiovascular-renal and obesity disease programs across target validation and lead optimization.
• Validated targets and developed MOA studies using TR-FRET, CETSA, AlphaScreen, AlphaLISA/SureFire, and cell-based assays in primary disease-relevant cell lines, including Seahorse XF metabolic profiling, high-content imaging, glucose uptake, HiBiT, and GPCR signaling assays.
• Designed and miniaturized upstream HTS workflows for DNA transfections and siRNA knockdowns to enable human genomic-SAR exploration for GPCR programs (pharmacogenetics).
• Served on the Capital Expense Committee, contributing to equipment strategy and multi-year infrastructure planning, and drove adoption of industry-standard practices across the team.
• Led automation and instrumentation engineering efforts, overseeing equipment selection, integration, and optimization of liquid handling and HTS platforms to support pharmacological screening workflows.

Chemical Biology and Therapeutics / Chemical Genetics:
Scouting, evaluating and deploying emerging methods and technologies to identify novel first-in-class mechanisms, creating collaboratively early target and drug discovery and drug discovery programs with a strong grasp of the fundamentals of Chemical Biology.

Chemical Biology and Therapeutics / Early Translational Biology:
Co-creating discovery projects across all NIBR portfolio space, collaboratively define the strategy, distill essentials of programs and building experimental systems to address key scientific questions. Exploratory phase engagement with diseased areas to transfer complex models to high throughput screens, biochemical, cellular, high content and genetic screening.

Chemical Biology and Therapeutics / Discovery Biology I:
Catalyzing the discovery of proprietary targets and paths to drug discovery combining genetics, low molecular weight tools and physiologically relevant models, detailed expertise in key areas of biology and target classes. Primary focus in Neuroscience programs: Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

Center for Proteomic Chemistry / Integrated Lead Discovery and Screening Sciences:
In close collaboration with NIBR partners, to discover leads for NIBR targets or pathways; bring contributions to target identification and lead optimization. Primary focus: microRNA biogenesis and Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH).

Center for Proteomic Chemistry / Facilitated Access to Screening Technologies (FAST) Laboratory:
Support all disease areas within NIBR partners with proof of concept projects and focused screens. Primary consultant for internal and external collaborations not limited to assay development, miniaturization up to 1536w, automation adaptation and screening over 150K compounds in various HTS phases utilizing biochemical, cellular and high content screening technologies.

• Developed correlates of protection assays for both bacterial and viral vaccine candidates, supporting preclinical and clinical programs including meningococcal vaccine (Bexsero), influenza, Yellow Fever, and cytomegalovirus; work conducted up to BSL-3.
• Conducted R&D project on innate immunity to engineer a universal complement system for use in bactericidal assays supporting the meningococcal vaccine program (Bexsero).