Update (June 2020): Since this article was published in November 2016, Dr. Flores has expanded The Reagent Project efforts to recipients in the United States, helped over 2300 under-funded individuals in STEM, and has been involved in donor-recipient matches for much needed PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Basics

$cientist: Marcella Flores, PhD, MPH

Job Title 1: Associate Director of Research at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research

Job Title 2: President and CEO of the Reagent Project ­­in Brooklyn, NY

Years in the Game: 1 & 1/2 yrs

Education: PhD, MPH

Whereabouts: New York Freaking City

What’s the deal with The Reagent Project?

I started the idea in January of 2015. I like to say that it’s the ‘Robin Hood of Sciences’. We take donated material from wealthy labs, like biotech and pharma companies, and redistribute them to scientists and educators in need. This has been really interesting in that it has called on more skills than I thought I had. I founded the organization in May, and was very lucky to get Celgene as an early donor. I am in the process of building a learning lab in Jamaica and working with scientists in Tanzania.

What inspired you to start this?

In grad school, I noticed that there was a lot of wasted material that accumulated after the experiments were done. Things like antibodies, kits and chemicals [collectively, reagents] are expensive and people are reluctant to throw them away, so they just end up sitting in refrigerators, forgotten and left to expire. But what if you could give it to another scientist who needed those things but couldn't afford them? I know that feeling because I used to work in labs where money was so tight that even if you had a great idea to test, you might not be able to do the experiment because you couldn't afford the reagents. The Reagent Project is the only mechanism that exists right now to streamline the donation of reagents and match those things to scientists who need them.

How do you get in touch with donors and those in need?

A whole lot of cold calling to try and get donors to realize the value that they have stored away and how important it is for other scientists. Also, working internationally helped me to engage the clients. I met a lot of scientists from all over the world while doing my postdoc at the Institute Curie, which expanded my network. I also attend a lot of international conferences. This is how I learned about the group in need in Tanzania.

What’s the process of getting donations?

The clients fill out an application. The materials need to go towards non-profit organizations like those in education, schools, or universities. Our client in Jamaica is an NGO, it’s a farming/agricultural sector, but it’s a learning center so we are trying to establish the research component there. The center is for K-12 students to learn about how to farm organically, soil testing, and the kinds of healthy bacteria that must exist.

What challenges did you face starting a non-profit organization?

It’s been incredibly difficult. The cold calling is the only way I got through it. I needed to find legal representation that was pro bono, so I really had to reach into my network and contact a lot of different firms that I thought would make a fit with The Reagent Project’s needs. I proposed to them my project, then it went through approval by the partners of the firm for pro bono services, which took months. I had to put together a board, which was a lot of cold calling scientists to see if they wanted to volunteer their time. Applying for the 501(c)(3) was a nightmare, but the lawyers helped me. Finding volunteers to help me with the logistics, fund raising, and grant writing was important. It’s a lot, which is why I work on it every day.

What's up with getting funded?

This is crowd funded via Facebook. I had help with that from contacts in my network. I hope to put together an in-person fund-raising event in the future.

How do you estimate your budget when getting started?

I had zero training on how to put together a budget. Luckily, my college friends have more expertise, so I send them a skeleton of a budget. Estimating expenses is easier right now because I don’t have employees. I hope to change that in the future.

Where is the project going?

I aspire to have it be a larger and more largely funded organization. I want it to grow globally. I think as I progress, I will be in a much better position to apply for grants and hopefully get more biotech companies to donate.

Read more about Dr. Flores and leveraging that PhD in IWA$ (INTRVW With A $cientist).