War turned me into a doctor
In an interview with Hamshahri, Dr. Omid Farokhzad, laureate of the 5th Mustafa(pbuh) Prize talks about his professional life.
MSTF media reports
Various stories about traveling into the human body have been written, one of the most fascinating of which has been turned into a movie called "Fantastic Voyage". The story is about Dr. Jan Benes, a scientist who knows the secret of shrinking soldiers for an indefinite period of time, but gets afflicted with a brain injury and a blood clot in his brain. Meanwhile, doctors along with a submarine navigator use Benes' technology to shrink themselves and enter his bloodstream to reach his brain and remove the clot. Scientists around the world are now trying to make this dream a reality, but with real scientific methods. However, there is no plan for a human to shrink and enter someone else's veins with a submarine! One of these scientists is Professor Omid Farokhzad, who was recently selected as the winner of the 5th Mustafa(pbuh) Prize in the field of Life and Medical Science and Technology. The nano-carrier he designed has the ability to target and release drugs in a controlled manner. In simpler terms, these nanoparticles can deliver drugs to their destination and release them there. This method is more effective and has fewer side effects. Professor Farokhzad has donated his prize money to the Mustafa(pbuh) Foundation to create an investment fund and establish a prize for young researchers. You are about to read an interview with this Iranian scientist.
As a successful person, what is your definition of success?
Success is not just about achieving the technology to create a product, but rather about walking the path of helping to cure humans. This perspective makes us see the challenges of this path as an important part of the journey and an inspiration for new innovative ideas. As someone who has always wanted to help improve people's health, I strongly believe in this.
You spent your childhood and school years in Iran; tell us about those times.
I was born into a middle-class family in Tehran. I went to a school called "Armaghan Tabiat." As far as I remember, education was of special importance in our family. My father was very fond of reading and made us accustomed to it. In fact, he was a role model for us in this regard. He read historical, political, poetry and biography books, and I even saw him memorizing a dictionary. I also liked to read various books. The Mustafa(pbuh) Prize was one of the things my father liked to witness. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2022 and as I mentioned at the ceremony, I dedicated my prize to him.
Tell us about your higher education.
After receiving my Bachelor's degree in Molecular Biology from Massachusetts University, I decided to pursue a career in medicine. As a result, I enrolled in the Pharmacy program at Boston University and later went on to study at Harvard University for my postgraduate studies. However, I spent my postdoctoral years working on targeted drug delivery using nanoparticles at Dr. Robert Langer's Chemical Engineering Laboratory at MIT. I have always been eager to see the impact of my research on human health, and the world of nanotechnology provided me with the opportunity to fulfill this passion. Dr. Langer taught me that commercial thinking is not at odds with scientific thinking! After teaching at Harvard University for about 20 years, I left to develop Seer.
What made you decide to pursue medicine?
I was in Iran during the war [Iran-Iraq war] and saw what a crucial role doctors played in this situation. This was one of my motives to pursue medicine, even though I initially obtained my Bachelor's degree in Biology from Massachusetts University.
When did you come up with the idea for your invention?
In 2001, I came up with a new method for targeted drug delivery using nanoparticles. Due to my background in biology, I decided to use a single-stranded molecule called aptamer, which has a genetic structure, instead of using protein-based antigens for nanoparticle targeting.
Can you tell us about the process you went through to achieve this success?
In 2004, when nanomedicine was still an unfamiliar term worldwide, I established the Nanomedicine Laboratory at Brigham Hospital to specialize in using nanotechnology for the treatment of diseases such as cancer. The success of this laboratory allowed me to expand my activities and establish the Nanomedicine Center at this hospital after a decade. In 2006, I launched BIND to implement my postdoctoral work. Interestingly, I presented my idea to a scientist who was also active in the business field, and asked for his opinion. He replied, "This can be published as a paper, but not commercialized; controlling the production of chemicals is not your strong suit and it is not something that the FDA would approve!"
When did you succeed in implementing your plan?
By making changes to the design of the nanoparticle carrier, we were able to overcome this problem and produce the first product of the company. When the first targeted nanoparticles we produced entered a human body, it was headline news for weeks. One of the people involved in the clinical trial phase of our project was a woman with cervical cancer who had not responded to other treatments. However, after clinical trials of our drug, her cancer was cured. She interviewed with the newspaper without our knowledge, and this led to BIND going public! In the second phase of the work, however, we experienced a decline in the stock market and Pfizer purchased BIND.
In general and in simple terms, can you tell us what you do in your laboratory?
We perform various experiments on nanoparticles in our laboratory. In 2012, a woman from Oxford University joined our lab to work on changing the surface structure of nanoparticles and studying the effects of these changes on a complex biological system. In 2014 and 2015, another colleague of ours worked on the surface properties and characteristics of nanoparticles, and the results of his research showed that the surface properties of nanoparticles have an impact on their circulation in the blood and that different nanoparticles attach to different proteins.
What made you decide to establish Seer?
I launched this company in 2018. Once again, I decided to look at the challenge we were facing from a different perspective. Seer's work is based on manufacturing products using nanoparticles, and its customers include pharmaceutical companies, university laboratories, product commercialization laboratories, and biotechnology companies. One of the company's clients is Cornell, which collaborates with the startup SpaceX (owned by Elon Musk). Using Seer's products, this group has created a special profile for each astronaut before, during, and after their space travel to examine the impact of space travel on the human body from a protein content perspective. The results of this study showed that the production and behavior of about 50 proteins in the body changed with space travel.
What sports are you interested in?
I am not very interested in sports competitions. But I really enjoy watching my children during their sports activities. My daughter, Nika, is a swimmer, and my son, Rayan, plays squash, and tennis, and is also a very good skier.
In your opinion, what are the key factors for the success of students and researchers?
I think you need several elements that must be integrated. 1- Curiosity; you need to be curious and willing to learn and discover new information about whatever interests you. 2- Seek supportive mentors. You need to find people who care about you and want you to succeed. You learn from them. Good mentors are a source of support and inspiration. 3- Work hard. The idea that you don't need to work hard, but you need to work smart, is not correct in my opinion. You certainly need to work smart, but you also need to work hard; be the most hard-working member of your team. Be a role model in doing challenging tasks. 4- Take risks and manage them. You need to seize an opportunity. Usually, doing something very important with a significant impact requires the same amount of time, effort, energy, and investment as doing something average with limited impact. You need to invest your time in doing things that are very important, and if you succeed, you can have a significant impact. Don't be afraid to take risks, but you also need to manage the risks. 5- Have perseverance. You must be able to persist in the face of failures. The path to success is never linear and straightforward. If you choose a straightforward path, it probably means that you are not taking enough risks. You need to see failure as a valuable learning experience. The wounds that come with failure are priceless and very important for future success.
About Mustafa(pbuh) Prize:
The Mustafa(pbuh) Science and Technology Foundation started its activities in 2012 with the vision of promoting peace, security, and human welfare. The foundation is committed to the development of science and technology in the Islamic world, and to achieve this goal, it aims to identify and honor prominent scientists, provide a platform for research collaborations, and increase cooperation among Islamic countries in the fields of science and technology, with an emphasis on advanced technologies. In order to honor outstanding scientists and promote scientific collaboration worldwide, the Mustafa(pbuh) Prize was established as a symbol of scientific excellence at the global level. The prize is awarded to innovative works at the forefront of knowledge presented by distinguished individuals in the fields of science and technology that pave the way for improving human life. In addition to receiving the Mustafa(pbuh) Prize medal and certificate, winners are also awarded a cash prize of $500,000, which is provided through philanthropic donations and endowments for science and technology.
What are nanoparticle carriers?
These days, using nanotechnology, drugs can be made in very small dimensions. More precisely, nanobiotechnology can create drugs with nanometer dimensions. In recent years, nanoparticles have attracted the attention of many researchers and scientists in drug delivery systems. The use of nanoparticles as drug carriers has created new advances in the field of medicine and drug delivery by improving drug performance and reducing its side effects. To transport these drugs in the body, there is a need for carriers that should also be produced in nanometer dimensions; these carriers are called nanoparticle carriers.
