Kevin Baker

Molecular biologist Kevin Baker first yearned to be a scientist at about age 10, after an uncle gave him a children's science encyclopedia as a gift.

"I was hooked," says Baker, a British citizen who has since made science a consistent part of his life. During his teen years he narrowed his interest to biology and chemistry, which were taught in a hands-on style at his school. Unlike his physics classes, these classes were more interested in answering the question "why" and were less focused on memorizing math formulas and laws.

Baker studied biochemistry and physiology with "first class honours" at the University of Salford. In 1986, Baker completed his Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Dundee in Scotland.

Now a seasoned scientist, Baker is associate director of pre-clinical discovery at Human Genome Sciences, Inc. in Rockville. He says sometimes it feels like he is being paid for "a hobby."

Finding New Treatments

"We do the whole gamut from gazing at the database, to making proteins, purifying proteins, testing ... assay designs. We hope to be able to discover a new protein that is of therapeutic value," Baker says. "If things pan out ... you'd be able to benefit some people with some pretty awful diseases," Baker says.

Baker looks at the basic biology behind a range of diseases that the company is targeting for developing new therapeutic treatments. They try to understand the root of an immune problem by studying it at the cellular level.

"It's just a matter of trying to understand where a weakness is in a cell," Baker says.

Lymphostat B is one substance Baker and his coworkers at HGS made to help to regulate the levels of BLys. Pronounced "bliss", it stands for the scientific term B-Lymphocite stimulator. BLys is responsible for telling the body to rev up its defenses against harmful bacteria by producing antibodies. People with autoimmune diseases typically have too much BLys, and then antibodies may go into overdrive, and begin to work against the body.

The Intellectual Challenge

The puzzles posed by disease -- and the challenges to solve them -- motivate Baker to work long hours in the lab.

"Being the first person to actually catch a glimpse of how nature works ... those times are very few and far between. But it's a great feeling when it does happen," he says.

Candidate Qualities

A research scientist at a company like HGS has to be tenacious, flexible and able to work well with colleagues. These scientists are working on long-range projects that require a stubborn sense of dedication in order to stay engaged. They also need to be ready to drop a project at a moment's notice, learn new tools and skills, and start a new research project that the company has decided is more important.

"The ability to say this is not going to be therapeutic is very important in science," Baker says.

Being a good colleague also means openly discussing ideas with other people at work. Debates in the lab may not result in immediate answers to a question, but the process helps to "plant seeds that develop in time," he says.

Next Steps

Baker says his future plans will continue to revolve around science. He has no dreams, at this stage, of starting his own company or engaging in work that strays too far from the lab. While working at another company, he once shared an office with someone who started his own biotech company and became a CEO. Baker has no intention of following suit.