Nicholas Parenti

Although he graduated college as a pre-med, Nicholas Parenti (MCS ’23) discovered a passion for virology when he went to work for a pioneering Penn Medicine lab that has been studying coronaviruses for decades. “I just immediately knew working in the lab was for me,” he recalls. “I really enjoyed the lab work and thinking about molecular biology, and I knew that I wanted more education.” As a lab technician, Nick helps the lab run smoothly and supports his colleagues’ research. At Penn’s Master of Chemical Sciences (MCS) program, Nick would have the opportunity to develop his knowledge in chemistry while developing a research proposal, implementing research on the topic, culminating in scientific communication of the results as part of the capstone research requirement. The flexibility of the program meant that he could take classes without interrupting his work at Penn Medicine and Penn’s tuition benefits made the program even more accessible.

In the MCS program, Nick enjoyed chemistry courses in techniques such as mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. “I really like the real-world applicability of the coursework,” he says. Through Penn’s Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Nick was also able to take advanced biological coursework in topics such as immunobiology so that he better understood his own research and cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) to expand his knowledge into structural biology. There are benefits to being an analytical chemist in a biology lab that studies viruses, he explains; one positive outcome of virology research is the discovery of viral proteins that could be targeted with drugs. “That would be a great collaboration with medicinal chemists,” Nick notes. Another possible outcome of virology research is the creation of vaccines, a passion of Nick’s, which frequently employs biochemistry techniques such as recombinant protein expression and purification. “One of the major projects that I have undertaken is re-establishing recombinant virus production in our lab,” says Nick. “That’s where I was able to link chemistry to biology.”

Nick continued to explore that link by declaring a degree concentration in biological chemistry, and in exploring molecular virology in his capstone project. “My favorite class of the whole program was RNA-protein complexes,” he recalls. “The main focus of my research has changed entirely because of that course.” Nick’s capstone project focused on an RNA-binding coronavirus protein and applying reverse genetics to engineer live coronaviruses with mutations in that protein—something few labs have done. Nick’s research was one of four projects in his cohort recognized with a Master of Chemical Sciences Capstone Award in 2023. “The distinction is good for me,” he says. “I won some travel awards, the capstone award, and the PCI Fellowship, and it makes a nice list of accomplishments I can put on my resume.”

The PCI or Penn Center for Innovation Fellowship is a unique opportunity that emerged out of Nick’s elective courses: his interest in entrepreneurship led him to take courses in startup law and patent law, and ultimately completing a certificate from Penn Law. Still interested in licensing and business development, and newly equipped with legal knowledge, Nick applied for the PCI Fellowship—a role typically filled by PhD students. As a PCI Fellow, Nick draws on his scientific expertise as well as his familiarity with patent law to review innovations and inventions that are disclosed by Penn researchers and write reports assessing their technical and commercial potential. “Because we have technical expertise, we take their technical language and put them into non-technical, marketing-friendly wording,” he explains. Through the fellowship, he has met with industry professionals in science, law, and business development along with his cohort.

Nick hasn’t ruled out a career path in biotechnology entrepreneurship; “I think it’s a really exciting place to be, to get in on the ground floor of something new,” he says. In the meantime, however, he has received a pilot grant through Penn’s Institute for RNA Innovation to continue his thesis research with the virology lab where he currently works. “Opportunity begets opportunity,” observes Nick, who previously presented his work for the American Society of Virology Meeting in Athens, Georgia in June 2023. Ultimately, his ambition for an independent MCS capstone research project led to many other experiences, connections, and collaborations. “It was incredibly challenging,” he says of his time in the program, “but incredibly rewarding.”