Otero Appointed to Governing Council of Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering

José Manuel (Manny) Otero, PhD, Senior Vice President for Technical Operations and executive team member at Turnstone Biologics, Inc., has been appointed to the 11-member Governing Council of the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.

Dr. Otero shared that his willingness to serve was easy as, “I have three little girls that are growing up in Connecticut, and with any luck, will call this home for a long time. I am not only fundamentally concerned that STEM opportunities will be available to them, but that they be on the cutting edge – representing the very best scientifically that the US can offer.”

Otero will serve through June 30, 2021, with the recommendation that his name be submitted for election by the membership for a six-year term beginning on July 1, 2021.

Christine Broadbridge, Council President and Southern Connecticut State University’s executive director of research & innovation, professor of physics, and director of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Center for Nanotechnology, recommended Otero for the appointment, which was confirmed by vote of the council.

“As a scientist, an innovator, and supporter of high-quality education and workforce development, Dr. Otero is a passionate advocate for STEM. His appointment to the Academy’s Governing Council adds a unique perspective that will broaden our thinking and we are confident that he will make significant contributions to CASE’s strategic priorities,”   Professor Broadbridge said.

Dr. Otero is recognized for his engineering excellence in disruptive human therapeutics discovery and development and tackling global unmet human health needs. He contributed to the development of the first transformative HPV vaccine, enabled clinical study of the first human microbiome therapeutic, and is supporting the development of the next generation viral immunotherapies for cancer.

With deep expertise in bioprocess development of advanced biopharmaceutical therapeutics, Otero’s expertise spans all aspects of drug substance and product across clinical and commercial manufacturing. This includes special focus on all aspects of chemistry, manufacturing and controls development for microbial-based manufacturing for vaccines/microbiome therapeutics, and live-virus vaccine manufacturing.

His appointment to the CASE Governing Council comes at a time when science itself is under the microscope in the midst of the political campaign season and the coronavirus pandemic, continuing beyond its seventh month. 

Broadbridge points out that since CASE was founded in 1976 by Special Act of the Connecticut General Assembly, the Academy “has been relied upon to provide objective, evidence-based, non-partisan, cost-effective, and actionable recommendations for consideration by state government.“

“A top priority of mine, with support of the council, is a commitment to establishing partnerships that leverage our assets with other entities that share a common mission of promoting the social and economic well-being of the state,” Broadbridge explained. 

“In our statewide conversations, we have confirmed what we already knew - that the importance of STEM education and workforce development cannot be overstated, particularly as we face the challenges associated with the pandemic and a growing divide in STEM diversity, equity and inclusion.  These challenges must be overcome, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it is essential for the future prosperity of our state and the welfare of its residents.”

Otero is an unabashed booster for Connecticut’s education opportunities, noting that he “personally benefited tremendously from the investments that Connecticut has put into STEM, when I first participated in the Connecticut Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF) when I was in the 8th grade” when he moved to the state from Queens, New York.

He stresses - based on a lifetime of experience - that science, engineering and communication are intertwined

“You could be the most incredible and talented scientist or engineer, but if you could not transform and translate your understanding of the challenges, with all of the nuance, color, and context that so often comes with complex problems, then while you may have found the solution, what good is that solution if you can’t convince others — often non-scientists or non-engineers — to embrace it?”

He notes that “science is at a cross-roads in our society like I have never witnessed it before, with the stakes being the very highest they have ever been.”

“In a word,” he continues, “CASE has the opportunity to be a real source of leadership.  Often times, colleagues in STEM are excellent at interacting with each other, but we need to become excellent at interacting with everyone.”

“On the one hand, we must continue to ensure that hypothesis guided, data driven, knowledge based, and fundamental excellence in sciences continue to surface and be available, through the highest caliber of peer-review possible, so that the results, interpretations, and ultimate conclusions that science offers are trusted,” Otero told CT by the Numbers. “On the other hand, I do not believe that science and its practitioners should view ‘being right’ as the ultimate goal — they must view the ultimate goal as being heard, as being invited to the discussion, as being considered part of the collective wisdom that we as a society count on from our leaders to help guide us through the biggest hurdles ahead of us. Hurdles that so often involve socio-economic, socio-political, and ultimately vast cultural impacts to our neighborhoods.”

In recent weeks, Gov. Lamont announced the members he has appointed to serve on the Governor’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group, which met for the first time last week. The group will be responsible for advising the governor on preparations for a COVID-19 vaccine, including the optimization of a statewide vaccine distribution strategy, and communicating critical medical information about the vaccine with the state’s residents. And once again, Lamont has turned to CASE for a leading role.

Among those appointed by Lamont is CASE member Albert Ko, Department Chair and Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) and of Medicine (Infectious Diseases); Department Chair, Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale University School of Medicine.  He will be a member of the Advisory Group’s Scientific subgroup.  Ko previously was appointed by Lamont to co-chair the state’s ReOpen Connecticut effort earlier this year, as the initial peak of coronavirus cases receded. 

The Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering was chartered to provide expert guidance on science and technology to the people and to the state of Connecticut, and to promote the application of science and technology to human welfare and economic well-being.

That work, Otero explains, is most effective when it begins sooner rather than later.

For him, it “started in Connecticut when I was a kid, because scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians cared enough to enable the all-volunteer CSEF to be an incredible opportunity for kids that were willing to take it. My involvement in CASE today, along with my continued involvement and commitments to CSEF, is nothing more than ensuring that I pay it forward,” Otero explained.

After earning engineering degrees from MIT and Chalmers University of Technology, he has devoted his life and career “to one of excellence in research and development, working towards solving some of the most pressing challenges of our time, to help those for whom options do not exist.”  That includes, most recently, reimagining cancer treatment for those suffering most severely, and in his work as SVP, Technical Operations, at Turnstone Biologics, Inc.

Otero spent 12 years at Merck, initially as a staff biochemical engineer and leaving as director for project management and leadership in the area of vaccine manufacturing sciences and commercialization. He then joined Seres Therapeutics and was vice president for bioprocess development and manufacturing, and most recently as a senior leader at Turnstone Biologics. Turnstone is a privately held company that has attracted significant venture capital financing for its approach to attacking cancer. The company has received numerous awards including being named a 2017 Fierce 15 company.

Dr. Ashraf Amanullah, executive vice president for technical operations, InhibRx, Inc., a colleague of Dr. Otero’s from Merck, described him as, “… as always applying his talents in the most challenging and non-traditional biological systems. These products, and his contributions to them, have made a significant impact on global human health.”

In addition to his service on behalf of the Academy, Otero has made a commitment to science education as a member of the Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair’s advisory council and executive committee and to advanced degree education and mentoring.

Turnstone Biologics is a clinical-stage, immuno-oncology company developing the next-generation of oncolytic viral immunotherapies for patients with a broad range of solid tumors. The company's Maraba (MG1) oncolytic virus platform is the first to combine the tumor-killing effects of an oncolytic virus with a tumor-targeted T-cell vaccine to harness an individual's own immune system to attack the tumor, with the goal of preventing recurrence and delivering a cure.

Otero is a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineering, the Society of Industrial Microbiology, the Society for Biological Engineering, and the BioPharma Research Council. He earned a BS in Chemical Engineering and MS in Biomedical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD in Biological and Chemical Engineering from Chalmers University of Technology.

“CASE can effectively serve as a source of excellence in scientific abilities, perspectives, and analysis for a full-range of challenges affecting members of our Connecticut community,” Otero adds. “ And it must also serve as a source for inspiration for how we communicate our findings; how we apply our knowledge recognizing that being right or precise is secondary to being useful, pragmatic, and helpful.”

For more information about the Connecticut Academy for Science and Engineering, visit www.ctcase.org.