Katherine Titterton

Scientist-engineer and technical storyteller in neuroscience, imaging and AI

Neuroscientist-engineer at the seam of imaging, signal extraction and ML. Follows a hard question until the tool that answers it works, then makes the case with numbers and a story. Eight years across academia, pharma and ML-first biotech, with a wide view of science and its biases. Self-taught coder before AI could code; now builds with agentic coding. Prefers the work to the credit.

Experience [n] = publication number on page 2

Axiom Bio Founding Member of the Technical Staff

San Francisco, CA2023–2026

Invented two image-based bioactivity-detection methods ~10× more sensitive than conventional assays.
Led labeling, QC and PyTorch U-Net segmentation of 100,000+ compound images; in production 1+ year.
Oversaw assay development for two of the largest Cell Painting datasets, built as AI-ready training data.

Nat Commun 2026 [4] Cell Syst 2026 [3]

Insitro Associate Scientist III, Arrayed Screening

South SF, CA2022–2023

Onboarded tuberous sclerosis and ALS screens, from assay development to automated 384-well imaging.
Trained two screen operators; automated analysis of hundreds of plates in Python and R.
Developed a label-free phase-contrast timecourse imaging method to track live neuron growth.

MIT Technical Associate II, Synthetic Neurobiology Group

Cambridge, MA2021–2022

Imaged 30+ proteins at nanoscale by optimizing expansion revealing (mExR) over 7+ staining rounds.
Ran and optimized the lab's shared ImageJ/Fiji and MATLAB pipelines for the published method.

Nat Commun 2024 [6]

AbbVie Associate Scientist II, Foundational Neuroscience Center

Cambridge, MA2018–2021

Established tau-aggregation screens in primary and iPSC neurons, from assay development to R lead ranking.
Designed microfluidic neuron cultures that model tau spread between cells, for testing propagation inhibitors.

Mol Neurodegener Adv 2026 [1] iScience 2026 [2] J Biol Chem 2025 [5] iScience 2022 [7]

Massachusetts General Hospital Research Technician I

Boston, MA2017–2018

Recorded voltage-clamp currents from GABA-A receptors in Xenopus oocytes to study how anesthetics act.

Eur J Med Chem 2019 [8]

Independent work questions explored with AI agents

Datum Line Designing my ideal AI × bio startup: controls alone name the lab, 99.9%

2026

Overdose Watch Public overdose tracker a weekly Claude Code agent keeps current

2026

Vanitas / Veritas AI slop as vanitas: 4K open-source diffusion loop, interactive piece

2026

claude-code-learns Can an agent keep what it learns? Corrections become skills

2026

OpenTronsformers LLM copilot for the OT-2 lab robot; 2nd place, BioHack NYC

2023

Education

Colgate University B.A. Cellular Neuroscience, minor Mathematical Systems Biology

2013–2017

Harvard Extension School Graduate coursework in Python and computer vision

2019–2020

Skills

ML & data: PyTorch, U-Net segmentation, feature engineering, Python, R, agentic coding (Claude Code)

Lab & imaging: confocal, high-content and expansion microscopy, voltage clamp, iPSC neurons, HT screening

Story & design: data visualization, figure and pitch-deck design, generative art (Midjourney, diffusion)

Katherine Titterton Publications

updated Oct 2026

ORCID 0009-0008-3579-1793kattitterton@gmail.comfull author lists in CV

Peer-reviewed publications 8 papers, newest first

Yanamandra K, …, Titterton K, …, Langlois X. Conformation-specific anti-pathological tau antibody raised against AD brain-derived seed-competent tau reduces tau pathology in transgenic mice. Mol Neurodegener Adv. 2026;2(1):43. doi:10.1186/s44477-026-00049-6 AbbVie
Sebastian RM, …, Titterton K, …, Wu JW. SynCAR platform for capturing neuronal synaptic proteopathic seeds. iScience. 2026;29(7):116362. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2026.116362 AbbVie
Ewald JD, Titterton KL, …, Singh S. Cell Painting for cytotoxicity and mode-of-action analysis in primary human hepatocytes. Cell Syst. 2026;17(5):101566. doi:10.1016/j.cels.2026.101566 Axiom Bio
Seal S, …, Titterton K, …, Carpenter AE. Counting cells can accurately predict small-molecule bioactivity benchmarks. Nat Commun. 2026;17(1). doi:10.1038/s41467-026-68725-5 Axiom Bio featured on axi.om
Wu JW, Titterton K, …, Langlois X. Development of a robust, physiologically relevant neuronal tau aggregation assay for tau-related drug discovery. J Biol Chem. 2025;301(12):110853. doi:10.1016/j.jbc.2025.110853 AbbVie
Kang J, …, Titterton K, …, Boyden ES. Multiplexed expansion revealing for imaging multiprotein nanostructures in healthy and diseased brain. Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):9722. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-53729-w MIT
Manos JD, …, Titterton K, …, Langlois X. Uncovering specificity of endogenous TAU aggregation in a human iPSC-neuron TAU seeding model. iScience. 2022;25(1):103658. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.103658 AbbVie
Wu B, …, Titterton K, …, Bruzik KS. Inhibitable photolabeling by neurosteroid diazirine analog in the β3-subunit of human heteropentameric type A GABA receptors. Eur J Med Chem. 2019;162:810-824. doi:10.1016/j.ejmech.2018.11.019 MGH

Selected conference presentations & posters

Titterton K. Using AI to Combine Exposure, Metabolism, and Liver Function to Model DILI in Modern Molecules. Recorded talk, Axiom Bio. video
Titterton K, Boiko D, Cabrera ÁA, Bäuerle A, Tyagi A, Saneinejad S, Beatson A, White B. Accurate and interpretable in silico clinical risk assessment for drug-induced liver injury (DILI) from molecular structure. Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting, 2025. poster
Titterton K, et al. Development of a tau propagation neuronal microfluidic cell culture model for assessing inhibitors of tau propagation. Society for Neuroscience Global Connectome, 2021. poster
Titterton K, et al. High content analysis of tau aggregation in primary neurons: screening anti-tau antibodies and modeling tauopathy progression in vitro. SBI2 High Content Meeting, Harvard Medical School, 2019. poster

Katherine (Kat) Titterton, publicationspage 2 of 2