>> My name is Heather Agnew and I'm a Principal Research Investigator
at the Biotech Startup Company Integrated Diagnostics.
PCC is a Protein Catalyzed Capture Agent.
And what that is, is it's a molecule that is much like a peptide but it displays a very,
very excellent binding properties much
like an antibody would that's used in clinical diagnostics.
But then they also offer their own unique qualities which allow us
to explore possibilities in In-Vitro diagnostic detection, In-Vivo diagnostic detection
and even therapeutic applications.
Also they could be possible thought of as imaging agents to detect tumors in body.
I do quite a few different things on a daily basis.
The life in a startup company is it's very interesting.
There are new challenges that come everyday.
I do experiments at the bench, I'm involved in managing subordinates and I'm also involved
in interacting with the founders and board members of the company.
It's not a nine to five, the life in a startup company is not going to be a nine to five.
I work quite a few hours a day but I'm really passionate about what I do.
This PCC technology that they were working on pursuing is something that I had originated
as a graduate student at Caltech when I was working with Professor Jim Heath.
And it's something that I'm so passionate about seeing taking to next level that I like to put
in the long hours, because what I put in is directly related to the results that I get out.