Dr. Rachel Kent

Dr. Rachel Baribault Kent, ’74, worked as a molecular biologist in academic and biotechnology research for more than 25 years. She is coauthor of 18 biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology publications, and co-inventor on 16 patents covering recombinant DNA technology for discovery of biologic therapeutics.

She received the B.S. degree in biology from Loyola University New Orleans, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in biology from Boston University. She performed post-doctoral research as American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Trainee in Immunogenetics at Boston University School of Medicine, and as an NIH Postdoctoral Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Cancer Research. She then joined Protein Engineering Corp. (later Dyax), a small biotechnology company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, serving as a Senior Research Scientist (1987-2000). Prior to retiring, she served as Research Director for Molecular Biology (2000-2006) and Research Director for Lead Discovery (2007-2008). The intellectual property held by Dyax, and anti-inflammatory biologics developed there, are currently owned by Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

Rachel is a former member of the Loyola Board of Trustees (2012-2018) and a current member of the Loyola College of Arts and Sciences Visiting Committee. She chaired the Mission and Identity Committee of the Board for three years. She and her husband Dr. Stephen Kent (Loyola ’73, Board of Trustees 2018-2024) are native New Orleanians now residing in Boxborough, Massachusetts.