Lorena Napolitano

Lorena Napolitano has a diverse range of work experience in the field of formulation development and research. Lorena currently holds the position of Senior Scientist at VitriVax, a role they began in August 2022.

Before joining VitriVax, Lorena worked at Azurity Pharmaceuticals as an Associate Principal Scientist from January 2020 to July 2022. In this role, they led formulation development for multiple oral liquid 505(b)2 development programs, including prototyping, formulation selection, scaleup, and transfer to CDMOs. Lorena also evaluated the intellectual property landscape to create patentable products and performed experiments to support existing IP. Additionally, they collaborated with analytical chemists and assisted in characterizing the oral liquid and determining its stability.

Prior to their position at Azurity Pharmaceuticals, Lorena held the role of Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Kansas from June 2017 to January 2020. Their work in this role involved formulation development and analytical characterization of a viral vector-based cancer vaccine under the guidance of Dr. David Volkin and Dr. Sangeeta Joshi. Lorena also served as a Doctoral Student at the same institution from August 2012 to May 2017, investigating aluminum and emulsion adjuvants for tolerance-promoting therapies for autoimmune diseases.

Lorena gained industry experience as an Intern at Genentech in March 2015, and research experience as a Professional Research Assistant at the University of Colorado from May 2010 to July 2012. At Genentech, they completed a short internship, while at the University of Colorado, they focused on investigating the impact of mechanical stimulation and calcium signaling on the regeneration of connective tissues on hydrogel scaffolds.

Additionally, Lorena worked as an Intern at Stanford University in June 2010, constructing 3-dimensional models of abdominal aortic aneurysms to study the effect of exercise on their size and growth. Lorena also served as an Associate Researcher at NIST from May 2009 to December 2009.

Overall, Lorena Napolitano's work experience showcases their expertise in formulation development, research, collaboration with analytical chemists, and experience in both academic and industry settings.

Lorena Napolitano pursued their education in a specialized field of study. From 2012 to 2017, Lorena was a Doctoral Candidate at The University of Kansas, focusing on Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Prior to that, they attended the University of Colorado Boulder from 2007 to 2011, where they obtained their Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering.