James Kusena: Vice President – Operations at MicrofluidX

With his holistic approach to overcoming obstacles, personal advancement, and goal attainment, James Kusena passionately champions the cause of empowering people from diverse backgrounds through mentorship, coaching and sponsorship.

James firmly believes in the power of coaching for personal & professional development, deriving his unique methods from his vast personal experiences across multiple fields. From mindfulness training to academic & science-based disciplines, James has worked with world-renowned institutions such as Harvard University and Loughborough University to achieve a high level of expertise in his chosen fields. 

Alongside a PhD in Regenerative Medicine, he boasts prestigious certifications as a Leadership & Life Coach, Diet & Nutrition Coach, and Yoga Instructor. Furthermore, James was an esteemed recipient of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Shott Scale-Up Award.

Despite his already impressive education and skills acquisition, James Kusena firmly believes personal development is a continuous process. Discussing his own growth, James said, “There are several areas of expertise that I would like to develop, including creative and strategic thinking, project management, and effective decision-making. These would allow me to enhance my leadership skills for both projects and partnerships.”

Beyond academic pursuits, James has utilised and augmented his educational training in various real-world applications. As Vice President of Operations at MicrofluidX, he has experience in cell therapy process development & translation and health economics, playing a pivotal role in developing and rolling out the company’s Cyto Engine technology. 

James has a keen entrepreneurial background and has been involved in multiple business projects, including biotech, health & fitness, retail, and real estate ventures. Please visit James’ LinkedIn page for more information on his education and experience. 

MicrofluidX

MicrofluidX provides next-generation bioreactors for the research and manufacturing of cell and gene therapies. While such therapies are proven to be effective treatment methods for diseases such as Parkinson’s and a range of cancers, two main challenges hinder their use and accessibility. 

Due to the need for resource-intensive process redesigns, development timelines are notoriously slow. Furthermore, treatment manufacturing costs are currently high due to the requirement for expensive reagents and clean room facilities, along with high batch failure rates.

MicrofluidX is stepping up to address the issues of process control, scalability, and high costs tied to cell bioprocessing, particularly for autologous cell and gene therapy. With their advanced Cyto Engine platform, the company provides an affordable and scalable resource that empowers scientists to rapidly process the development of treatments by concurrently running numerous cell culture conditions with absolute process control.

This novel approach enables the scaling up of the optimal conditions to several billion cells, allowing the manufacture of therapies at a fraction of the current costs. Moreover, by maintaining the same cell environment, the platform can sidestep costly process redesigns.

MicrofluidX is forging ahead with enhancing its microfluidics-oriented cell and gene therapy development and production platforms. They plan to distribute various prototypes to partners to secure further external approval. In addition, the company is on the brink of completing the research and development of its chip and cassette designs, ready for manufacturing. This advancement will allow MicrofluidX to expand its connections and successfully conclude its Series A funding.

Getting to Know James Kusena

James was drawn to the biotech industry in the hope of effecting change in the world through healthcare and innovative technologies. He finds the innovation and potential to positively impact people’s lives to be the most rewarding aspects of his industry.

In his professional role with MicrofluidX, James is primarily an executive committee member. In this position, he strives for harmony across all departments and manages the operations team. He also offers operational support company-wide and develops and executes strategies for operational efficiency. In addition, he oversees all regulatory and quality activities whilst managing corporate activities and special projects. 

When asked about his proudest professional achievement, James revealed it to be the completion of his PhD. But aside from the hard work, technical knowledge, and dedication demanded by this achievement, soft skills would prove to be as essential in his role. Leadership, communication, time management & emotional intelligence are of the utmost importance. These skills have been key in navigating challenging situations at work and ensuring tasks are completed to the highest professional standard.

James holds the causes of empowerment and equality in high regard, fuelled by his belief that “…everyone deserves the chance to try and achieve their goals.” His enthusiasm for teaching and his will to give back is palpable. James candidly admits, “I am scared about teaching others because I think learning from other people has been one of the greatest gifts that I have received. 

My will to give back comes from the fact that I’ve benefited so much from other people showing me how they have done things and learning from their lessons. I think there are lessons we must go through ourselves, but there are also lessons we can take from others to avoid the same pain and stress unnecessarily.”

Learning With James

As for the topics he teaches through Growy, James credits professional training as his primary source of expertise. However, his personal experiences and the mentorship he’s both given and received have been instrumental in his development. As a result, James looks beyond strategies and know-how in his courses. He cherishes principles such as balance, discipline, consistency, discernment, and compassion – values he would like to share with his fellow students. 

When asked if there were any specific career or educational advice that James Kusena would like to give a younger person, he says that you must “do what feels right for you at this moment and time; there is no knowing what will happen in the future.”