Andy Mac Kinnon
About Andy Mac Kinnon
Andy Mac Kinnon is the Director of Biology at Calithera Biosciences, where he has worked since 2012. He has extensive experience in biochemistry and molecular biology, with a focus on oncology and drug development.
Work at Calithera Biosciences
Andy Mac Kinnon has served as the Director of Biology at Calithera Biosciences since 2012. In this role, he focuses on providing scientific support for the discovery and development of novel therapies aimed at improving patient quality of life. His responsibilities include optimizing and validating pharmacodynamic and biomarker assays across discovery, pre-clinical, and clinical stages. His extensive experience in oncology and small-molecule lead identification contributes to the company's research initiatives.
Education and Expertise
Andy Mac Kinnon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Reed College, which he attended from 2000 to 2005. He furthered his education at the University of California, San Francisco, where he earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Chemical Biology from 2005 to 2011. Additionally, he completed a Post Doctoral Scholar program at the California Institute of Technology in 2012. His expertise includes protein purification, enzyme kinetics, and the development of quantitative biochemical and cellular assays.
Background
Prior to his current position, Andy Mac Kinnon worked as a Ph.D. candidate at UCSF from 2005 to 2012, where he conducted research in the San Francisco Bay Area. He also served as a Post baccalaureate scholar at Reed College from 2004 to 2005. His academic journey includes a significant postdoctoral experience at Caltech, where he specialized in Chemical Biology for 11 months in 2012.
Achievements
Throughout his career, Andy Mac Kinnon has developed and optimized various biochemical and cellular assays to support small-molecule lead identification and optimization in oncology. He has conducted mechanism-of-action studies that contribute to the understanding of drug interactions at the cellular level. His commitment to effective communication and teamwork across diverse disciplines has been instrumental in advancing research objectives.