Kevin Malobisky works in the Biosafety Level 3 lab at Hoffman-LaRoche in Nutley, N.J. Malobisky began working for Roche after he graduated from Penn State.
Kevin Malobisky
Sometimes you don’t have a plan for your life as much as life has a plan for you, and life continues to have quite a plan for Penn State alumnus Kevin P. Malobisky ’89 Sci.
Malobisky did not have much direction when he enrolled at Penn State Beaver in the fall of 1985. In fact, he showed up for classes that first Monday without having ever visited the campus, despite living close-by in Raccoon Township, Pa.
Malobisky’s mother had passed away from a long battle with metastatic breast cancer two years earlier, and his life and future were out of control.
The Raccoon Township native initially majored in computer science because he was curious about programming, but he struggled academically his first year.
“Looking back, I remember having an F in calculus, a very low D in chemistry, and mostly Cs in everything else. My grades, like my life, were a mess,” Malobisky said.
During his sophomore year at the Beaver campus, his grades slowly started to improve, with the aspiration of moving to University Park. Still a computer science major, he needed four credits of a biological science and registered for a microbiology course taught by Lloyd McElroy because it was the only class that would fit into his schedule.
After attending the first few lectures and labs, Malobisky realized that class would change his life.
“I remember craving more information and building a passion for understanding translational biology that led to me studying like I had never done before. Dr. McElroy and this class changed my academic outlook and established the scientific foundation of my journey through Penn State and well beyond,” Malobisky said.
He changed his major to microbiology and transferred to University Park to complete his bachelor’s degree with a minor in marine science. In addition to what he describes as “an amazing academic experience,” he also spent considerable time working in multiple laboratories conducting undergraduate research and deepening his passion for science.
After graduation, Malobisky joined the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-LaRoche in Nutley, N.J., where he worked as a research assistant with a team developing a new technique at that time called polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, to amplify genetic material in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) clinical samples to detect minute traces.
Working with umbilical cord blood from HIV-positive mothers, the team developed the technology to determine if newborn babies would be HIV positive at a time when the disease was still not well understood. Based on the success in the laboratory, Malobisky had the opportunity to work at a subsidiary company called Roche Molecular Systems, where he learned the clinical and regulatory side of diagnostic development across several diseases.
Malobisky wanted to learn and do more, so he left Roche and joined a few start-up biotechnology companies over the next few years in the Philadelphia area, where he translated his experiences and learning from Roche and applied them to new small molecules and biologics. He led clinical and regulatory development for a number of therapies. During this time, he also enrolled at the Temple University School of Pharmacy at night and on weekends and earned his master’s degree. He went on to join the adjunct faculty and graduate steering committee and also taught a graduate class in drug development.
More than a decade later, Malobisky joined the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi, where he spent the next 14 years gaining experience in international drug development and working with government agencies in the United States, European Union, Canada and Japan. He also led an international regulatory team with responsibilities for marketed products across North America.
“Those 14 years at Sanofi were instrumental for my knowledge and experience,” Malobisky said. “In addition to the science and technology, I gained priceless management and leadership experience while working for a number of experienced executives.”
Supported and encouraged by his boss and mentor, it was during this time that Malobisky earned his doctorate in organization and management. It took nearly seven years of nights, weekends and vacations to complete the coursework, pass his comprehensive exams, and write and defend his thesis.
During the last seven years, Malobisky has held senior leadership and executive positions at several small biotechnology companies, including two in the Boston area.
This past summer, Malobisky was invited by a previous board chairman and entrepreneur and a few senior executives to cofound a new company called Revelar Biotherapeutics. With a focus on developing unique and innovative human monoclonal antibodies across different therapeutic areas, the team is starting with a new therapy for patients in the fight against the ongoing pandemic with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Malobisky also serves on a scientific advisory board and as an adviser to two start-up biotechnology companies out of Yale University.
“It has been and continues to be an incredible journey for me to be part of numerous teams discovering and developing new therapies for patients,” Malobisky said of his decision 35 years ago to enroll in that microbiology class at Penn State Beaver. “There are two lessons that I remind my kids, mentees and teams: First, never underestimate the influence of a person or experience in your life, and second, always be open to new ideas and opportunities.”
Malobisky lives in Bucks County, Pa., with his wife and PSU alumnus Beth ’89 Bus, who he met in a judo class at University Park, and their three daughters, Jessica, Kate, and Grace.