Jacki’s Journey in Navigating Science and Industry from Psychology to Gene Therapy
Jaclyn Essig, Ph.D.
Principal Scientist at Regel Therapeutics
Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
B.S. in Neuroscience and Genetics, Cell Biology and Development at the University of Minnesota
LinkedIn
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Jacki Essig, and I am currently a Principal Scientist at Regel Therapeutics, a gene therapy startup based in Berkeley, CA, and Cambridge, MA.
Part 1. Career in Science
What is your main project or role in the lab?
At Regel, I lead a small team focused on developing gene therapies for rare diseases, specifically those involving haploinsufficiency—conditions where one allele of a gene is nonfunctional, leading to reduced protein levels that cause disease. We use a dead CRISPR-Cas system, where the Cas protein can no longer cleave DNA, but is modified to act as a transcriptional activator. We can guide this system to promoter regions in the genome and upregulate gene expression to restore the cellular phenotype and cure the disease. My work involves optimizing guide RNAs, improving the activator system through protein engineering, and ensuring we avoid off-target effects. It’s exciting translational work building on research from UCSF by Dr. Navneet Matharu, whose team showed this approach could rescue a genetic form of obesity in mice. I joined Regel shortly after starting my postdoc, when the company was in its early stages.
What’s one thing you enjoy most about your current work?
I love mentoring. Watching people grow professionally and scientifically is incredibly rewarding. I enjoy the people management aspect—figuring out how personalities and skill sets can align to accomplish shared goals. I also appreciate that our work is mission-driven and applied. We’re not chasing discovery for its own sake, but pushing known tools forward to make a tangible impact on patients' lives. That focus feels deeply meaningful to me.
What’s one of the more challenging aspects of your job?
Coming from academia, I had a good understanding of how academic institutions function—the pressures of being a PI, the needs of departments, etc. Transitioning into industry meant learning a whole new ecosystem with different priorities, constraints, and even a different language. Legal restrictions and corporate communication norms have been an adjustment. I’ve had to learn what I can and can’t share, and let go of the instinct to always dive into the scientific nitty-gritty with anyone I talk to.
What steps did you take, from college to now, to prepare for this position? Were you pursuing any other career paths?
I started with an interest in psychology and medicine, especially pediatrics. I began at Anoka Ramsey Community College in Minnesota without a specific focus, but I fell in love with chemistry and realized it was a lot like math, something I had always enjoyed. One of my professors encouraged me to apply for a summer internship at the University of Minnesota, where I ended up doing prostate cancer research. It was my first time in a lab, and I was hooked. I transferred to UMN, finished my degree in neuroscience and genetics, and worked in a breast cancer lab with Dr. Anindya Bagchi, learning molecular biology and mouse model development.
After undergrad, I worked at the UMN Stem Cell Institute on spinal cord regeneration in the axolotl salamander with Dr. Karen Echeverri. That’s when my interest in researching the nervous system was rekindled—I missed working directly in the brain. I spent two years there before applying to PhD programs, knowing I wanted to study neural activity in the brain. I joined Dr. Gidon Felsen’s lab at the Anschutz Medical Campus in Colorado to study the neural bases of decision-making and later met my postdoc mentor, Dr. Linda Wilbrecht, at a conference. Following grad school, I moved to California to work with Linda at UC Berkeley, and during my postdoc, I realized I didn’t want to stay in academia. I loved science and leading a team, but didn’t see myself writing grants or teaching large classes. At a postdoc seminar, I was told, “Your job is to find your next job”—so I did! I got on LinkedIn, got recruited by Regel, and the rest unfolded from there.
What’s something you were excited about going into your PhD?
The chance to work in the brain and uncover the neural mechanisms underlying behavior. A professor once told me, “You might like this!” In general, the career path was a black box to me—my mom is a nurse, and my dad is a warehouse manager, so research wasn’t on my radar growing up. But in college, I discovered a love for science and philosophy and had mentors who encouraged me and the support of my parents to follow my interests. Once I was immersed in it, I realized how much I enjoyed the conversations, the people, and the process.
What differences have you noticed between working in academia and working in industry, and how have you adjusted to them?
When I first joined Regel, I was employee number five. Now we're a team of 25, split between the West Coast (11 people) and the East Coast. In the beginning, it still felt a lot like an academic lab—small, hands-on, doing familiar work like PCR and cell culture. But as the company grew, so did the infrastructure. Suddenly, there were titles, reporting structures, and corporate language to navigate. At first, I felt a bit...queasy? Like I was role-playing. Terms like “researcher” or “program director” felt artificial or unnecessary to me. It was hard to see the purpose behind that hierarchical structure.
But over time, I’ve come to appreciate how important those systems are, especially as the team grows. You need a clear infrastructure to keep communication flowing and projects aligned. It helps create order and accountability, which ultimately allows us to scale effectively.
The transition from academia to industry required a shift in mindset. I had to get used to a new way of operating—and that was uncomfortable at first. But it also helped me develop new, transferable skills I wouldn’t have picked up otherwise.
I used to worry that industry would feel too constrained—that I’d lose the creative freedom I valued in academic research. But I’ve realized that what I truly enjoy about scientific research is problem solving and in my current role, I’m creatively engaged in solving complex challenges all the time., It’s actually been a really good fit.
I’m also curious what it would be like to work at a larger company someday. The word “industry” used to feel limiting, but now it feels much broader and full of potential.
What skills or characteristics do you think have helped you succeed in research?
Being an active listener. Even if I think I know something, I make it a point to listen first because there’s always something I might have missed or could learn more about. Also, being comfortable with not knowing. A PhD teaches you how to deeply focus on one thing, but also how to recognize the limits of your knowledge. You get used to saying, “I don’t know,” and that’s powerful. Throwing yourself into situations where you’re forced to learn—that’s where real growth happens.
What do you hope to achieve through this position?
On a personal level, I want to learn more about how companies operate, especially budgeting and operations, because I don’t see myself going back to academia. Professionally, I want to strengthen my skills in project and people management and continue evolving as a team leader.
What is the driving force of your research and science that gets you going?
There’s something magical about the idea that, every time we step into the lab, we have the potential to discover something no one else has seen before. It’s like standing at the edge of the known universe and peeking into the unknown. That philosophical drive, combined with teamwork, keeps me going.
What advice would you give to someone developing their career in research?
Have conversations: talk face-to-face with people whose roles you’re curious about. It is the best way to vibe-check whether it might be a fit for you. Stay open-minded. Ask lots of questions. And take your time. Life is not a race. It's okay to explore and find your own pace.
What are your next steps or career plans?
I'm currently exploring roles in project management. I’m still figuring out if I want to move further from the bench and into positions that require more cross-functional leadership or technical program management. I’m asking myself: “Would that excite me?” I want to stay close to science but also build transferable skills that open up more paths.
Part 2. Life Goals and Values
What’s one thing you’d like to improve about yourself?
One thing I’m trying to pick up again is outreach. I did a lot of it during undergrad and grad school, engaging with the general public. For example, during grad school in Colorado, I was involved with the Neuroscience Outreach Group (NOG), and we organized an annual outreach event at the Denver Natural Science Museum where we set up booths around different themes, such as the five senses, to engage the general public in conversations about neuroscience. I really enjoyed connecting with people, sparking good conversations about the brain, and making science fun and accessible. I’d love to get back to doing more of that.
What is one thing that you know now that you wished you knew when you were younger?
That people really aren’t thinking about you all the time. That anxiety is mostly in your own head. It’s freeing once you internalize that.
Interview date: 5/5/2025