A Mercer University alumnus is working at the forefront of developing new drugs to treat cancer.
Dr. Aaron Featherston, CLAS ’14, is a process chemist at pharmaceutical company AbbVie in Chicago, living out his dream to conduct research to develop new treatments for cancer patients.
“The opportunity to be part of a team to advance a new therapy that can really have a tremendous positive impact on a patient’s life is quite a rewarding mission for me,” he said.
At Mercer, Dr. Featherston was awarded the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, one of the nation’s most prestigious and competitive research scholarships for undergraduates. After graduating with his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, Featherston continued his studies in the lab of Dr. Scott Miller at Yale University, where he earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 2020. He started working at AbbVie that same year.
As a process chemist, Dr. Featherston works on developing manufacturing processes to support pre-clinical and clinical development of new medicines. As part of that, he collaborates with colleagues to supply materials to enable clinical trials and support them through the development process.
He’s currently focusing on antibody drug conjugates, which are a class of targeted medicines that combine a chemical component with a monoclonal antibody.
“This was an area where it combined my interest in biology and then also in chemistry,” he said. “Throughout my Ph.D., I became more and more enamored with understanding the mechanisms for selectivity in chemical reactions and further optimizing them.”
The work is highly collaborative and exciting, he said.
“Advancing any new medicine is a tremendous amount of work requiring hundreds, if not more, scientists across numerous organizations,” he said. “Every day, I’m learning something new. There are always new challenges and new problems to solve.”
Dr. Featherston, who plays trumpet, came to Mercer as a music major with the intention of going to pharmacy school. But the undergraduate research he was able to participate in changed the direction of his career.
Dr. David Goode, professor of chemistry, invited Dr. Featherston to work in his lab after having him in his organic chemistry class. Dr. Featherston also conducted summer research at Mercer and participated in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates at the University of Rochester in New York, where he worked on HIV inhibitors in the lab of Dr. Benjamin Miller.
He thrived in Mercer’s small class sizes that allowed him to get to know his peers and professors, who took an interest in him as well.
“The years at Mercer were instrumental, ultimately, in where I’ve gotten today,” he said. “I would never have changed anything about that experience.”
