Anuja R. Modi, Ph.D.

Ph.D. · Biochemistry · Burlingame, California · Available

Biochemist shaping early drug discovery through assay strategy, screening systems, and translational scientific execution.

0 Years in discovery

0 Data Processing Reduced

0 Patents & Pending

0 Publications

Recruiter Overview

A scientific operator who turns discovery questions into reliable evidence.

Anuja Modi is a biochemist with deep experience in early drug discovery, spanning assay development, high-throughput screening, target engagement, and hit-to-lead support. Her work bridges Biology, Chemistry, DMPK, automation, and external partners so complex programs move from concept to evidence faster.

Across industry and academic settings, she has built fit-for-purpose screening cascades, advanced automation strategies, interpreted SAR-relevant data, and translated complex technical findings into clear recommendations for multidisciplinary teams.

What She Brings

What she brings to any discovery team.

Assay Strategy

Designs mechanistically informative biochemical and cell-based assays that answer the right discovery question at the right program stage.

Screening & Hit-to-Lead

Builds primary, orthogonal, selectivity, and functional workflows that support differentiated modality assessment and SAR decisions.

Automation & Throughput

Introduces plate-based and liquid-handling systems that reduce reagent costs, improve reproducibility, and scale discovery execution.

Cross-Functional Delivery

Acts as a technical bridge across Biology, Chemistry, DMPK, Informatics, and CRO partners to keep the design-make-test cycle moving.

Professional Experience

Industry and academic discovery, across a decade.

Scientist II, Biology

South San Francisco, California

Led assay development and screening workflow design for selective macrocycle discovery against conserved cell-cycle targets in oncology collaborations.

Built a suite of biochemical assays central to preclinical discovery efforts for a key oncology partnership.
Established 384-well automated screening workflows and partnered with informatics to cut data-processing time by 75%.
Developed functional assays to test mechanism-of-action hypotheses during hit-to-lead studies.
Created a novel target-occupancy method that extended from preclinical discovery into fresh frozen tumor-sample applications.
Drove adoption of new liquid-handling platforms through procurement, training, and technical enablement.

Scientist, Discovery Pharmacology

South San Francisco, California

Supported multiple neurodegeneration discovery programs with assay design, translational experimentation, automation, and CRO execution.

Designed and executed HTS and hit-to-lead assays spanning target engagement, pathway activation, and mammalian primary-cell studies.
Advanced differentiated modalities including transport-vehicle conjugates for antibody and enzyme platforms toward in vivo candidacy.
Led experiments on ex vivo stability of oligonucleotide-antibody conjugates to inform platform architecture choices.
Improved data-analysis workflows with informatics collaborators and contributed to ELN functionality and compliance upgrades.
Managed CRO assay transfers, vendor coordination, and mentorship of junior scientists.

Research Scientist / Senior Research Associate

Dallas, Texas

Built and advanced a discovery program focused on inhibitors of tau-HSPG binding, from screening concept through lead optimization.

Established a Tau Consortium-funded small-molecule screening project in collaboration with the institutional HTS core.
Led hit-to-lead optimization and coordinated SAR work with medicinal chemistry collaborators.
Standardized assays, reagent production methods, and project documentation across multiple phases of the program.
Expanded lab infrastructure toward high-throughput capability through equipment acquisition, scheduling systems, and technical training.

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Dallas, Texas

Designed discovery assays and screening strategies for oncology kinase targets while contributing to broader scientific leadership and mentorship.

Designed and executed HTS to identify small-molecule inhibitors of SRMS kinase and advanced validated hits into cellular follow-up.
Developed ligand-binding and covalent-kinetics assay methods for kinase inhibitor discovery.
Served as co-chair of the postdoctoral career development committee, organizing professional development programs for researchers.

Selected Contributions

What distinguishes the work.

Turned automation into a discovery multiplier

From 384-well workflows to liquid-handling platform adoption, Anuja has repeatedly used automation to make discovery teams faster, leaner, and more reproducible.

Built assays that answer mechanism, not just activity

Her strongest programs pair functional, biochemical, and target-engagement methods so screening outputs become strategic decision tools rather than isolated readouts.

Bridged biology, chemistry, and operations

A recurring differentiator is her ability to translate between disciplines, connect CRO execution with internal priorities, and keep the design-make-test cycle aligned.

Education

Deep scientific training.

Ph.D. Chemistry (Biochemistry)

University of South Carolina

2014

M.S. Pharmaceutical Sciences (Medicinal Chemistry)

Virginia Commonwealth University

2009

B.S. Pharmacy

University of Mumbai

2007

Scholarship

Patents and publications.

Patents

Monovalent anti-TREM2 binding molecules and methods of use thereof

Dennis, Mark S. et al., including Modi, Anuja R. WO/2023/192288 (2023).
Methods to Discover Tau Protein Stabilizers

Marc I. Diamond and Anuja R. Modi. USP application, pending (2020).

Publications

A TREM2-activating antibody with a blood-brain barrier transport vehicle enhances microglial metabolism in Alzheimer's disease models

Nature Neuroscience, 2023.
A synthetic heparinoid blocks tau aggregate cell uptake and amplification

Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2020.
Spectroscopic evidence supporting neutral thiol ligation to ferrous heme iron

Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, 2018.
Oxidizing intermediates in P450 catalysis: a case for multiple oxidants in cytochrome P450 enzyme mechanisms

Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 2015.