Meet Our Employees

The Fellows Program

The Fellows Program at Cato Research seeks to combine the brightest and most innovative scientists, fresh from doctoral or postdoctoral work, and pair them with seasoned drug development professionals to create scientists dedicated to helping our clients succeed in bringing products to market. As an example of the ground-breaking strategies that Cato Research brings to the table, Fellow Noah Byrd discusses his background in stem cell research and his future in drug development at Cato Research below:

Meet Noah Byrd

As a graduate student, I generated mutant mouse embryonic stem cells to complement my in vivo studies of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis (blood vessel formation) in mice. Human embryonic stem cells were first isolated during my grad school years, so it was an exciting time to be a developmental biologist. After graduate school, my wife and I moved to Durham for a 3-year post-doctoral fellowship at Duke University Medical Center. At Duke, I studied the genetic mechanisms underlying congenital heart defects and neural tube defects in mouse models of human development.

Ever since I began studying developmental biology, I was interested in applying the knowledge and experience that I had gained toward the betterment of human health. I saw the Fellows Program at CATO as a unique opportunity to learn all aspects of clinical research and drug development. The Fellows Program is an extraordinary opportunity to totally immerse oneself in the world of drug development; however, I feel as if I've only scratched the surface.

At CATO, it is very satisfying to come to work every day and be surrounded by such enthusiastic and motivated team members. CATO seems unique in that everyone is equally invested in the success of a given project.

When I'm not working and have free time, which is hard with a one and a half year old, I still love to get out on the bike and put in some hard miles. I used to be a competitive cyclist and have been riding for the last 16 years. There is a nice parallel between bicycle racing and drug development; victory is often achieved through hard work and perseverance. It's also a lot of fun.