Dr. Chonghui Cheng is currently a Professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, USA. She obtained a PhD from Sloan Kettering Institute/Cornell University working with Dr. Stewart Shuman and conducted postdoctoral training at MIT under Nobel Laureate Dr. Phillip Sharp. In 2007, Dr. Cheng joined the faculty at Northwestern University. In 2016, she was recruited to Baylor College of Medicine as a CPRIT Rising-Star Scholar. Dr Cheng has made major contributions to the understanding of alternative splicing in cancer. Her laboratory investigates the fundamental questions of how RNA regulation controls cellular processes in normal biology and in the context of cancer. Working at the interface of RNA splicing and breast cancer biology, Dr. Cheng’s research pioneered the findings that splice isoform switching causally controls epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and breast cancer metastasis. The research team in Dr. Cheng’s laboratory combines multidisciplinary approaches of molecular biology, genetics, and bioinformatics and aims to discover rules and networks of RNA binding proteins and alternative splicing that regulate breast cancer metastasis and to advance the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of this deadly disease.

Liang Huang (PhD, Penn, 2008) is a Professor of Computer Science at Oregon State University, and co-founder of Coderna.ai. Until recently, he was also a Distinguished Scientist at Baidu Research USA. He also worked at Google Research, USC, and City Univ. of New York. He was a leading natural natural language processing (NLP) researcher, but in recent years, he has shifted his attention to applying these natural language algorithms to computational biology, esp. RNA folding and RNA design, with the hope of fighting COVID. This line of linguistics-inspired biology work eventually led to PNAS (2021) and Nature (2023) papers, and is widely covered in the media.

Liang Qu, Professor, doctoral supervisor, and PI at the School of Basic Medicine, Fudan University. In 2022, Prof. Qu joined Fudan University and established the RNA Vaccine Technology and Immunotherapy Laboratory, dedicated to the development of new RNA vaccines and treatment technologies, as well as immunotherapy research. Prof. Qu developed the RNA editing technology LEAPER (Nature Biotechnology, 2019) and its iterative upgraded version LEAPER 2.0 (Nature Biotechnology, 2022) that does not rely on the CRISPR/Cas system, and was selected for the National 13th Five Year Science and Technology Innovation Achievement Exhibition. Prof. Qu also established the first circRNA vaccine platform, expanding the new field of RNA therapy technology (Cell, 2022).

Qi received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a specialization in chemical biology of nucleic acids from the University of Rhode Island in 2019. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Anastasia Khvorova Lab at the RNA Therapeutics Institute, where he is working on engineering small-interfering RNAs to address unmet needs in the treatment of inflammatory disorders. He has recently led the design of an immunomodulatory JAK1-selective siRNA, and the investigational drug is licensed to Aldena Therapeutics and is currently under clinical development for treating inflammatory skin diseases. Qi is a recipient of the 2023 NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award and is establishing his lab at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School with a primary focus on chemical biology and preclinical development of therapeutic RNAs.

Eleni Anastasiadou received her Ph.D. from La Sapienza, University of Rome, Italy, specializing in microbiology and virology. She focused on the interactions of cellular miRNAs with Epstein Barr Virus latent proteins in lymphoma. Her pioneering work led to the identification of how viral proteins subvert cellular miRNAs and contribute to cancer. During her work at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, Boston has developed an RNA-aided cancer immunotherapy method and a bench-to-bedside delivery of miRNAs in lymphomas. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at La Sapienza University, focused on the role of miRNAs in regulating immune responses in cancer.

Merle Fuchs is Co-Founder and CEO of PRAMOMOLECULAR GmbH, a biotech startup based in Berlin. PRAMOMOLECULAR develops therapeutics based on short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to downregulate oncoproteins in lung, pancreas, and skin. She benefits from her scientific background as a micro- and molecular biologist as well as from her previous experience in setting up “TechnologieContor”, a consulting company for high-tech start-ups and innovative grown-ups with a focus on business development and financing. Merle Fuchs is Co-Founder of seven other high-tech startups.

Charles C. Tong, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Head of R&D Center, has been engaged in the oligonucleotide therapeutics research and development at Suzhou Ribo Life Science since 2016. He has more than 27 years of extensive working experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including various scientific and leadership roles in R&D organizations in pharma and biotechnology companies to advance products from preclinical research, clinical development to market authorization. Prior to his current position, he served as General Manager of R&D Center at Hisun-Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Senior Director of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Pfizer Inc., as well as Chair of International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) China.

Dr. Blakney is an Assistant Professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in the Michael Smith Laboratories and School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC. She received her Bachelor of Science in Chemical & Biological Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and her PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Washington. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Imperial College London on the development of molecular and biomaterial engineering strategies for delivery of self-amplifying RNA. Her lab uses bioengineering, molecular biology and immunology approaches to develop the next generation of RNA vaccines and therapies. Her research has been published in a variety of top tier journals including ACS Nano, Nature Communications, Molecular Therapy, Biomaterials, Journal of Controlled Release, and Advanced Materials. She is also a passionate science communicator and runs a TikTok channel dedicated to educating the public about RNA biotechnology, which now has >250,000 followers and >18M views.

Dr. Blakney has received numerous awards and recognitions in addition to the Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Nucleic Acid Bioengineering, including the 2023 MIT Tech Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35, 2022 Gairdner Early Career Investigator Award, the 2021 UBC President’s Award for Public Education Through Media and the 2022 Controlled Release Society Gene Delivery and Editing Focus Group Young Investigator Award.

2015- Present     Professor, Nagoya University University, Japan

2013-2015         Associate Professor, Hokkaido University, Japan

2005-2013         Researcher, RIKEN, Japan

2002-2005         Prof. Eric Kool, Stanford University, USA

2001-2002         Prof. Joaane Stubbe, Massachusetts Institute Technology, USA

2001 PhD          Hokkaido University

1998 MS           Hokkaido University

1996 BS            Hokkaido University

Research Interests:

Chemical Biology of Nucleic Acids, RNA therapeutics

"I earned a Nature Sciences degree at the “Universite Paris XII “, a Master in technical

Sciences and Techniques in Chemistry applied to Biology. My PhD was in molecular

Endocrinology at the University of Sheffield. As a postdoctoral scientist, I worked on

developing therapeutics for endocrine and kidney diseases using a wide range of

molecular/cellular and animal models. In 2023, I joined Dr Zoltan Kis ‘s team working on the

development and modelling of rapid-response vaccine production platform technologies

funded by the Wellcome R3 program as a project manager. This work is addressing the

challenge of producing large volumes of vaccines, rapidly, at high quality and at low cost for

pandemic response, using experimental and modelling resources.

Dr. Bowen Li is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto, and an Affiliate Scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. He is also a holder of the Canada Research Chair in RNA Vaccines and Therapeutics (Tier 2), and the GSK Chair in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery. Dr. Li received his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Washington-Seattle (Supervisor: Shaoyi Jiang), and then completed a Postdoc Fellowship in the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT (Supervisors: Robert Langer and Daniel Anderson). His lab utilizes a range of interdisciplinary strategies, including combinatorial chemistry, high throughput platforms, and AI-driven design of experiments, to develop new generations of delivery systems for RNA medicines. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals, including Nature Biotechnology, Nature Biomed. Eng., Nature Materials and Nature Medicine, and filed eight patents. His research in preclinical RNA-based drug development has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences Early Career Award, ACS Rising Star in Biological, Medicinal, and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, CF Canada Marsha Morton Early Career Investigator Award, Gairdner Early Career Investigator Award etc.

Heinrich Haas， Department of Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz Mainz, Germany. Ph.D. in the group of Prof. Dr. Helmuth Möhwald at Johannes-Gutenberg Universität Mainz. Researched lipid membranes and organized bio-molecular systems. In pharmaceutical industry (Munich Biotech, Medigene, BioNTech) developed different types of nanoparticle products to clinical stage. Focus on advanced approaches for nanoparticle development and control.

Dr. Sissi Lin is an organic chemist with over 15 years of specialized experience in nucleic acid chemistry and RNA drug development. Her career includes serving  as the founding director of Chemistry and Operations at Lerna Biopharma, a Singapore-based biotech company, where she spearheaded the development of oligonucleotide drug technologies and managed CMC for preclinical candidates. Dr. Lin has also served as Vice President and Advisor at Biotech Connection Singapore, where she played an active role in strengthening Singapore's biotech ecosystem. She has been featured at numerous conferences focused on RNA drug development and the biotech sector as a speaker and panelist. Currently, Dr. Lin is the Deputy Director at the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative, Singapore’s national platform for RNA drug development, where she directs R&D strategy and drives innovations in therapeutic solutions.

Dr. Pad Chivukula, Ph.D. is the Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Arcturus Therapeutics. With a rich foundation in nanoparticle technology, Dr. Chivukula expertly guides Arcturus’ efforts in discovering and developing transformative medicines for serious diseases. Since co-founding Arcturus with Joseph Payne in 2013, he has significantly advanced the company’s research capabilities and pipeline, focusing on RNA therapies and vaccines.

Under his leadership, the R&D organization thrives on a culture of urgency to meet patient needs, integrating advanced therapeutic platforms and streamlining processes. His prior experience includes a significant tenure at Nitto, where he was a Group Leader and Chief Scientist, and led the polymeric RNAi research department. Dr. Chivukula holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Utah, specializing in nanoparticle technology.

Dr. Mazzu has over 20 years of research and development experience in the fields of medicinal chemistry, cellular and molecular biology, cancer biology, immuno-oncology, and clinical data bioinformatics. She completed postdoctoral research at UMASS Medical School in US and later served as a senior scientist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She has received support from multiple national-level projects in US, published numerous international papers, and obtained international patents. In 2022, she returned to China and was selected as one of the "Hundred Foreign Experts" in Jiangsu Province. She also received funding from the "Zijinshan Talent Program" in Nanjing City. Currently, she serves as the Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of AuroRNA Biotech, a subsidiary of Grand Pharmaceutical group.

Dr. Rongkuan Hu is the founder and CEO of Starna Therapeutics and also holds the position of Industrial Professor at the College of Biomedical Engineering of USTC and the School of Pharmacy at Soochow University.

Prior to his role at Starna Therapeutics, Dr. Hu held various management roles in pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Under his leadership, numerous mRNA and siRNA projects transitioned into clinical trials and achieved commercial milestones. Dr. Hu has authored over 50 patents and peer-reviewed SCI papers in the field of RNA therapy. He obtained his doctoral degree from USTC, an Executive MBA from CEIBS, and conducted postdoctoral research at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Xiaolin Andy Li, Chief AI Scientist, Hangzhou Institute of Medicine (HIM), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), President of Industry-University Research Alliance for Knowledge Federation (AKF). He was a tenured full professor at University of Florida, Division Chair of Computer Engineering, founding director of NSF Center for Big Learning (CBL), the first national deep learning center in USA with colleagues at UF, CMU, UO, and UMKC along with over 30 leading industry members (such as Google, Nvidia, Baidu, Tencent etc). He was awarded NSF CAREER Award, China Top 10 AI Leaders, several best papers, and contest winning teams. He led the team to develop early AI platforms and algorithms (CognitiveEngine/DeepCloud, PrimateAI/DeepFolding/FoldingZero, DeepBipolar/DeepCancer, DeepAtom/DyScore/DrugMetric, MySurgeryRisk, iBond/FLEX，BatmanNet/AptaDiff/RNADiff/AtomicFold). He has published about 200 papers in deep learning, biopharma technology, cloud computing, and security&privacy. His research findings have been applied in drug target discovery, protein folding, RNA/DNA folding, drug design, virtual screening, omics, and clinical decision support systems. Several of his students have become tenured or tenure-track professors in USA (including one in Top Five College of Pharmacy).

Dr. Liu Yuanqing graduated from Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University and was a surgeon at Shanghai Zhongshan Hospital. He completed his PhD in Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium and was one of the pioneers on myeloid-derived suppressors in tumors. He was previously a senior research lead at Sanofi Pasteur French headquarter, where he contributed to various vaccine projects, including cancer vaccines, vaccines against infectious diseases, pediatric vaccines, adjuvants, etc. Dr. Liu is an industry veteran with extensive experience in the development of innovative vaccines for international market. He was a member of the EU Innovative Medicine Initiative. Since 2021, he has been the Chief Scientific Officer of Immorna Biotechnology. He is based in Shanghai where Immorna has established a high-standard R&D site aiming to accelerate the development of mRNA vaccines and drugs in China.

Jerry Zhang joined the Suzhou Abogen Biosciences in May of 2020 and currently serves as the Vice President of Formulation leading the formulation, process development and tech transfer of mRNA-LNP products.

Dr. Zhang has 23 years of experiences in formulation development of sterile parenteral drug products including various complex injectables such as lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, nanoemulsions, polymeric nanoparticles and nanocrystal suspensions as well as lyophilized powders. Prior to joining Abogen, he worked for Hospira (now Pfizer), Daiichi Sankyo and Livzon Pharmaceutical Group as a Senior Research Pharmacist, Supervisor of  Formulation R & D and Senior Director of Formulation, respectively. He also worked on mRNA-LNP formulations at Shire Human Genetic Therapies (now Takeda) and Arcturus Therapeutics to support preclinical studies.

Dr. Zhang holds a PhD in Bioorganic Chemistry from Kyushu University, a MS in Organic Chemistry and a BS in Chemistry from Fudan University. He completed his postdoctoral training at University of Notre Dame and Purdue University in liposome-based systems for triggered release and targeted delivery.

Dr. Xue-Qing Zhang is a Ph.D. advisor at the School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. She earned her Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry and Physics from Wuhan University. In 2010, she joined the research groups of Professor Robert Langer at MIT and Professor Omid Farokhzad at Harvard Medical School in 2010, where she completed the joint postdoctoral training. Following this, she worked for several years in formulation development at a U.S. biopharmaceutical company. Her research focuses on nucleic acid delivery systems and biomedical materials, driven by clinical needs. Specifically, she explores (i) novel mRNA vaccines and their applications in infectious disease prevention, and (ii) targeted nucleic acid nanodelivery systems for treating organ fibrosis, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, along with the underlying mechanisms. She has published more than 50 SCI papers in journals such as Science Advances, Nature Communications, ACS Nano, and PNAS, with over 8,000 citations. She holds multiple patents, including two granted in the U.S. and eight in China. Her work has gained significant attention and citations both domestically and internationally in the research field of polymer- and lipid-based RNA delivery systems, and has been featured by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, Polymer Science, ACS Nano, and other media outlets. Dr. Zhang has led several key projects, including the National Biopharmaceutical Technology Innovation Center’s nucleic acid drug development initiative and the "Key Technology Research in Biosafety" project under the National Key R&D Program. She has been recognized by numerous talent programs, including the National High-level Talent Introduction Program for Young Professionals, the Shanghai Pearl Peak Talent, and Program for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Talents in Jiangsu Province. Additionally, she has been invited to serve as a member of the editorial board for the Higher Education Press’s "14th Five-Year Plan" medical textbook Introduction to Pharmacy, the Editorial Board of Drug Regulatory Science and Modern Pharmaceutical Management, and as a technical advisor to the Shanghai Institute of Biological Products.

Andrew Wong is General Manager of Shanghai Wotai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary company of Walvax Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a public listed and leading vaccine development, and manufacturing company in China, where Andrew held a position as Director of Business Development until recently. Andrew had managed Walvax's global business activities including product global registration, sales & marketing, tech-transfer and licensing-in/out for more than 4 years till August 2024.. 

By participating in Walvax’s efforts to become a global vaccine manufacturer, between September 2015 and March 2020, Andrew managed a three collaboration projects under a combined sum of USD 8.5 million funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support the development of bivalent, nona-valent HPV vaccines and recombinant COVID-19 vaccine for developing countries. Representing Walvax, Andrew participated in the efforts with Shanghai Zerun Biotechnology Co., Ltd, a Walvax subsidiary in Shanghai, to secure grants more than USD 20 millions from CEPI to support the preclinical and clinical development of the variant recombinant COVID-19 vaccine.  Currently, Andrew leads his teams to work on Walvax’s global business expansion through licensing-in/out and international product registration and distribution.

After academic trainings from China, Canada and United States in clinical medicine, immunology, molecular biology,  and business administration with an MBA from UCLA Anderson School, Andrew Wong, MD, MBA has almost three decades’ experiences in biopharmaceutical research, business development and general management, including close to 12 years’ work experience at the world’s largest biotech company - Amgen Inc. in USA, by engaging in recombinant antibody therapeutics and anticancer small molecule drug research and development.

Professor Han Xuexiang is a researcher, project leader and doctoral supervisor of the Center of Excellence in Molecular and Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Selected in the national high-level talents (overseas) project and Shanghai Leading Talents (overseas) project.

Hanz Biotechnology (Suzhou) Co., LTD., Co-founder & CSO.

He received his bachelor's degree from Shanghai University in 2014, and his PhD from Tsinghua University in 2019 (jointly trained by National Center for Nanoscience and Technology). From 2020 to 2024, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Professor Michael J. Mitchell, University of Pennsylvania, USA, during which he collaborated with Professor Drew Weissman, winner of the Nobel Prize, on the research of LNP-mRNA vaccines and drugs. In February 2024, he joined the Center of Excellence in Molecular and Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on the construction of novel LNP and RNA drug delivery. He is the first-author (including co-first author) of Nat.Chem., Nat.Nanotech., Nat.Mater., Nat.Commun. He has published nearly 20 papers in other journals, authorized one Chinese patent, and applied for a number of PCT patents.

Boon Tong joined A*STAR as Executive Director of BTI on 3 May 2021 and was concurrently appointed ED of Nucleic Acid Therapeutic Initiative in October 2023. With over 30 years of experience in the private sector, he had managed specialty chemicals, API operations and businesses in China and India. He comes onboard with deep expertise in managing translational research teams, pharmaceutical operations, and businesses across Asia. He further possesses extensive knowledge in GMP operations encompassing research, pilot, and manufacturing, through prominent roles at GSK and Lonza. Boon Tong graduated with a PhD from the National University of Singapore and is Adjunct Professor at Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).

Ph.D. Old Dominion University, Virginia. USA, concentrated on vector-borne disease.

ORISE fellow, The US Food and Drug Administration, CBER，DVP, OVRR.

An expert on Flaviviridae vector-borne diseases including LGTV, ZIKV, DENV infection and transmission through the facilitation of exosome and published on several top journals (PNAS, EMI, PLoS Pathog, etc.).

ORISE fellow at the FDA, worked on live attenuated Rubella vector vaccines expressing RSV， Covid-19 or HIV interest proteins.

Now working as a leading scientist & academic secretary of CNBG-Virogin, leading POC research team and be responsible for all the infectious disease mRNA vaccine pipelines that under the POC stage.

Jiajia Zou, the Research and Development (R&D) director at Beijing Intell Nanomedicine, earned her doctorate from the University of Glasgow. With seven years of expertise in DNA nanotechnology, she has dedicated three years to advancing the industrialization of DNA nanomaterials, overseeing the development of structural assembly, mass production, and non-clinical projects.