Miles C. Duncan

Miles C. Duncan, PhD has extensive experience in the field of molecular biology and genetic analysis. Miles C. currently holds the position of Principal Scientist - NGS and Molecular Assays at Tessera Therapeutics, where they lead a team in developing next-generation sequencing assays for genetic analysis. Miles C. specializes in detecting rare SNPs and indels at on and off-target genomic loci, as well as testing for chromosomal translocations caused by gene editing technologies. Prior to this, they worked as a Senior Scientist - NGS and Molecular Assays at Tessera Therapeutics, managing a team focused on assay development for next-generation sequencing and genomic assays. In this role, they developed assays for integration site analysis and optimized assays for detecting off-target double stranded breaks in cells.

Before joining Tessera Therapeutics, Dr. Duncan worked at Sanofi as a Research Scientist in Synthetic and Molecular Biology. Miles C. successfully built a strain that produced 8x more of a major vaccine antigen for cost-effective manufacturing. Miles C. also employed Gibson Assembly to design and build vectors for increased protein expression and secretion, and improved transformation and genetic engineering workflows for synthetic biology projects.

Dr. Duncan's academic background includes a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Tufts University / Howard Hughes Medical Institute, where they directed a collaborative project focused on the genetics, biophysics, and biochemistry of a predator that kills pathogenic bacteria. This work resulted in two first-author publications. Miles C. was also responsible for the maintenance and repairs of the lab's cell sorter.

Furthermore, Dr. Duncan completed their PhD at the University of California, Santa Cruz, leading a multidisciplinary project that involved a core facility, chemistry group, and their lab. This project utilized mammalian cell-based high-throughput screening and liquid handling robotics for compound testing, leading to four first-author publications and a patent.

Earlier in their career, Dr. Duncan gained experience as a Laboratory Assistant at UC Davis, where they processed primate blood samples and tested them for infectious viral DNA. Miles C. also improved assay controls by determining the best housekeeping gene for use in RT-qPCR assays. Additionally, they worked as a Features Writer for The California Aggie during their undergraduate studies.

Overall, Dr. Miles C. Duncan has a strong background in molecular biology, genetic analysis, and assay development, with a track record of leading research teams and contributing to scientific publications and patents.

Miles C. Duncan, PhD completed a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Microbiology & Environmental Toxicology from the University of California, Santa Cruz from 2010 to 2015. Prior to that, they obtained a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Davis between 2005 and 2009.