Counting on Community

At Athari Bio, we lead by example and we actively employ empathy in every stage of our growth. This testimonial speaks to the leadership qualities of our CEO Susan Mitchell. Beyond being a good boss, it’s about being a good human, and the good work follows naturally.

Several years ago, I needed some guidance and support as our organization began developing new programming for our community. Today, my organization continued to step into new work and efforts. In all those varied and exploratory steps, Susan Mitchell and her team have supported our efforts as thought-leaders and change-makers.

Susan Mitchell is a steadfast source of ideas, support, and forward thinking.

It has been rewarding to be part of the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce and see her commitment to its programs and programming. From the Gov Com Committee, to the Chamber’s growing and emerging work in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and its various subcommittees dedicated to generating action-oriented products that advance our community and the Loudoun Chamber.

I am honored to support and applaud the work of this local leader.

Sincerely,
Amy E. Owen, President & CEO
Community Foundation for Loudoun and Northern Fauquier Counties

Appy New Year!

Has the rush of Resolutions faded? Are you looking for more sustainable practices to incorporate into your health & well-being?

As the New Year ushers in our re-dedication for living our best lives, we want to share with you some of our digital go-to’s for health & wellness. Amid all the busyness of starting a business and running a lab now offering Covid tests, we’re keenly driven to operate mindfully so that burnout doesn’t hinder our progress toward increasing diversity in the biosciences, STEM training and health equity. In this light, and in the spirit of sharing best practices that may serve you well, we have rounded up our Team’s favorite apps and gadgets that support our journey toward more rest, less stress, measured movement and overall wellness. All said, we also highly encourage turning those screens off for some R&R too!

Here’s a Little List, and why they might just be your next favorite install:

Our CEO Susan Mitchell recommends her top three mindfulness apps: Abide, Rising Higher Meditation, and Above Inspiration. They are an excellent time for rest and a time to reflect upon that which we are grateful for.

Communications Director Jen heads to Les Mills, here’s why: “In addition to a wide variety of exercise classes from yoga to interval training, I can choose classes that are 5 to 60 minutes based on my energy level, as well as utilizing guided sleep meditations and body scans for grounding me after a busy day. The instructors are from around the globe, there are pregnancy adaptations and kids programs, and also classes in Spanish; the New Zealand locale doesn’t hurt either!”

A couple more excellent apps we just had to add are Headspace and 10% Happier… Happy New Year!

12 Best Meditation Apps for Stress Relief 2021 (oprahdaily.com)

Innovative Virginia-Based Biotech Opens with Health Equity & Education at the Root of its Lab Services, Research, & Product Development

STERLING, Va. – Your techy neighbor and health ally Athari Bio is officially open for business and creating multi-faceted solutions to tackle the complex challenges and systemic layers of inequity that Loudoun County and our nation face today. In addition to its broad spectrum of lab capabilities, Athari is supporting the community in combating Covid by offering Covid testing for individuals and groups beginning in November of this year.

Athari Bio is a woman- and minority-owned and operated company driven by doing good. Its leadership team has a proven record of producing powerful outcomes and the company’s genomic tests, immunodiagnostics, and professional development are a wellspring for, and of, health and empowerment. Athari leverages STEM not just for the sake of advancing science, but also because science stands to help us all live healthier, more vibrant lives.

We’re not just another lab setting up on another Industrial Drive: We’re a health equity accelerator. Yes, we’re keenly interested in your cardiogram and genomic profile, but it’s the overall heart of the Athari team and this community that drives the vision,” CEO Susan Mitchell said. “Our potential for positive change is global, but landing our headquarters in Loudoun County puts us on the map as a center for world-class research and creates a vibrant tech culture, leveraging premiere data centers right in our own backyard.”

Why We Do It

The omission of minority groups and diversity from the research and development ecosystem is the result of—and also results in—a lack of access to innovative medicines and effective care, further widening gaps in health equity and biosciences.

The research outcomes and medicine we all take today were built upon the insights of data yielded overwhelmingly from adult males of European descent. Athari endeavors to expand epidemiological insights with specific attention to ethnicity, race, gender, and age. We will integrate our culturally responsive clinical trial data with external suppliers of population data.

The absence of diversity isn’t just in the data: It also exists amongst trial members, clinical trial investigators, academia, and industry. Athari plans to change the face of “the who and the how” of STEM, eradicating its inherent bias by deploying equity and inclusion across research and development, product commercialization, education, and professional advancement.

A diverse team on a unified mission, Athari’s co-founders also have deep roots in the region:

    • CEO and founder Susan Mitchell is the co-founder of Guardians of Honor (GOH). Guardians of Honor is a GovCon consulting firm with a 24-year track record of success delivering grants management, research and evaluation, logistics, and technical assistance solutions to government, industry, and the community. Ms. Mitchell serves on the board of directors for Virginia Career Works and STEM for Her, is the incoming Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce GovCon Committee chair, and sits on the Cybersecurity CoE advisory board for Northampton Community College and BCT Bank. She earned a master’s degree in Executive Leadership from Liberty University, a graduate certificate from Hampton University, and a B.S. in Mass Communications from Norfolk State University.
    • Co-founder and Chief Science and Operations Director Dr. Kareem Washington earned his PhD in Biochemical Genetics from Howard University and trained in Gene Therapy for Molecular and Clinical Hematology at NIDDK/NHLBI, an institute within the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Washington completed his post-doctorate in the Molecular and Clinical Hematology lab, where he helped to develop the lentiviral therapy now in clinical trials. He has conducted research on RNA trans-splicing, a gene therapy. Dr. Washington has excelled in translational sciences, developing gene therapy and gene editing in inherited diseases for 25 years. He has over 10 years of teaching and Genetics Graduate Program Chair expertise.
    • Co-founder and Chief Operations and Science Officer Dr. Javed Siddiqi earned his PhD in Biochemistry from Banaras Hindu University (India). During his PhD, he isolated a new Salmonella bacteriophage named MB78. Dr. Siddiqi completed his postdoctoral fellowship at MIT and Harvard Medical School, Boston. During his postdoctoral work, he isolated a novel gene for early detection of breast cancer. This gene/protein (DF3-CEA) is shed in any body fluid such as milk, urine, and saliva. Dr. Siddiqi also worked as a junior faculty at Lombardi Cancer Research Centre, Georgetown University, where he isolated a novel gene that provided resistance to radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Dr. Siddiqi has worked on RandD and product development of non-PCR based rapid detection of human papilloma virus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) and is founder of two biotech companies: DNA Technologies, Inc. (sold) and Luminous BioSciences, LLC (current). Dr. Siddiqi has over 40 years of experience in research and corporate management.
    • Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Tammey Naab has a 28-year career as a laboratory director, 20 years as the Director of Laboratory Services at Howard University Hospital, and eight years as the Laboratory Director at a private lab in Maryland. She is triple boarded in anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and medical microbiology. She earned her medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine and completed her pathology residency, followed by a fellowship in medical microbiology at Cleveland Clinic. She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Society for Clinical Pathology, College of American Pathologists, United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, and Association for Molecular Pathology. During the past decade, she has authored 121 posters, which have been presented at annual national meetings, and has more than 40 peer-reviewed publications. Her areas of clinical expertise include medical microbiology, infectious diseases, molecular genetics, genitourinary pathology, breast pathology, and genogenic immunohistochemistry. She has a special research interest in COVID-19.

 

Athari’s mission is to strengthen communities, develop future leaders, and build generational wealth, health and well-being through bioscience. Athari means “impact” in Swahili. Together, let’s make a lasting one.

Stay connected: On social @AthariBio, sign up for news and learn more at Athari.Bio.

CONTACT: Jen Williams Athari.Bio; marketing@athari.bio 703.444.8000; 802.355.5072m 45925 Horseshoe Dr, Ste 170, Sterling, VA 20166

Gratitude, Here and Now

At Athari Bio, part of the practice of being a human-first biotech company is the conscious act of not just studying what’s beneath the surface and at the genomic level, but also what is the sum of our parts, and those that may be especially untapped or intangible. An integral ingredient to our team’s ethos and of cultivating a culture of whole-person wellness is the act of being grateful here and now. Yes, there are challenges and we’re living in complicated times, but we’re also full of gratitude, and that in itself, the feeling of gratitude, can brighten even the darkest of November days. Yes, we’re a lean start-up that’s stepping up to tackle massive social and health inequities. We’re driven to create life-saving innovations through life sciences and being faced with obstacles and systemic barriers is just a matter of course. Through challenges, we vibrantly shine and feel immense gratitude for the diverse team that propels us and the increasing number of allies who are showing up to support our mission to strengthen communities, develop future leaders, and build generational wealth, health, and well-being through bioscience.

So, this Thanksgiving holiday, we reached out to our team to draw on their inspiration and co-author a little mini-Journal of Gratitude to pause and reflect upon. Here’s what they had to share:

“Gratitude is a sentiment that can be expressed at any time, for experiences large and small. Today and every day, I begin with a thankful heart because rain or shine, the day is mine—to make the most of. It brings me joy to know that I am blessed to be a blessing. I am so grateful for opportunities to help, heal, and honor.” – Susan Mitchell, CEO

“The old adage of feeling fortunate to ‘wake up each morning’ is true; I am grateful to be awestruck by my two small children as their eyes open to the world every single day. Simultaneously, I’m at a pivotal moment in my life and career where health and wellness are top of mind and close to my heart. It is causing a groundswell of creative energy to flow from me and I feel empowered to effect change.” – Jen Williams, Communications Director

What are you grateful for? Drop us a line or share on social. We’d love to hear.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

While October may be painted pink to signify Breast Cancer Awareness Month, at Athari Bio, breast cancer is top of mind around the clock: Our scientific researchers and lab resources are dedicated to having a molecular laboratory developed test (LDT) for breast cancer genetic early detection available to the public by 2022.

About 43,600 American women will die from breast cancer this year. The overall death rate from breast cancer decreased by 1% per year from 2013 to 2018. These decreases are thought to be the result of treatment advances and earlier detection through screening — and we can do better.

While many of us reflect on the loss of friends and loved ones to breast cancer, our Chief Operations and Science Officer, Javed Siddiqi, PhD has spent much of his career focused on cancer research and advancing breast cancer early detection. At Lombardi Cancer Research Center at Georgetown University, Dr. Siddiqi identified a novel gene which prevents a group of cancer patients from radiation therapy. While completing his postdoctoral fellowship at MIT and Harvard Medical School, he isolated a novel gene for early detection of breast cancer. This gene/protein (DF3-CEA) is shed in any body fluid such as milk, urine, and saliva, and has the capacity to be readily used in testing in order to save lives of our mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters today.

At Athari, we believe in a future where there is gender equity in healthcare, research, and preventative solutions. Athari’s founder, Susan Mitchell, is a female biotech entrepreneur who is steering progress for cancer diagnostics for women. From leadership to the lab and clinician to patient, representation is the path to equity. We’re working to ensure that women in STEM and women’s health, which have long been under tapped and overlooked, are at the forefront in our leadership and research.

Know the Facts

  • About 1 in 8 US women develop breast cancer.
  • For women in the US, breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
  • Breast cancer became the most common cancer globally in 2021, accounting for 12% of all new annual cancer cases.
  • In women under 45, breast cancer is more common in Black women than white women. Overall, Black women are more likely to die of breast cancer.
  • A woman’s risk of breast cancer nearly doubles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sister, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
  • About 5–10% of breast cancers can be linked to known gene mutations inherited from parents. Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common.
  • About 85% of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic mutations that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations.

Stats credited to — and learn more — at BreastCancer.org