BD Fellow: Vincent Alford, Ph.D.
Vincent Alford
PhD: Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology
Vincent Alford is currently a Staff Scientist within Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Genetics Sciences Division, with over 12 years of research experience in the fields of cancer, aging, pharmacology, and reproductive health.
During his graduate studies at Stony Brook University, Vincent focused on rational
drug design targeting individual matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). His research led
to the development of the first small molecule inhibitor specifically targeting the
hemopexin domain of MMP-9. His publication demonstrated that selectively targeting
the hemopexin domain can inhibit cell migration induced by MMP-9, leading to reduced
cell invasion predominantly through the disruption of α4β1 integrin focal adhesion
complexes. These findings pave the way for new therapeutic strategies for metastatic
disease and future technologies to understand the role of individual MMPs in cancer
progression.
After obtaining his Ph.D., Vincent pursued a postdoctoral position at Stanford University’s
Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. His postdoctoral research
focused on identifying early lead small
molecules that inhibit key proteins involved in triple-negative breast cancer progression.
Additionally, he
secured funding to investigate novel methods to target ubiquitin specific peptidase
16 (USP16). Through
collaborative efforts, his team linked USP16 to stem cell aging and brain inflammation
using an
Alzheimer’s mouse model.
Upon completing his postdoctoral research, Vincent joined Thermo Fisher Scientific,
gaining extensive
experience in industrial product development from concept to commercialization. As
a lead scientist, he
has overseen various new product introductions and secured internal funding for innovative
projects. His
contributions include the successful launch of two reproductive health DNA microarray
product lines,
CytoScan 750k Accel™ and CytoScan HD Accel™, as well as the development of the next-generation
GeneChip™ Scanner 3000 7G™ instrument system.