Alexandra is a Bioengineering PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is developing cancer immunotherapies. Her research focuses on engineering targeted cellular therapies, including a tumor microenvironment-sensing genetic circuit for solid tumors and a modular CAR T adaptor system for liquid tumors. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a life science strategy consultant at Kx Advisors, where she advised large pharmaceutical companies on acquisition targets and market expansion strategies. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biological Engineering with a minor in Finance from MIT, where she first developed an appreciation for the intersection of science and business.

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What excites you most about working with ARTIS?

Throughout my professional and academic experiences, I have learned that the successful development of novel therapies depends on more than scientific and engineering advances - it requires the strategic allocation of capital to bring those innovations to market. ARTIS' commitment to investing in groundbreaking science that addresses unmet medical needs deeply aligns with my own journey from healthcare consulting to scientific research. I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to a venture capital firm that shares my passion for advancing transformative therapies.

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What is the most influential content you read last year?

The most influential content I read last year was the New England Journal of Medicine report on the first patient to receive in vivo CRISPR-based gene editing at the Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania. Unlike ex vivo approaches, this trial delivered CRISPR machinery directly into the body to target a genetic liver disease - a milestone with profound scientific and clinical implications. It signaled a shift toward treating diseases at their source with a single intervention, underscoring the need for precise delivery, long-term safety monitoring, and careful patient selection as genome editing moves toward routine clinical use.

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From your perspective, what recent innovation has had the greatest impact in tech/health?

The most impactful recent innovation has been the maturation of mRNA paired with lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery systems. The COVID-19 vaccines demonstrated the versatility of the platform — showing that treatments can be rapidly designed, manufactured, and deployed at global scale. This success catalyzed interest in expanding applications beyond prophylactic vaccines to include cancer immunotherapies, rare genetic disorders, autoimmune diseases, and regenerative medicine. With increased investment, the mRNA/LNP field will continue towards the ultimate goal of in vivo therapeutic delivery via RNA regulation and targeted LNP formulations.

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