How a fear of needles decided her fate
Dr. Chikh, who joined Acuitas in late 2023, thought she was destined to be a physician — until a watershed moment during her first year of university. “My younger sister was sick,” she explains, “and my brother, who is ten years older than me, was a physician. He was treating her and showing me how to make an intramuscular injection, when I fainted!”
Reminiscing about the incident, Dr. Chikh traces her motivations for entering the medical field back to her uncle who, alongside her brother, was also a physician. “I was just fascinated by how my uncle could relieve patients’ pain.” She recalls how he would consult the equivalent of the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (CPS)publication here in Canada, which details medical conditions and drug therapies. “I was always curious,” she says. She wanted to know how those drugs made it to clinic and, ultimately, to patients’ bedsides.
More than 24 years of drug development experience later, it’s clear how much Dr. Chikh still loves what she describes as the “puzzle” of understanding diseases and figuring out how to treat them. In fact, she completed her PhD thesis on developing a cancer vaccine using LNP. Today, she splits her time between working from her home office in Ottawa, and onsite at Acuitas in Vancouver, where she also loves to hike.
Words of encouragement for young scientists
In April 2024, Dr. Chikh provided the opening remarks at Science World’s Girls and STEAM studio — a morning of interactive workshops held at Science World, for participants aged 12 – 14. She tells of how, afterwards, a mom and her daughter came up to her and asked in an awe-struck tone, “How do I become a scientist?” To which, Dr. Chikh enthused, “It’s going to be even easier for you to be a scientist nowadays! So, if you want it, you can get there.”
Her advice for any aspiring scientist is this: “Believe in yourself, especially when others might not believe in you. Science has unlimited potential. Really, we have only scratched the surface — even after years and years of research and drug discovery.” She adds: “And finally, the biggest breakthrough will never come from a single lab, but from worldwide collaboration. So really, we need you.”
The future is getting nerdier
That’s right, we need kids from all walks of life entering STEAM careers (science, technology, engineering, art & design, and math). Now, thanks to the continued support of Acuitas, that’s becoming a reality. The company’s generous contributions have designated Acuitas as the Presenting Partner of Science World’sFuture Science Leadersprogram, a Major Partner of both Super Science Club and Girls and STEAM, presented by STEMCELLTechnologies, and a Partner in Human Health content. All of which contributes to a landscape in which more young people can see themselves in STEAM jobs.
In chatting with Dr. Chikh, it’s evident how passionate and optimistic she is about the future of LNP technology and, indeed, science as a whole. Dr. Chikh cites the Nobel Prize-winning physicist and chemist Marie Curie as a guiding light, reminding herself how much the iconic female scientist had to overcome. “When you think about all she went through — being poor, being rejected, being a woman [in the late 19th and early 20th century], it’s just unbelievable.” She adds with a laugh, “So, for me nowadays, I should be able to accomplish much more!”
This includes, being part of the team that delivered the world’s first customized gene-editing therapy to save a baby’s life. Marie Curie would be proud.
