‘Reviews provide unbiased opinions straight from the user’

Lab product reviews can change the world by helping other scientists find the best equipment to accelerate their vital work. Here at SelectScience^®, we are dedicated to promoting peer-to-peer communication that will make the difference – but we couldn’t do it without our esteemed reviewers. In this regular feature, we put the spotlight on some of our most dedicated and impactful reviewers and find out what inspires them to keep sharing their knowledge with the global scientific community.

Please welcome this week’s Reviewer in the Spotlight, Yahya Nuruddeen, analytical research and development assistant manager at Avalon Pharma. A focused leader with over 17 years of experience in product development and analytical research, Yahya tells us about the scope of his duties in the laboratory and the focus of his work. He also explains how reviews give important insight into a lab product’s performance in use.

Tell me about your role and your current research

Currently, I am working in the field of pharmaceutical science, specifically in generic drug development, and have successfully completed over 150 generic drug developmental projects. My main role is drug development in analytical science research and optimizing generic drugs to achieve biosimilar efficacy with their originator products. Additionally, I am also setting up a highly specialized laboratory with the latest technologies and building a strong team of experts to meet the competitive edge in the industry.

How did you get into your specific field of work?

I’ve been interested in scientific research and innovations since preschool. My choice in a scientific career really solidified from my chemistry experiments and projects during my early days. It has fascinated me when finding answers to questions that were above one’s imagination. After my graduation, I was hired by pharmaceutical companies in India where my research career began. All my research involved very high-tech scientific and molecular studies, where findings were due to my chance to work with a wide variety of specialized laboratory instruments and assured access to almost any type of equipment. I absolutely love diving into the pharmaceutical field.

What does a typical day look like for you?

I need to lead my research group in developing about 20 generic formulation drug products yearly. My team involves scientists working on different method development projects, method validations, analytical method transfers, regulator queries, troubleshooting commercial lab issues, and analytical method life cycle management. My other team is involved in instrumentation and calibration activities. Annually we have many new pipeline projects which demand the expansion of our lab and may involve starting up with an empty lab to equip with a new line of team and instruments. It is a challenge to get it running within a few months as decisions to buy basic equipment must be made very quickly. The SelectScience website significantly supported this selection process, and the right equipment was purchased.

How has COVID-19 affected the way that you work?

COVID-19 didn’t have a significant effect and was not a complete blockade for us, except for our supply chain team to get equipment resources, for example. The pharmaceutical industry has fared well during this period, and we found ourselves more efficient in redesigning our thought process and work planning.

Why do you think lab equipment reviews are important?

Instrument manufacturers tell us the quality of the instruments and their specifications, but how well these instruments perform and support their intended purpose is not answered by the manufacturers. It’s the real-time review platform that gives you decisive information about them. Reviews provide unbiased opinions straight from the user. In the field, it is difficult to discern what products are user-friendly and perform consistently. These specifications are not provided in the 'Methods and Materials' sections on publications, nor are they readily provided in product comments. So, I advise each user to write/read reviews to have effective knowledge of the equipment that they are working with or planning to purchase.

What is the most innovative piece of lab equipment you use?

The equipment I get the most influential data from are the Orbitrap LC-MS/MS Systems and Phoenix dry heat diffusion testing systems from Teledyne Hanson Research for semi-solid in vitro studies.

What are your goals for scientific research?

My mission is to achieve a milestone in health and medicine towards human prosperity through a breakthrough discovery, alongside building up an expert team and advanced laboratory equipped with different technologies to interpret and solve any problem.

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