Luis Diaz
About Luis Diaz
Luis Diaz is a Senior Process Engineer II at Kite Pharma, where he leads drug substance development for First-In-Human programs. He has extensive experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, having held various engineering and scientific roles at Amgen over a span of nearly 16 years.
Work at Kite Pharma
Luis Diaz has been employed at Kite Pharma as a Senior Process Engineer II since 2021. In this role, he leads drug substance development strategy, focusing on cell line, cell culture, and purification activities for multiple First-In-Human (FIH) programs. His responsibilities include coordinating and overseeing project activities for a team of approximately six junior and senior staff members, ensuring effective collaboration and progress on key initiatives.
Previous Experience at Amgen
Before joining Kite Pharma, Luis Diaz had an extensive career at Amgen, where he held various positions from 2005 to 2021. He started as a Manufacturing Associate I and progressed through roles such as Associate Engineer, Senior Associate, and Senior Associate Scientist. His work involved significant contributions to purification development and process transfer for protein therapeutic modalities, including monoclonal antibodies and other innovative formats.
Education and Expertise
Luis Diaz earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from UC Santa Barbara, completing his studies from 1997 to 2002. His educational background laid the foundation for his expertise in areas such as CMC authoring, process modeling techniques, and the design of experiments (DOE). He is skilled in using JMP® software for screening and optimization, which enhances his capabilities in process development.
Background in Validation Engineering
Luis Diaz began his career as a Validation Engineer at International Medication Systems, Limited in 2002. This early experience contributed to his understanding of regulatory compliance and validation processes in the pharmaceutical industry. His subsequent roles at Amgen further developed his technical skills and knowledge in manufacturing and process engineering.
Technical Skills and Specializations
Luis Diaz possesses specialized skills in purification development and process transfer for various protein therapeutic modalities, including mAb, BiTE®, XmAb® (2+1), mAb-fusion, Probody™, and hetero IgG. He is recognized for his expertise in periodic counter-current chromatography and continuous processing, which are critical for optimizing production processes in biopharmaceutical development.