Asia’s RNA Frontier: Driving the future of genetic medicine with RNA-based therapies

Dr. Seyed Reza Banihashemi is a Ph.D. in Clinical Immunology from Tarbiatmodares University in Tehran, Iran, and also a Vaccinologist. He is currently the deputy of R&D and Assistant Professor of the Immunology Department at Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute. He has extensive experience in vaccine research and development, with a focus on immune responses bacterial and viruses’ vaccines. He is main researcher and developer of the Razi Cov-Pars protein recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (the first intranasal covid-19 vaccine) and he is the manufacturer of the Nano emulsion adjuvant system related to this vaccine. He has published several research papers on topics such as vaccine development, immune response evaluation, and adjuvant and drug delivery system. He is also a reviewer for prestigious scientific journals in the field of microbiology and immunology.

Arindam Ray is a medical epidemiologist with about 30 years of experience in public health management particularly in urban health care, population studies, disease surveillance and immunization. Following his tenure under Government of West Bengal, he joined World Health Organization in 2000. He was National Monitoring and Evaluation Focal Person at WHO country office, India before joining Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2014. At the Foundation, India office he looks after new vaccine initiatives, immunization systems, disease surveillance and modelling, Gavi projects and polio legacy work. He represents the Foundation at the global urban immunization workgroup, GAVI Asia-Pacific Regional Work Group, WHO SEAR RITAG, India Expert Committees on Rota Viral Vaccine, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, HPV vaccine, Typhoid conjugate vaccine and Polio & MR India Expert Advisory Groups.

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As the Director of the Mahidol Vivax Research Unit (MVRU) at the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, I lead a research team of > 30 staff including junior scientists, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.  We are one of a few research groups that consistently work on the P. vivax parasite, which cannot be continuously cultured in laboratory.  I have established the first field-based membrane feeding assay for evaluation of transmission blocking immunity against P. vivax.  This method has been used to evaluate vaccine candidates and naturally acquired immunity in endemic populations. Our capacity to conduct research on P. vivax biology has contributed to the progress on P. vivax transmission blocking vaccine.  The first P. vivax human challenge study in Thailand has been established by my team in collaboration with Oxford University.  This study will increase our capacity to evaluate the new vaccine candidates and drugs against all stages of P. vivax.  To better understand the immune response against malaria infection is important for better vaccine design and evaluation.

Professor Petro Terblanche holds the position of Chief Executive Officer of Afrigen Biologics (Pty)Ltd based in Cape Town, South Africa. Afrigen hosts the WHO Global mRNA technology development and transfer Hub and has developed a mRNA technology platform which is being transferred to 15 partners in LMICs as part of a global program to build capacity and capabilities in LMICs to design, develop and produce mRNA vaccines for access and health security. Prof Terblanche is the author of more than 200 scientific publications and conference papers in public health. Petro holds several Board positions and serves on a number of scientific advisory boards in the academic and public health sector. She was recently acknowledged as one of the legends of science by the Academy of Sciences South Africa.

Prof. Takafumi Tsuboi earned his M.D. from Ehime University School of Medicine in 1980 and his Ph.D. in Parasitology in 1986. He became an Associate Professor in the Department of Parasitology at Ehime University in 1997. In 1998, he identified the first candidate antigen for a Plasmodium vivax transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV), collaborating with Mahidol University in Thailand to develop the TBV. In 2003, he became a Professor at the Proteo-Science Center, Ehime University, where he expanded his research to include genome-wide discovery of novel malaria vaccine candidates using an advanced wheat germ cell-free protein translation system.

Dr. Kapil Maithal is currently working as President – Vaccines and Diagnostics at Zydus Lifesciences, India. He has over 25 years of experience in the field of Vaccines, Biologicals and Diagnostics Research, Development and Manufacturing.

He did his doctorate in biochemistry from University of Delhi, followed by post-doctoral research in structural biology from Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore. Subsequently, he joined as a faculty at University of Delhi in Biomedical research before moving to industry, where over the years he has led the development of numerous viral, bacterial, toxoid, polysaccharide, conjugate and protein subunit vaccines for human and veterinary use. Recently, he also led the research & development of World’s First Licensed human DNA Vaccine, ZyCoV-D® against COVID-19.

He also has interest in global public health and has served as a member of Independent Review Committee of GAVI Alliance, Geneva, Expert Working Group of “Vaccines & Immunosera for human use” of Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission and Technical Expert Committee of BIRAC, Govt. of India. He has also been on the recruitment panel of NISCAIR, CSIR; Gujarat Biotechnology University and advisory board for BIRAC -GMP Project of CSIR-IMTECH and School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi.

Dr. Maithal is also a fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, UK and Royal Society of Biology, UK. He has number of patents and international publications in peer reviewed journals to his credit and is also a reviewer to number of peer reviewed journals including Vaccine, NPJ Vaccines, International Journal of Medicine and Medical sciences, PLOS ONE etc.

Dr. Volker Patzel is a German chemist who received his Ph.D. from the Ruprecht Karls University in Heidelberg and his MBA from the Steinbeis University in Berlin. He worked as postdoc at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, then as research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin. He joined the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2009 under the NUS-Cambridge Scheme. He has >50 publications, filed 16 patent families, and is (co)-founder of three biotech companies. His research focusses on RNA technologies, non-viral vector development, and therapeutic applications. He coordinates and teaches six courses on biotechnology and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Vanvimon Saksmerprome is a Principal Investigator at the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), Thailand, where she leads the RNA interference platform for shrimp disease control at CENTEX Shrimp, a collaborative research unit with Mahidol University. She and her team engineer “Generally Regarding As Safe’’ organisms, such as microalgae and probiotics, for double-stranded RNA production. Since 2008, she has received national and international grants, including a Newton Advanced Fellowship to develop antiviral technologies for shrimp aquaculture. Notable awards include the National Research Council of Thailand Awards in Agricultural Science and Biology for “Boosting shrimp health against viruses with environmentally-friendly microalgal biotechnology,” for “Management of Laem-singh virus-associated monodon slow-growth syndrome in black tiger shrimp using RNA interference technique,” and the Royal Society-International Collaboration Award for developing novel microalgal-based systems for shrimp disease control in Southeast Asia.

Dr. H. Fai Poon is a distinguished leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, currently serving as the CEO of Sirnaomics. His impressive career includes founding Quacell, which was later acquired by Lepure, and holding key positions at Hisun Biopharm, Merck (SAFC), and the Roskamp Institute in the USA. Dr. Poon's academic credentials are equally notable, with a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from the University of South Florida.

With extensive experience in biological therapeutics, analytical research, bioinformatics and proteomics, Dr. Poon has over a decade of expertise in cell culture, particularly focusing on biopharmaceutical products. His scholarly contributions are substantial, having published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and contributing to over 5 book chapters.

Dr. Poon's influence extends to the editorial realm, where he serves as the managing editor for a biomedical and pharmacology journal, and as an associate editor for the Journal of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology, as well as the Journal of Bioinformatics and Biometrics. His leadership and expertise continue to drive innovation and excellence in the field of RNA therapeutics and beyond.

Dr Aprilia Paramitasari is an immunologist affiliated with the International Program for Cell Therapy and Regeneration Medicine at Taipei Medical University, Taiwan. She is based in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, where her work focuses on advancing research in immune response and regenerative medicine.

Currently an Assistant Professor and Lecturer at the College of Sports Science and Technology, Mahidol University, Thailand, Dr. Vimolmas Tansathitaya's primary research interests are in miRNA, RNA sequencing and cancer, and physical activity. Her work also extends to the microbiome's connection with the environment and physical activity, with published results from 2022. A significant early focus of her research involved investigating the influence of parental illnesses on birth abnormalities across generations, using miRNAs and target genes as biomarkers. Since completing her Ph.D. in Health Promotion and Human Services at the University of Cincinnati, USA, Dr. Tansathitaya has directed her research towards understanding the potential for genotypic evolution in response to lifestyle changes and the protective effects of exercise on disease. This has led to detailed studies in epigenetics, with a specific emphasis on miRNAs and target genes as key indicators of genetic causality.

Wonil Kim, Ph.D., is the Chief Scientific Officer at Aston Sci., where he leads the strategic development of innovative mRNA-based therapeutic cancer vaccines, including the AI-driven Th-Vac platform, which targets cancer and infectious diseases. Wonil earned his Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Genetics from the University of Minnesota and has held prominent research and development leadership roles at GeneOne Life Science and Cyrus Therapeutics. His experience also includes serving as a staff scientist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where he focused on drug screening and cancer biology. Dr. Kim’s expertise covers all aspects of mRNA-based drug development, solidifying his status as a key innovator in the field.

Dr. Bo Ying has over a decade of experience in nucleic acid-based therapeutics and drug development. He founded Abogen, a biotechnology company focused on curing untreatable diseases using mRNA technology. Under his leadership, Abogen developed a proprietary mRNA platform that led to the approval of China’s first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Prior to this, Dr. Ying held various roles in leading biopharmaceutical companies, specializing in drug formulation and manufacturing. He earned a bachelor’s from Fudan University and a Ph.D. from Northeastern University. He has authored numerous patents and published in top journals, and served as president of the Chinese-American BioMedical Association.

Dr. Saluja is the Head of Clinical Development at International Vaccine Institute (IVI), whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for Global Health. He has 20 years of experience working in industry, academia and resource-limited settings in both patient care and clinical research. He joined IVI in 2017 and his main areas of research includes epidemiology studies, pre-clinical research, and vaccine clinical trials (phase I-IV). In his current role, he is responsible for capacity building in terms of trainings and infrastructure in low- & middle-income countries, designing clinical trials, grant writing, regulatory interactions, overseeing departmental activities like medical writing, study startup, study execution, regulatory submissions, pharmacovigilance and impact evaluation. He has many publications in national and international Journals to his credit. Dr. Saluja has received many awards & recognitions from academia and industry alike.

Luigi Bonfatti is Executive Advisor at RVMC (Regionalized Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative). As member of RVMC Leadership he is focused on industry and industry associations engagement.

Before joining RVMC, Luigi has been supporting Chiesi Farmaceutici, Italian largest pharma company, in managing the integration of its largest acquisition to date (a fully fledged rare disease company) and adjust its operating and governance business models.

Prior to that, Luigi has spent 25 years at GSK Vaccines in a variety of senior roles in business development, supply, marketing and strategy of growing importance. During the last 8 years at GSK he created and grew a self-standing business unit in charge of integrations, divestments and strategic partnerships. As general manager of this business unit, Luigi was overseeing commercial and industrial partnerships and product transfers allowing him to have a unique end-to-end understanding of the vaccine industry and value chain.

Luigi holds a chemical engineering degree from Polytechnic School of Brussels University as well as an MBA from Solvay Business School.

Dr Subhash Thuluva is Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Development at Biological E. Ltd., with over 20 years of experience in drug and vaccine development. He has led more than 100 clinical studies across India, the USA, Europe, South Africa and China, and played a pivotal role in obtaining market authorisation and WHO pre-qualification for over 20 vaccines. His leadership was instrumental in the development and rollout of CORBEVAX™, India’s COVID-19 vaccine. Dr Thuluva has authored 21 scientific publications and served as the expert signatory for over 100 clinical dossiers, including clinical study protocols and reports.

Dr. Zhao is among the first class graduate graduating class from Biological Science and Biotechnology department at Tsinghua University in 1990. He received his Ph.D in molecular biology from University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and MBA from University of Chicago in the United States. Dr. Zhao was a senior manager at Pfizer in US. After returning to China in 2003, he founded Beijing LongMed Inc. and later became partner of CASH and C-Bridge Capital. Dr. Zhao has over 30 years of industry experience and excellent investment achievements, invested in Innovent, BerryGenomics, ASLETIS, I-Mab, Laekna and GKHT. Dr. Zhao is the founding Chairman of Tsinghua Alumni Association for School of Life Sciences, School of Medicine and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, a senior member of BayHelix group. AnlongMed is a leading venture fund in Chinese life sciences and Biotech, focusing on biotech & biopharma, medical devices, life sciences and medical services in China. Dr. Zhao also founded AnlongBio in 2019, a leading player in genetic medicine discovery in China, focusing on gene therapy, iRNA, mRNA, and other genetic medicines, with a leading product in gene therapy for ophthalmology already in clinical stages. Outside of his professional life, Dr. Zhao is a DJ, soccer player, ski lover and has three lovely daughters.

Andreas Donny Prakasa is a pharmaceutical and biotechnology professional with over 15 years of experience in health sector. He currently serves as the Head of Corporate Relations at Etana, where he leads strategic engagement initiatives and fosters partnerships to advance the company’s biopharmaceutical mission.

He began his career at the Indonesian FDA (BPOM) in 2007, where he held various key leadership roles, including Deputy Director of Biologic Product and Special Facilities Production Control, Head of Public Relations, and Head of Biologic Product Registration. His extensive regulatory background is complemented by experience in protocol management, strategic program monitoring, and pharmaceutical intelligence.

Andreas holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from Sanata Dharma University and a Master’s degree in Medical Biotechnology from Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands

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Dr. Xian Zeng, the Co-Founder and CEO of Byterna Therapeutics, leads this enterprising startup at the vanguard of groundbreaking circular mRNA-based immunotherapies.

Holding a PhD in pharmaceutical science from the National University of Singapore, he previously served as Associate Professor at Fudan University School of Pharmacy, spearheading interdisciplinary research in AI-empowered mRNA drug discovery.

Under his visionary leadership, Byterna is pioneering SEAA (Safe, Effective, Accessible, Affordable) in vivo CAR-T therapies for global patients, leveraging proprietary circular mRNA platforms and targeted delivery systems.

Dr. Ahmed is a renowned senior public health and management professional with a strong professional experiences in strategic planning, program design, implementation, partnership & capacity building, resource mobilization and policy advocacy with Government, NGOs/CSOs, private sectors. He is working over 30 years in national and international settings with international NGOs, UN Agencies, Government, private sector & leading CSO both in Bangladesh and international assignments with varieties of cross-cultural settings in South and Central Asia. He has provided leadership in health sector including Immunization, maternal, child health & new-born health (MNCH), Sexual & Reproductive health, Family Planning, HIV/AIDS, Nutrition program & utilization of Digital Health services. He has proven experiences in implementing nationwide immunization, digital health services, program development, performance based framework, fund raising & strengthening health systems.

Dr. Lee Hai Yen (Natasha) is a Senior Lecturer at the Tropical Infectious Disease Research and Education Centre (TIDREC), Universiti Malaya. She specializes in vaccine development, antimicrobial postbiotics, and biomanufacturing for infectious disease preparedness. She holds a PhD in Food Safety (Microbiology) and a Diploma in Vaccinology from Institut Pasteur, Paris. Dr. Lee has published over 70 papers, filed patents in vaccine and microbial technologies, and led multi-million-ringgit research projects. She is also co-founder of a Universiti Malaya spin-off company and serves on Malaysia’s national vaccine expert committee, advancing vaccine security and sustainability.