Build a Better Future with VectorBuilder
Dr. Bruce Lahn's State of the Company Speech
This year marks VectorBuilder’s 10-year anniversary. We have come a long way and accomplished a lot, for which we should all be very proud. But we have an even longer way to go, and even greater things to accomplish in the years to come. So, let me take this opportunity to lay out the vision of VectorBuilder’s future, which I call the “VectorBuilder Dream”.
Our theme of 2024 is “Dare to lead”. This summarizes the essence of the VectorBuilder Dream, namely, we aspire to become the leader of our industry and beyond, and do great things for humanity and the world. In the gene delivery space, we want VectorBuilder to become synonymous with gene delivery.
How do we build a great company that leads the world? We obviously need to do many things, but I think four things are especially important.
First, we need to “Make innovation our genes”. A true leader of any industry needs to offer things that are not only highly valuable but irreplaceable, and the only way to do that is through innovation.
Innovation in new technologies is undoubtedly very important. To this end, we have devoted tremendous resources into developing new gene delivery technologies that could improve both research and medicine. A telling example is the recent launch of the miniVec plasmid system, which offers greater safety, higher yield, better quality, and lower cost for the manufacturing of gene therapy drugs. It could be a real game changer for the gene therapy field.
But besides innovation in technologies, we should strive to bring innovation into every aspect of our work, not only in R&D, but in manufacturing, management, sales, marketing, branding, HR, logistics, etc. I believe there is room to be innovative for every one of us and in everything we do, regardless of our positions and job descriptions. We should and can make innovation our genes. We want people to look at us and say, wow, this company is a creative bunch.
Second, we need to “Empower the community”. We want to empower researchers and drug developers not only by giving them the best products and services that their money can buy, but also by generously sharing resources that are free to everyone, such as educational content and online bioinformatics tools, as we have already done over the years.
As a good example of this commitment, we recently launched the DNA software VectorBee that enables researchers to design, edit and analyze their vectors, all for free. We already have tens of thousands of downloads of the software and that number is growing rapidly as we speak.
Third, we need to “Think globally”. VectorBuilder’s goal is to serve the entire global community. While some in positions of power try to paint the world as zero-sum, I firmly believe that win-win cooperation is the best hope for humanity on this crowded planet. As such, VectorBuilder would always rise above politics and ideology, and serve every researcher to the best of our abilities regardless of where they are and who they are in our global village.
Following this commitment, we developed multiple language websites and established branches in different continents even back when the company was in its infancy. Going forward, we want to build additional sites around the world, including R&D and manufacturing centers.
Last but not least, we need to “Be humanistic”. While growth and profit are a prerequisite to sustain our long-term success, we should never lose sight of the ultimate mission of VectorBuilder’s existence, which is to make the world a better place. More specifically, we want to make humanity healthier, smarter and more beautiful, and the planet greener and richer in flora and fauna through our innovative products and services as well as the sharing of free community resources.
An industry analyst once estimated that we have the potential to speed up life sciences research by 20%. In the future, as we gain greater capacity and influence, we will expand upon our humanistic commitment through many more means, such as charitable donations, scholarships, achievement awards, advocacy for global cooperation, promotion of healthy living, etc.
Importantly, let’s not forget that a better world also includes every one of us in the VectorBuilder family. So, for those of you who share the VectorBuilder dream and have worked hard towards realizing it, VectorBuilder will also strive to be the best place for you to realize your own career dreams. To this end, we will build a robust career development mechanism where willing and able members of the VectorBuilder family are given the stage they deserve to grow and prosper.
In summary, the VectorBuilder Dream is to build a great company that leads globally by innovation and by a deep commitment to a better world. Some years from now, we can all look back and say with pride that the world of research, the world of medicine, and the world at large, are all a better place because of us.
Let us, the VectorBuilders, be dream builders!