A Summer Vacation Working on New Cancer Drugs

While some students are working summer jobs or going on family vacations, Ken Hallenbeck ’12 is interning at a bio-pharma startup company called Epizyme.

Epizyme works on discovering new drugs, using targeted epigenetics to focus on a few key blood cancers. The company leads in this market and was named the number one place worldwide for a scientist to work in industry. “As an intern in their Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology D group, I’ve been given my own project, which is highly relevant to Epizyme’s current drug discovery efforts,” explains Ken. “Both the skills I am learning and the connections I am making are phenomenal. Epizyme is an industry setting, with a high-paced, result-driven atmosphere, which I have quickly come to love and enjoy." 

Ken, a biology and philosophy double major, knows Gordon prepared him well for work with Epizyme. “It’s exciting—the higher-ups at Epizyme, after looking over the work I’ve been able to do so far, were very impressed and have offered me a chance to continue working at the company through the fall and spring.”

When Ken graduates next spring, he’s planning to apply to Ph.D. programs in biochemistry at top-tier Boston schools.