While not directly involved with patients, both Romain and Marina through their respective roles know what they do makes a difference in people’s lives.
Working with the CAR T cell therapy team, Romain discovered a convergence between his knowledge of biostatistics and actual patient outcomes — working with patient data to analyze the safety and efficacy of a potentially life-transforming drug. Often it meant looking at data that goes back years, and understanding the human impact and the long haul a cancer patient sometimes has to face during their treatment. With CAR T patients in particular, who are often in later stages of their condition, embracing this connection between his work and the patient experience continues to inspire and motivate him.
“When I see, for instance, a patient has had 12 lines of therapies since their diagnosis and how it affected this person — I understand that there is suffering. So, if with CAR T we can optimize the treatment and maintain efficacy and tolerability, that would be a really great feeling.”
Coming from early development where successful outcomes could seem a long way off along a patient’s treatment journey, Marina shares Romain’s view of what her job ultimately means to her.
“Sometimes it’s difficult because we’re working on phase one. The best reason I do it is because I’m still helping people. Maybe not directly but working in a way that hopefully in the future will make people’s lives better.”
A Culture of Growth Opportunities in Switzerland
