Andrew Melton didn’t grow up imagining a life in science. Unlike many of his peers, he did not spend his childhood building science projects or paging through lab manuals.   

As he tells it, his path into biopharma began not in a laboratory or medical program, but in a college music studio where he arrived convinced he would major in composition. 

The shift came when an English literature professor with a passion for global human health challenged students to write and think about medicine and society.  

“I began to realize that curiosity could be a career,” Andrew recalls. “I didn’t just enjoy science. I wanted to make it my life’s work.” 

What started as fascination quickly became action. He found himself reading medical literature for fun and volunteering in a lab that studied bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Long days and late nights at the bench taught him the fundamentals of molecular biology and revealed the satisfaction of turning questions into data that could help patients. Now, as a Senior Director of Bioanalytical Sciences at BioMarin, Andrew brings that same curiosity to drug development. His focus has grown from understanding drug development to building teams and a culture where scientists can do their best work. 

Andrew shared his story in our employee profile series, “The DNA of BioMarin,” which draws inspiration from the four bases that constitute DNA – A (adenine), T (thymine), C (cytosine) and G (guanine) – by asking employees to reflect on the role that Aspiration, Translation, Connection and Gratitude play in their everyday work. 

Learn more about how Andrew’s passion for scientific discovery drives his work to bring treatments to patients. 

ASPIRATION
How did you get your start in the biopharma industry? What do you aspire to accomplish through your work at BioMarin and in your career? 

I never planned to become a scientist. I entered college expecting to study music composition, far more interested in creativity than chemistry. Everything shifted when a few key people opened my eyes to a different way of seeing the world. An English literature professor pushed me to think beyond the classroom and my then girlfriend (now wife), Carla, was deep in her veterinary training. Her mother, a nurse with an extraordinary understanding of the natural world, could identify nearly every plant and animal on a desert hike. Through them, I began to understand the world as a connected, living system with endless mysteries waiting to be explored. 

This awakening stood in stark contrast to my childhood in Southern California, shaped by smog, heat and long stretches in traffic. Discovering biology felt like discovering a new world. That fascination soon expanded into medicine.  

Driven by that curiosity, I went on to earn my Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship and spending time at a drug discovery company, I knew I wanted to work somewhere rooted in both scientific rigor and meaningful patient impact. That’s what ultimately brought me to BioMarin in 2013. 

When I joined BioMarin, my aspiration was simple: I wanted to learn how to make medicines and apply science to help patients with unmet needs. I began as an individual contributor supporting a single program and grew into a role that supports nearly the entire development pipeline. Today, my aspiration has evolved into building strong teams and a culture that empowers scientists to do their best work, because when people thrive, better medicines follow. 

CONNECTION
What role does connection play at BioMarin?

Connection has been foundational to my experience at BioMarin. Spending more than 12 years at the same biotech company is unusual, but the teams in Bioanalytical Sciences and Translational Sciences, along with the mentorship and support of my manager, have created an environment where I continue to grow. I have seen how the right culture and the right colleagues push one another to higher standards. The people around me have driven me to become a stronger scientist, a more thoughtful leader and a more effective developer of medicines. 

Our group also serves as a connection point across BioMarin, working closely with teams throughout the development process. These collaborations have deepened my understanding of how medicines are brought from concept to clinic and reinforced the importance of trust, rigor and shared accountability in delivering therapies to patients. 

BioMarin’s connection to the local community in Marin and the San Francisco Bay Area has also shaped my experience in meaningful ways. Running into colleagues at the grocery store or school events is a reminder that we are part of a shared community. Our work reaches patients around the world, but it also strengthens the community we live in, creating a sense of purpose that extends beyond the workplace. 

Connection at BioMarin has extended beyond science as well. I was not a runner before joining the company, but Wednesday lunch runs from the Novato campus introduced me to a passion that changed my life and deepened my friendships with colleagues. Through this community, I went on to run the Boston Marathon and several ultramarathons across deserts, mountains and other challenging terrain.  

GRATITUDE
Tell us about something you’re grateful for in your career, and why.

I am grateful to have contributed to multiple approved therapies. Many scientists are fortunate to work on one approved medicine during their careers. In my time at BioMarin, I have been part of teams that helped bring five different approved therapies to patients. Each approval represents years of collaboration, perseverance and belief in what is possible. 

Additionally, I am grateful for the science itself. Working in rare disease means operating at the edges of what is known. These conditions are often understudied, creating opportunities to uncover new insights into biology that can benefit not only our patients, but the broader scientific community. That sense of discovery continues to motivate me every day. 

TRANSLATION
How do you hope your work will translate into impact for the patient communities BioMarin is working to support?

The work we do in our laboratories is directly tied to the path toward drug approval, and that connection gives our work meaning and urgency. The lab tests and procedures our scientists develop generate data that inform decisions about safety and efficacy, ultimately determining whether a therapy reaches patients.   

One of the most exciting aspects of our role is the opportunity to explore new technologies that deepen our understanding of how therapies work. We are constantly looking for better ways to measure biomarkers that reveal disease biology and patient response in ways that were not previously possible. At the heart of this work is a single motivation: helping patients with unmet needs. That responsibility drives us to deliver the highest-quality science possible, every single day.