TETRANITE®: Optimization of a Novel Organic-Mineral Bone Adhesive for Dental Bone Grafting

George W Kay, DMD | CSO, RevBio

How did you get into/ what drew you to this field/ role?

I have been attracted to Nature and Science from childhood, observing fish in aquaria at home as a small child and playing with my chemistry set as a pre-teen and conducting more serious experiments through the high school years. The excitement and the joy lay in the discovery of something that I did not know before. As a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry graduate from college, I had a hard choice between a scientific career and a clinical career. I chose dentistry, a clinical discipline involving healing of the sick, responsibility for someone’s health and comfort, close interpersonal relationships, solving problems, working with one’s hands, and applying the knowledge and understanding gained through study of the body, biology, chemistry, and physics. I knew dentistry well already, because my mother was a dentist, and I was drawn into the field as I assisted her during my vacations and chatted at the dinner table.

What excites you about your work?

My current position as the CSO of a biotechnology company is the culmination and an integration of both being a clinician and one exploring at the edge of knowledge. I am the IP on several exciting projects that hopefully will lead to improved health outcomes for many. Being responsible for the design and execution of these and realizing the potential implications of positive results is exciting.

I am an inventor listed on more than half a dozen pending patents which will hopefully lead to a dozen or more significant improvements to the art and science of regenerative medicine. Life is exciting because it is meaningful.

What advice would you give to those who are considering getting involved in translational research/ product development?

First of all, learn the fundamentals, and never abandon basing your ideas on these fundamentals. Do not cut intellectual corners. Look for the unexpected because that is where the discovery lies. Be thirsty for understanding and think critically. If the data do not agree with the expectations, you might have discovered something new, or you need to fix your method. In either case, it is a call to action. Learn from every opportunity.

Make sure that what you choose as a career makes your juices flow, that you are truly passionate and excited by it.

Choose as mentor one who is successful in the field that interests you, whom you respect, and who respects you and is willing to share with you.

Do not be afraid to explore new areas of knowledge, new disciplines, and interdisciplinary spaces. These are the places where you are likely to learn much, discover more, and contribute most.

If you weren’t in your current career, what other profession would you like to try?

I have a feeling that I would be happiest as an explorer of some sort, in any and every parallel universe to this. It may be in any other field of discovery – the world of science is infinite. It lies at the edge of the known with the vast unknown beyond.

Rahul Jadia, PhD | R&D Manager, RevBio