# Inside Siren: A Week in the Life of Our Chief of Staff ⚡️ | Siren Biotechnology

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/feed/185106
- Entity ID: wefunder:feed_item:185106
- Published at: 2025-08-26 16:35:13 UTC
- Updated at: 2025-08-27 21:27:01 UTC

## Author
Dr. Akela Kuwahara, PhD

## Subject
Siren Biotechnology

## Content
Hi everyone! Akela here, Chief of Staff at Siren. 👋Nicole’s out this week, so I’m taking over to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what we’re building and how we get it all done.A little about me: I have a PhD in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology from UCSF, led single-cell sequencing for gene therapy screening at Gordian Biotech, and received a Fulbright Award for developing a genomics curriculum in Tbilisi, Georgia. These days, I help steer both the science and the strategy at Siren. Outside of work, you can usually find me hiking along the California coast or throwing pottery at the studio. 🪴At Siren, my job is to keep the machine running – from science to strategy. That means:🚦 Kicking off each week with our full team to align on priorities and talk through roadblocks🧬 Meeting with regulatory experts and department heads to manage our IND timeline and prep for human trials📊 Designing pitch decks for investor meetings and sharing our story with VCs and founders✉️ Drafting investor communications🥗 Grabbing lunch with teammates (science talk + sandwiches = unbeatable combo)📆 Checking budgets, timelines, and milestones to make sure we’re on track🧠 Brainstorming new experiments with our scientists and reviewing data in lab meetings📱 Writing social posts that translate our tech into something everyone can understand💸 Writing grant applications for non-dilutive funding — like the $4M we received from CIRM!🎤 Speaking with students and early-career scientists about the wild ride of building in biotechIt’s fast-paced, a little wild, deeply-meaningful, and, honestly, a lot of fun. If you have questions about what we’re building or how our universal AAV immuno-gene therapy works, drop them in the comments below. I’ll be here all week! And if you haven’t yet, invest in Siren or share the campaign with someone who believes in the future of biotech!Invest in SirenLet’s change cancer care, together. 🫶— AkelaChief of Staff, Siren Biotechnology