Isaac Kinde ’05 Biological Sciences
M.D./Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Dr. Isaac Kinde is a nationally recognized innovator of molecular cancer diagnostics. He holds an M.D./Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His doctoral research produced novel cancer diagnostics based on improvements in DNA sequencing technology and was awarded the Hans Joaquim Prochaska Research Award. Notable applications of his work include a prototype screening test for ovarian and endometrial cancers from liquid-based Pap tests, a noninvasive method of monitoring bladder cancers from urine, and a revelation in the development of treatment resistance from analyzing the blood of patients with colon cancer. Descriptions of his inventions and their applications appear in prominent scientific journals – such as Science Translational Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Nature – and are the subject of several patents. His work has attracted considerable attention from industry, spurring partnerships to facilitate its commercialization, including PapGene, Inc., a molecular diagnostic startup where he currently serves as chief scientific officer. He has been recognized as one of Forbes Magazine’s ‘30 under 30’ in Science and Healthcare and a ‘Game Changer’ by Men’s Fitness. Isaac received a B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2005, where he worked with research mentor, Dr. Michael Summers. At UMBC, he was an Undergraduate Research Award (URA) Scholar and URCAD presenter (2004-05), a Meyerhoff Scholar, and received the Faculty Award of Excellence in the Biological Sciences.