<br><div class="gmail_quote"><div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:18.0pt"><b><span style="color:#333366">UROP D/L/C: MIT Sloan Laboratory for Financial Engineering</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:18.0pt"><b><span style="color:#333366">Faculty Supervisor: Prof. Andrew Lo</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:18.0pt">
<b><span style="color:black">Project Title:</span></b><span style="color:black"> Cancer research: modeling success, failure and how to use financial technology to pay for future cancer research.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:18.0pt">
<span style="color:black"><br><b>Project Description: </b>This project aims at designing new ways to finance cancer research. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:18.0pt">
<span style="color:black"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:18.0pt"><span style="color:black">There are two research assignments for two or more candidates:</span></p>
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<span style="color:black">1. The UROP will work with researchers from the Laboratory for Financial Engineering and the Tufts center for Drug Development in the analysis of cancer research efforts of the last three decades. We will construct and analyze a database comprising records for cancer therapeutics that were evaluated in clinical studies sponsored by commercial firms during 1980-2009. Data collected will include current clinical status (e.g., Phase 1, 2 or 3, in regulatory review, approved, discontinued) and milestone dates (e.g., for entry into clinical study, transition to Phase 2 or 3, filing date for marketing application, date of marketing approval), which will allow analysis of probabilities of success over time. Data about the companies that developed the drugs will be included (e.g., licensing, merger and acquisition activity, financing and, if possible, company valuation at different points in time, e.g., if they IPO, merged or were bought. This data will allow analysis of the economics of deals and valuations over time. </span></p>
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<span style="color:black">The UROP will acquire a deep understanding of the history of modern cancer research efforts, biotech and pharma companies ecosystem as well as of how scientific research is financed and of the FDA regulatory process.</span></p>
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<span style="color:black">2. The UROP will help program a simulation module to evaluate the risk of default of a portfolio of bonds. He/she will acquire an understanding of how to design a structured finance vehicle and of how to evaluate financial risks</span></p>
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<span style="color:black">Both positions will provide candidate with insightful knowledge for future careers in finance and in biotech.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:18.0pt">
<span style="color:black"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:18.0pt"><span style="color:black">The UROP can be for pay or credit. Start date would be as early as possible, in IAP and probably continuing spring semester based on project needs and student availability.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:18.0pt"><span style="color:black"><br><b>Prerequisites:</b> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:18.0pt">
<span style="color:black">Preferred background for project 1: biology, economics, statistics or business. Other backgrounds will be considered</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:18.0pt">
<span style="color:black"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:18.0pt"><span style="color:black">Preferred background for project 2: statistics, programming skills in Matlab</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><br><b>Contact:</b> Please send a resume and statement of interest to Jayna Cummings (<a href="mailto:jcummin@mit.edu" target="_blank">jcummin@mit.edu</a>)</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Jayna Cummings</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Administrative Assistant to</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">John C. Cox and Andrew W. Lo</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">MIT Sloan School of Management</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">100 Main Street, E62-611</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Cambridge, MA 02142</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">T: 617-258-5727</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">F: 617-258-6855</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div></div></div><br>