KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Dr.Patrick Baumhof

Vice President Formulation & Delivery at CureVac AG

Trained in Chemistry, at the University of Leipzig. Dr. Baumhof’s scientific expertise includes chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences and immunology. He joined CureVac in July 2007 when he was responsible for the development and preclinical testing of new formulations for mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. He is inventor of several patents and he co-authored several publications on mRNA technology. Currently he is heading the department for Product design an formulations and is Program manager for the RNAoptimizer Program.

KEYNOTE LECTURE on Oct. 14:

“mRNA based Vaccines” & information on CureVac’s research program on COVID-19

Prof. Joseph Kost

Distinguished University Professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Yosi Kost D.Sc. is University Distinguished Professor, holds The Abraham and Bessie Zacks Chair in Biomedical Engineering, and the past Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Sciences at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU).  Kost completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Chemical Engineering at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, before earning a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering at the same institution. Later he also earned an M.B.A.  He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, an International Member of the United States National Academy of Engineering (NAE), an Honorary Fellow of the Israel Institute of Chemical Engineers, a Member of the Controlled Release Society College of Fellows, Doctor  Honoris Causa, Transilvania University of Brasov and a Member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. His research interests are in the field of biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, biomaterials science, controlled drug delivery, gene therapy and ultrasound.

KEYNOTE LECTURE on Oct. 15:

“Nano-Scale Systems and Strategies for Targeted Delivery of Drugs and Genes”

Dr. Maria Jesus Vicent

Head of the Polymer Therapeutics Lab at Prince Felipe Research Center (CIPF, Valencia Spain)  & co-founder and CSO at Polypeptide Therapeutic Solution SL.

María J. Vicent obtained her Ph.D. degree in Chemistry on Solid supports from Jaume I Univ. (Spain) after several research stays at Univ. California Berkeley at Prof Frèchet Lab. and continued working as postdoctoral fellow with Prof. R. Duncan at Cardiff Univ., UK. Since 2006 is the head of the Polymer Therapeutics Lab. and Coordinator of the Advanced Therapies Area at CIPF. Her research focuses on the development of Polypeptide-based Nanoconjugates for different therapeutic and diagnostic applications. María has been funded by both national and EU grants (including an ERC Consolidator grant-MyNano, ERC-PoC-POLYIMMUNE, Fund Health La Caixa-NanoPanTher) published 120 papers and 10 patents (3 licensed and 1 as origin of the company PTS). She is an elected member of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, board member of the Innovation Valencian Agency.

KEYNOTE LECTURE on Oct. 14

“Polypeptide-based nanoconjugates as versatile Therapeutics.”

INVITED SPEAKERS

Dr. Fabrice Navarro

Head of Laboratory at CEA LETI, France

Fabrice Navarro (PhD) is Head of Laboratory (30 collaborators) at CEA LETI on microfluidic systems and bioengineering with a PhD in cellular and molecular biology. He is an expert in the field of biotechnology, including nanomedicine. Main research activities are the design of new biotherapies based on nanotechnology and microfluidic systems for biomedical applications, such as Point of Care Testing or Organ on chips. He is inventor of more than 12 patents and co-author of more than 75 publications and conference papers. He is currently the coordinator of the H2020 NEWDEAL project.

Chair of the Workshop on “Translational issues in Nanomedicine” on Oct. 15

Prof. Alan Boyd

Past President of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, CEO & Founder of Boyds and Consultant Pharmaceutical Physician, UK.

Professor Alan Boyd began his 30 years’ pharmaceutical career with Glaxo Group Research Ltd. From 1988 he led ICI’s cardiovascular medical research team, later assuming the role of Director of Clinical and Medical Affairs at ICI Pharma, Canada. In 1999, after four years as Head of Medical Research for Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, he became Director of Research and Development for Ark Therapeutics Ltd where he was responsible for delivering the majority of key development milestones that have shaped the company. In April 2005, he left to set up Boyd Consultants. The focus of which is to aid and support early stage life-science based companies of the sort of which Ark had its origins. His clients now include many companies in Europe, North America and Japan who are devoted to the development of medical drug products, devices and in vitro devices.

Chair of the Workshop on “Translational issues in Nanomedicine” on Oct. 15

Dr. Ruth Schmid

VP marketing at SINTEF, chair of the Board of the ETPN, Norway.

Ruth Schmid (Dr. Sc. Nat.) is Vice President Marketing at SINTEF with an undergraduate education in organic chemistry and a PhD in physical organic chemistry. She is especially responsible for the field of medical technology, including nanomedicine at SINTEF. Main research activities over the last 35+ years are the preparation of polymer particles and capsules for many different applications, especially controlled release of active ingredients, as well as surface modification of polymers by self-assembly of biomolecular layers. She has long-term experience in translation from lab to pilot scale, e.g. through the development of the Dynabeads. She has business development experience, e.g. SINTEFs various drug delivery platforms. She is a past president of the Controlled Release Society (CRS) and the current chair of the European Technology Platform of Nanomedicine (ETPN).

Prof. Raymond Schiffelers

Professor of nanomedicine at UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Raymond Schiffelers is a full professor of nanomedicine at the University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands. He obtained his PhD degree from Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands. His thesis focused on liposomal targeting of antimicrobial agents. He obtained a Vidi grant from NWO, to develop his own research line. In 2009 he received the Galenus Research Award for his drug delivery work and in 2010 was awarded an ERC Starting Grant (consolidator phase) to investigate extracellular vesicles for drug delivery. In 2011, he moved to University Medical Center Utrecht where he complemented his research lines on drug targeting with investigations on nanoparticles in diagnostic applications.

Dr. Daniele Catalucci

Group Leader at National Research Council, Institute of Genetic & Biomedical Research Principal Investigator at Humanitas, Italy

Daniele Catalucci, PhD is the coordinator of CUPIDO project. He graduated from the University of Rome − Roma Tre, in 1999 and received his PhD in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Rome − Tor Vergata, in 2003. Supported by a Marie Curie Outgoing International Fellowship, he performed his postdoctoral studies at the Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, USA. By the end of 2007, Dr. Catalucci moved back to Italy (Milan) where he started up his own group at the Institute of Biomedical Technologies of the National Research Council (ITB-CNR) in collaboration with the IRCCS Multimedica Hospital. In 2009, he became a tenured scientist at the Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research (IRGB) of CNR and in 2012, his laboratory moved to the Humanitas Research Hospital. His primary research focuses are on the understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiac function and pathophysiology with the ultimate goal of developing novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment, cure, and diagnosis of cardiac disease.

Dr. Nora Ventosa

Research Scientist at ICMAB-CSIC and Co-director of NANOMOL TECNIO, Spain

Dr. Nora Ventosa is scientific researcher of the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB) of CSIC, the largest Spanish public research institution. She is principal investigator of Nanomol-research group at CIBER-BBN Biomedicine network. Her research is focused in the development and preparation of new micro- and nanostructured molecular materials for biomedical applications and in their physic-chemical characterization. The knowledge and IP generated in Ventosa’s lab has been and is currently being used for the nanoformulation of several pharmaceutical actives and biologicals, in the frame of public-private collaborative projects and contracts with pharmaceutical companies and biotechs. In the frame of the EU H2020 Smart4Fabry project, coordinated by Dr. Ventosa, GLA lysosomal enzyme, nanoformulated in new nanoliposomes functionalized with targeting peptides, is being developed up to advanced regulatory pre-clinical testing, for the treatment of Fabry disease, a lysosomal disorder. Dr. Nora Ventosa has been vice-president of the Catalan Chemistry Society belonging to EuChemS (2014-2019) and since 2015 she is advisory board member of ACCIO, Catalan agency for business competitiveness. She is co-founder of Nanomol Technologies SL and member of its scientific advisory board

Dr. Frank Pavan

Head of V-Nano, France

With more than 20 years under his belt, Franck brings to V-Nano an extensive experience in contract development and manufacturing, a profound know-how of sterile manufacturing and sterile parenteral operations, both for freeze-dried and liquid products. He was part of a number of successful projects, including some involving highly advanced technologies. Head of V Nano and involved in the REFINE project from the beginning, he has a strong experience of GMP manufactured nanotechnology enabled products in clinical or in commercial phase.

Dr. Alba Cordoba

Technology Transfer Director at Nanomol Technologies, Spain

Dr. Alba Córdoba is Technology Transfer Director at the SME Nanomol Technologies, where she heads scale-up & engineering since 2017, also managing business development activities. She is Chemical Engineer, Postgraduate in Technology Transfer and Innovation Management and holds a PhD in Chemical Science and Technology. She has 14 years of experience in industry-academy collaboration for the development of novel micron and nanostructured materials and biomaterials for health applications, having participated in 25+ applied R&D projects, including research and technology transfer contracts with international biotech, pharmaceutical and chemical companies, and H2020-funded projects such as Smart4Fabry. In the last years she has led the successful scale-up of the DELOS Platform, a unique and green drug nanoformulation technology, until pilot plant scale. Currently she is guiding the cGMP implementation of the platform for the manufacturing of clinical batches of DELOS-enabled nanomedicines

Dr. Loredana Cecchetelli

R&D Director at Istituto Biochimico Italiano, Italy

Loredana Cecchetelli has thirty years of experience in Pharmaceutical Research & Development. In 1987, she graduated in Chemistry at the University of Rome. Since 2006, she has been the Director of Research and Development of Istituto Biochimico Italiano (IBI). Today, her team deals with all the activities related to internal R&D projects and Contract Development and Manufacturing, from laboratory trials to GMP production of Investigational Medicinal Products. She is also responsible of the Biotechnology Department, where fermentation and purification processes, from mammalian cells, are developed

Dr. Claudio De Luca

Life Science executive, VP Strategic Development at FINCERAMICA, Italy

Claudio de Luca, PhD, Vice President Strategic Development of FINCERAMICA, he holds a degree in Biological Sciences and PhD in Bioengineering. Life science executive with 20 years of management experience at international level, impacting corporate performance through orchestration of high-level projects. He was a top executive in several startup companies and led new business development in mid-size corporations and served in a variety of leadership positions in research, product development, clinical, marketing, international sales and operations. He has a broad knowledge in biomimetic materials, medical devices and cell-based therapies, particularly in orthopedics, advanced wound care, and neurosurgery. He also has a long experience with international regulatory approvals, operations and supply management, strategic negotiator of supply, distribution and licensing agreements.

Eckhard Schwenner

CEO Health-I Business Consulting, HealthTech TAB expert, Germany

Eckhard has over 30 years general management experience in international Healthcare and has held leadership positions in Business, Program management, strategy and R&D roles in Bayer (Pharma, Corporate, Diagnostics (VP), Siemens (Diagnostics) and Philips (CEO Healthcare Incubator Emerging Markets). He has Start up and deal making experience as CEO of diagnostic (pes GmbH) and medtech (enverdis GmbH) companies. He has lived and worked in Germany, the USA, Japan, worked in China and India. His expertise is in consulting start-ups and providing interim management since 2013.

Dr. Daniel Pérez

Chief Innovation Officer at Nanoimmunotech, Spain

Daniel Pérez Estévez (PhD) is the Chief Innovation Officer at Nanoimmunotech. He received his Ph.D in Biology from the University of Vigo. After a being associate professor at the University of Vigo he joins Nanoimmunotech in 2012. Few years after, he became the manager of the biosafety department, being principal investigator of FP7 and H2020 projects. As a senior researcher, he holds over 15 years of experience in immunological and toxicity assays. His research activity is focused on the nano-biocompatibility, nanotoxicity, sterility and immunotoxicity evaluation.

Fabien Montury

Head of the NanO’up Platform chez CEA Tech

Fabien is responsible of the technical platform NanO’up based in CEA Toulouse (France). This lab is dedicated to the scale up of nanoformulated products. It involves pilot batches manufacturing from bench to few Liter-scale in clean area. Before joining CEA TECH, Fabien worked during 10 years for scale-up and prototypes manufacturing at Pierre Fabre Dermo-Cosmetique. As senior process engineer, he contributed to launch hundreds of dermatological cosmetics on market (suncares, shampoos, gels, lotions, creams, preservative-free products, anti-wrinkles fillers). His expertise is about products formulation, chemical engineering and sterile processes with a constant concern to industrial endings. He started as process engineer in vaccine industry in purification/formulation at Sanofi Pasteur and Boehringer Ingelheim.

Dr. Matthieu Germain

CEA at Curadigm, France

Matthieu holds a doctorate in biotechnology. He has joined Nanobiotix in 2004. With over 15 years in nanomedicine, he is the author of more than 15 publications and scientific communications and is the inventor of 15 patents. He has held multiple positions in Nanobiotix before taking the lead at Curadigm and managed both domestic and international projects. Since 2019, Matthieu is chair of the ETPN Working Group on Nantotherapeutics & Targeted Delivery.