Avoidable Experiment Expenditure (AEE) is being recognized as a major contributor to pharma’s productivity crisis, responsible for draining $48 billion per year worldwide. Each of the experts featured here has researched or otherwise developed expertise in understanding and addressing issues related to AEE. They are listed in alphabetical order and unless otherwise indicated do not necessarily endorse or have a formal relationship with BenchSci. Please feel free to contact them with any inquiries you have.
Brian Nosek is cofounder and executive director of the Center for Open Science, an organization dedicated to enabling open and reproducible research practices worldwide. He is also a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia. Brian investigates the gap between values and practices, such as when behavior is influenced by factors other than one's intentions and goals. Research applications of this interest include implicit bias, decision-making, attitudes, ideology, morality, innovation, barriers to change, open science, and reproducibility. In 2015, he was named one of Nature's 10 and to the Chronicle for Higher Education Influence list.
Casandra Mangroo is the VP of Science and the Science team lead at BenchSci. She enjoys the excitement and challenge of working in a fast-paced environment at the intersection of science, engineering, and business. Equipped with research experience from her Ph.D. in Virology from the University of Toronto, Casandra is passionate about solving scientific research challenges within organizations and driving impact through the development and application of cutting-edge deep learning technology. Casandra is also the product owner of BenchSci’s data pipeline, and is instrumental in the company’s operations identifying and resolving Avoidable Experiment Expenditure.
Dr. Rimm is a Professor and the Director of Yale Pathology Tissue Services at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Rimm also serves on the Immunohistochemistry committee for the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and multiple scientific advisory boards for biotech and pharma. He is an author of over 400 peer-reviewed papers and 8 patents, and a scientific cofounder of three life science startups. Dr. Rimm is an expert in the challenge of using antibodies in research and has been a strong advocate for antibody validation practices.
Joseph A. DiMasi is an internationally recognized expert on the economics of the pharmaceutical industry. He has published in a wide variety of economic, medical, and scientific journals, and has presented his research at numerous professional and industry conferences. Dr. DiMasi’s research interests include the R&D cost of new drug development, clinical success and phase attrition rates, development and regulatory approval times, R&D efficiency, the role that pharmacoeconomic evaluations have played in the R&D process, pricing and profitability in the pharmaceutical industry, innovation incentives for pharmaceutical R&D, and changes in the structure and performance of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
Leonard Freedman, Ph.D. is the Chief Science Officer at Frederick National Laboratory. Widely published, Freedman has served on influential scientific review panels and editorial boards, including Molecular and Cellular Biology. He specializes in molecular and cell biology, cancer research, gene regulation, drug discovery, biological standards, people management, academic biomedical research, and education. Dr. Freedman is also the founder and president of the Global Biological Standards Institute (GBSI), an organization that seeks to promote the use of biological standards to reduce irreproducibility in experiments.
Liran Belenzon is the CEO of BenchSci, which he cofounded in 2015. With his passion for innovation and desire to solve important problems, he has helped BenchSci grow to an over 100-person strong organization that has raised more than $59 million from top investors, including Google’s Gradient Ventures and F-Prime. He regularly meets with customers, including leadership from 15 of the world’s top 20 pharma companies, to discuss their unique challenges. Liran understands the importance of R&D effectiveness, and empathizes with scientists’ frustration caused by Avoidable Experiment Expenditure. He has also written about the current lack of software innovation in preclinical R&D to address AEE.
Brian Nosek is cofounder and executive director of the Center for Open Science, an organization dedicated to enabling open and reproducible research practices worldwide. He is also a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia. Brian investigates the gap between values and practices, such as when behavior is influenced by factors other than one's intentions and goals. Research applications of this interest include implicit bias, decision-making, attitudes, ideology, morality, innovation, barriers to change, open science, and reproducibility. In 2015, he was named one of Nature's 10 and to the Chronicle for Higher Education Influence list.
Casandra Mangroo is the VP of Science and the Science team lead at BenchSci. She enjoys the excitement and challenge of working in a fast-paced environment at the intersection of science, engineering, and business. Equipped with research experience from her Ph.D. in Virology from the University of Toronto, Casandra is passionate about solving scientific research challenges within organizations and driving impact through the development and application of cutting-edge deep learning technology. Casandra is also the product owner of BenchSci’s data pipeline, and is instrumental in the company’s operations identifying and resolving Avoidable Experiment Expenditure.
Dr. Rimm is a Professor and the Director of Yale Pathology Tissue Services at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Rimm also serves on the Immunohistochemistry committee for the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and multiple scientific advisory boards for biotech and pharma. He is an author of over 400 peer-reviewed papers and 8 patents, and a scientific cofounder of three life science startups. Dr. Rimm is an expert in the challenge of using antibodies in research and has been a strong advocate for antibody validation practices.
Joseph A. DiMasi is an internationally recognized expert on the economics of the pharmaceutical industry. He has published in a wide variety of economic, medical, and scientific journals, and has presented his research at numerous professional and industry conferences. Dr. DiMasi’s research interests include the R&D cost of new drug development, clinical success and phase attrition rates, development and regulatory approval times, R&D efficiency, the role that pharmacoeconomic evaluations have played in the R&D process, pricing and profitability in the pharmaceutical industry, innovation incentives for pharmaceutical R&D, and changes in the structure and performance of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.
Leonard Freedman, Ph.D. is the Chief Science Officer at Frederick National Laboratory. Widely published, Freedman has served on influential scientific review panels and editorial boards, including Molecular and Cellular Biology. He specializes in molecular and cell biology, cancer research, gene regulation, drug discovery, biological standards, people management, academic biomedical research, and education. Dr. Freedman is also the founder and president of the Global Biological Standards Institute (GBSI), an organization that seeks to promote the use of biological standards to reduce irreproducibility in experiments.
Liran Belenzon is the CEO of BenchSci, which he cofounded in 2015. With his passion for innovation and desire to solve important problems, he has helped BenchSci grow to an over 100-person strong organization that has raised more than $59 million from top investors, including Google’s Gradient Ventures and F-Prime. He regularly meets with customers, including leadership from 15 of the world’s top 20 pharma companies, to discuss their unique challenges. Liran understands the importance of R&D effectiveness, and empathizes with scientists’ frustration caused by Avoidable Experiment Expenditure. He has also written about the current lack of software innovation in preclinical R&D to address AEE.