James has over 10 years of industry experience working in a variety of scientific and business roles in gene therapy, virology, oncology, and infectious diseases. His experience includes translational research and product development, from early-stage discovery efforts to clinical grade manufacturing. James earned a PhD in cancer gene therapy from the division of molecular and cellular pathology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; his doctoral studies focused on adenoviral vector design and targeting (both transcriptional and transductional) and the evaluation of vector efficacy in a range of in vitro and in vivo cancer metastasis models. He completed postdoctoral studies at the same institution, evaluating the efficacy of cytokine-expressing oncolytic herpes simplex viruses in a number of combinatorial treatment strategies. He then spent four years as a scientist at a CRO and a private research institute, conducting research in molecular and cellular biology, oncology, and infectious diseases.

In 2018, he moved into the viral vector CDMO space by joining Vigene Biosciences, which was acquired by Charles River in 2021. Over the past six years, his responsibilities have included business development, proposal writing, and project management. In his current role, James supports Charles River’s gene therapy CDMO services as a technical liaison between the commercial team and operational subject matter experts, helping to align client CMC needs with site capabilities. James has published over 20 scientific and industry articles and gives frequent webinar and conference presentations, covering topics related to the key considerations and challenges in viral vector manufacturing.