The Only European Forum Focused on GMP TIDES Scale-Up

Dr Vllasaliu is a pharmacist and gained his PhD at the University of Nottingham. His research interests center around understanding and overcoming biological barriers to improve drug delivery, with a key focus on enabling injection-free administration of biotherapeutic drugs (peptides, proteins, nucleic acids). As part of this, he has specific interests in drug delivery systems, including nanomedicines and extracellular vesicles (exosomes), that potentially enable injection-free delivery. He is also interested in drug delivery for diseases of, or linked to, the gut.

Finally, aspects of Driton’s research relate to the creation of improved (more predictive) in vitro models for use in medicines development, including organoids. Much of his current research focus is on oral delivery of RNA using exosomes.

Fernando Albericio is a globally renowned chemist and entrepreneur specialising in peptide synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and nanomedicine. He is currently a Research Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and an Emeritus Professor at the University of Barcelona, where he previously served as a Full Professor for nearly three decades.

With an extensive career spanning academia, industry, and scientific leadership, Prof. Albericio has held influential positions worldwide, including Rector at Yachay Tech (Ecuador), Visiting Professor at King Saud University (Saudi Arabia), and Group Leader at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine of Barcelona. His impact on the field is further demonstrated by his numerous editorial roles in leading scientific journals.

Prof. Albericio has authored over 1,100 publications, secured 63 patents, and supervised 81 PhD students. His research contributions have earned him prestigious accolades such as the Vincent du Vigneaud Award, the Meienhofer Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Gold Medal of the South African Chemical Institute. He has also been recognised among the world's top 2% of scientists in the Stanford ranking.

Beyond academia, he has founded multiple biotech companies, including Medalchemy, DiverDrugs, and BioDurban, bridging the gap between research and industry. His work continues to shape the future of peptide science, drug development, and green chemistry.

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David Gilot, PhD, is an enthusiastic molecular biologist with over 26 years of experience in the oligonucleotide therapeutic field & therapy resistance in oncology. His combined academic and industry background allows him to build essential networks with external partners, contract research organisations, and medical experts to advance patient-centred innovations.

Focused on discovering potent, durable, and safe RNA therapeutics, he thinks that successful projects rely on robust basic science. He leads RNA-based research and clinical programs, with extensive expertise in RNA mechanisms, including pioneering work on masking oligonucleotides. He has significantly contributed to IP generation and innovative strategies for oligonucleotides (conjugates), supporting an expanding portfolio across various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular diseases, rare diseases, and oncology.

Vusala Ibrahimova obtained a cotutelle PhD in Organic and Polymer Chemistry from UCL/UBx in Belgium/France and pursued three and half years of postdoc in Nanomedicine at UBx in France. After working in a Biotech company as a Formulation Scientist she has joined the R&D Formulation team at CureVac as a Research Scientist in 2022.

Dr. Petra Disterer is a Lecturer at Brunel University London, UK and has been working in the field of nucleic acid therapeutics for over 25 years. Her focus is on translational research of nucleic acid therapeutics - specifically splice-switching oligonucleotides.

Dr. Angel E. Santorelli V. began his academic journey in Venezuela, earning a Licentiate in Chemistry from Universidad Central de Venezuela and a Master of Science in Chemistry from Universidad Simon Bolivar. He further advanced his expertise with a Ph.D. in Nanoscience from Aarhus University in Denmark. During his doctoral studies at Aarhus University, supported by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, he developed methods for oligonucleotide modification and integrated photo-responsive molecules into DNA-oligonucleotides.

Currently, he is a researcher specializing in oligonucleotide therapeutics and synthetic chemistry, serving as a Postdoctoral Researcher at ETH Zurich. His work focuses on the synthesis and purification of stereopure phosphorothioate oligonucleotides, along the development of mixed modality constructs for drug delivery and novel oligonucleotide purification methods. His professional experience also includes research in DNA-encoded RNA-library technologies at Eleven Therapeutics.

After 35 years in the pharma industry, mainly in large (BMS, Fresenius Kabi; Farmitalia Carlo Erba/Pharmacia; Sigma tau) and medium size companies, with different responsibilities in R&D, Walter Cabri joined, as Full Professor of Organic Chemistry, the Projects for Green Innovation Lab of the University of Bologna. The main areas of interest are in the fields of drug discovery, pharmaceutical development, green chemistry, catalysis, TIDES and complex drugs. He brought several NCE and generic products from bench to market. Co-author >150 papers and >120 patent families; two books “From Bench to Market” by Oxford University Press, Oxford 2000. “Sustainability in TIDES Chemistry” by Royal Society of Chemistry, London 2024.

Dr. Malgorzata Honcharenko leads the Oligonucleotide and Bioconjugation Unit at Karolinska Institutet, where her research focuses on advancing therapeutic modalities—including oligonucleotides, peptides, and antibody conjugates—through innovative bioconjugation strategies. Her work centers on improving targeting and delivery of therapeutics by developing modular conjugation platforms that enhance efficacy and minimize off-target effects.

A principal investigator within the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics (NAT) Hub and an active member of the ATMP Centre at Karolinska Institutet, Dr. Honcharenko drives translational approaches to accelerate clinical impact. She has pioneered bioconjugation techniques that allow for precise and high-efficiency attachment of receptor-specific ligands to oligonucleotides and antibodies, facilitating both targeted drug delivery and endosomal escape.

Her current projects include antibody–oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) and multivalent constructs for extrahepatic targeting. Additionally, she is involved in European initiatives like the COST Action on antisense RNA therapeutics and the NATA Challenge on nucleic acid delivery.

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Troels Koch (TK) is CTO and Head of Chemistry at MiNA Therapeutics. TK has 25 years’ experience in the international life science and biopharmaceutical industry. Founder of several biotech companies of which Exiqon A/S and Santaris Pharma A/S are the most known. Santaris Pharma A/S was acquired by Roche in August 2014 and after the acquisition, TK was leading LNA research both in Copenhagen (RICC) and in Basel (Roche, Switzerland). TK pioneered LNA therapeutics and has positioned LNA antisense science and technology at an international lead position and taken an active role in all steps of oligonucleotide drug discovery and development. In his current role as CTO and Head of Chemistry at MiNA Therapeutics the focus is to improve the drug properties of gene activating oligonucleotides employing advanced sets of chemical modifications. TK has built R&D organizations up to 75 co-workers, held >100 invited presentations at international conferences and is author of 90 peer reviewed publications

Sonja Merkas is the Founder of Livinovea GmbH, a Swiss-based service provider and consultancy dedicated to the life sciences. We support companies in strategy and business development, operational excellence, continuous improvement, project management, CMC and other technical areas in R&D and manufacturing of APIs, including oligonucleotides and nucleic acid therapeutics.

With over 25 years of experience in pharma, consulting, and academia, Sonja specializes in integrating business and operations with science and technology to deliver value and drive successful outcomes.

Jean provide strategic counsel on IP strategy for a wide range of clients in the biopharma industry, from pioneering biotech startups to multinational pharmaceutical companies. Jean brings a rare blend of scientific insight and legal expertise to her work. She advises companies developing cutting-edge therapeutics modalities, guiding them through the complex intersection of innovation, regulation, and commercialization. Her work in building robust global patent portfolios and aligning IP strategies with regulatory and product life cycle has secured strong exclusivity positions for numerous clinical programs. Jean is regularly invited to speaker at international conferences, where she shares her expertise on patent strategies for complex biotherapeutics. Her thought leadership continues to shape global conversations around innovation and IP protection.

Dei is the founder and CEO of HASH (hash.ai), which since 2019 has specialized in building high-trust AI solutions for safety-critical industries. Previously, he was Managing Partner at data-driven strategy consultancy, Soho Strategy, and for four years served on the management committee of the UK’s Information Assurance Advisory Council.

Felix Schumacher holds a BSc and MSc in Biochemistry from the Technical University of Munich and a PhD in Chemical Biology from the University College London. He is co-founder of Thiologics, a small London-based biotech company that works in the field of bioconjugation. He joined Roche pRED in 2013 where he and his team supported early phase development projects with molecular assessment and biochemical method development at the Penzberg site (Germany). Since 2020, Felix has focused as a matrix leader on the design and realization of innovative drug delivery approaches coordinating internal projects as well as external initiatives at the Roche Innovation Center Basel/ Switzerland. He has recently taken on the role as Mission Lead for the RNAHub, coordinating and shaping the activities of Roche's oligo community as a matrix lead.

Nicolas Camper is Vice President of ADCs & Bioconjugates, at Abzena Cambridge, with over 12 years of industrial experience in the development of ADCs. He acts as Group Leader for the Bioconjugation Chemistry Group, providing scientific oversight of the bioconjugation R&D activities and technical management of ADC development projects from discovery stage to lead candidate selection. Previously, as a Senior Scientist at PolyTherics, Nicolas was a key member of the technical team involved in the development of Abzena’s site-specific ThioBridge® conjugation technology. Nicolas also has experience in both antibody production and small molecule synthesis from positions held at Fusion Antibodies and Evotec. He holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Queen’s University of Belfast (Northern Ireland).

Anna Li Volsi holds a PhD in Molecular and Biomolecular Science from the University of Palermo, Italy (2017), where her research focused on controlled polymerization and bioconjugation for biomedical applications, including cancer-targeted drug delivery nanosystems and tissue engineering. Following her doctorate, she was awarded a Fellowship and carried out postdoctoral research at University College London and Imperial College London, building deep expertise in polymer chemistry applied to drug delivery and biomedical technologies.

Her academic research at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) focuses on the advancement of scalable and environmentally responsible methodologies for the production of exact polymers, including oligonucleotides and monodisperse PEGs, with an emphasis on liquid-phase synthesis and sustainable processes such as solvent recycling and organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN).

Since 2025, she has also held the position of Vice President of Chemistry at Exactmer, where she applies this expertise to the development of innovative manufacturing technologies for sequence-defined polymer.

Koen van der Maaden is Assistant Professor in the Tumor Immunology group at the Department of Immunology of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). His research bridges pharmaceutical sciences and immunology, with a focus on peptide delivery, precision drug delivery systems, and next-generation cancer vaccines.

He obtained his PhD (cum laude) at Leiden University in 2014 on microneedle-mediated vaccine delivery, for which he received the C.J. Kok Prize for best thesis of the Faculty of Science. After postdoctoral positions at Intravacc, a biotech company in Germany, and Leiden University, he has been building his own research line at LUMC since 2023.

His group develops GMP-compliant liposomal formulations for peptide-based vaccines and combines these with innovative delivery devices. A central focus is the use of self-adjuvanting peptides in combination with microneedles, enabling targeted intradermal delivery to dendritic cells and improved vaccine efficacy. By tailoring both the formulation and the delivery method, his work aims to elicit strong and specific T cell responses against cancer.

Van der Maaden is inventor on multiple patents, co-founder of a start-up company, and actively collaborates with clinical and industrial partners to translate his findings.