CFFT Lab, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Lexington, MA, USA
Kevin Coote serves as Head of Electrophysiology and the Epithelial Cell Core at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics (CFFT) Lab in Lexington, Massachusetts, is a scientist with over 20 years of experience in drug discovery and translational research.
Kevin leads a team of nine scientists, specializing in techniques spanning primary tissue isolation, ion transport assays, and functional measurements critical to cystic fibrosis research. His team has developed novel assays to support in-house hit validation and hit-to-lead activities, and collaborated on genetic and cellular approaches to restoring CFTR function. Kevin also oversees the curation and expansion of the CFFT primary cell biobank, ensuring high-quality data and resources are available to the broader CF research community.
Kevin’s responsibilities include conducting due diligence assessments, advising external partners, and enabling critical studies that support the progression of therapeutic candidates. His collaborative efforts include the development of cutting-edge technologies, including base editing platforms and ACE-tRNA therapies for nonsense mutation suppression.
Prior to joining the CFFT Lab, Kevin spent 18 years at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR), where he held progressive leadership roles in both the UK and US. In Cambridge, MA, he served as Investigator III in the Respiratory Disease Area, leading ion channel project teams through all phases of drug discovery—from target identification to clinical candidate selection. He managed a multidisciplinary lab focused on ion channel and GPCR pharmacology, employing multiple technologies such as high-throughput patch clamp electrophysiology, through to medium and low throughput primary cell ion transport, manual patch clamp and in vivo PK/PD models. Kevin was also a member of the Respiratory Disease leadership team, contributing to strategic planning and regularly presenting at decision boards and scientific meetings.
During his tenure at NIBR Horsham, UK, Kevin led enzyme-targeted discovery programs and managed an in vivo pharmacology lab supporting multiple preclinical projects. He developed novel models for lung fibrosis, mucociliary clearance, and cardiovascular telemetry, and provided biological expertise across ion channel and GPCR programs. His early career at Novartis included extensive hands-on work in in vivo pharmacology, model development, and mentoring of junior scientists and industrial trainees.
Kevin began his scientific career at Pfizer Central Research in the Cardiovascular Department, following completion of a BSc Honours in Applied Biology from the University of East London.
He is a published author in journals including Nature Communications, Nucleic Acids Research, British Journal of Pharmacology, and Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. His publications span topics such as drug development of epithelial sodium channel inhibition, base editing technologies, multimodal iPSC platforms for drug testing in cystic fibrosis and in vivo respiratory model development.
RT02.10- Measurements of CFTR Function
Thursday, October 23, 2025
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM PDT