Rachel Wallace

Rachel joined Flagship Pioneering in 2023 as a Translational Scientist for Pioneering Medicines. As a member of the translational science team, she works to bridge discovery research and clinical development of novel treatments in the Pioneering Medicines portfolio.   

She brings a blend of research and entrepreneurial experience to her role. Following her doctoral studies, she was an Entrepreneurial Fellow at the Chicago Biomedical Consortium and worked with Chicago-based PIs to move translational projects from the university lab towards commercialization. As a Ph.D student, she collaborated with biotech start-up Anokion SA as they progressed similar antigen-specific immune tolerance strategies to Phase 1 clinical trials. She also developed skills in venture due diligence and commercialization strategy as an Innovation Fund Associate for the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and as a Venture Fellow at Northpond Ventures.

Her interdisciplinary Ph.D. work was at the intersection of material science, nanotechnology, and immunology, and focused on utilizing polymeric drug delivery platforms to modulate immune responses. Specifically, she developed a strategy to induce antigen-specific immune tolerance and prevent antigen-specific antibody responses to immunogenic biologics without the use of immunosuppressive agents.  

Rachel received her Ph.D. in Molecular Engineering from the University of Chicago and her B.S.E in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan. She has contributed to papers published in journals including Nature Biomedical Engineering and Science Immunology.