SEA'S ONLY VACCINE CONFERENCE FROM DISCOVERY TO DELIVERY

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. 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. Kanitha Patarakul, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor in Medical Microbiology at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. Her research focuses on bacterial vaccine development, particularly for leptospirosis. She has led multiple projects advancing subunit, DNA, and mRNA vaccines targeting key Leptospira antigens. Her work includes immunogenicity and protective efficacy studies in animal models, and the identification of novel vaccine candidates through proteomic and in silico approaches. She also explores adjuvant formulations and delivery systems to enhance vaccine responses. Her goal is to develop effective, next-generation vaccines for leptospirosis and other bacterial infections of public health importance.

In his role of Country Manager, Mr. Kuo will lead the organization of close to 200 colleagues to deliver “Breakthroughs that change patients’ lives,” as part of Pfizer’s purpose-driven growth blueprint through Pfizer’s innovative portfolios in primary and specialty care as well as oncology. He will also play his crucial role in the development and execution of country’s strategic plan for Pfizer Thailand to achieve its strategic goals and financial objectives through the effective drivers of the Glocal business model. His priorities are to strengthen corporate culture and talent development as well as to explore partnership opportunity with healthcare providers, governments, and local communities to improve access to innovative medicines and vaccines for Thai people country wide. Furthermore, he will ensure Pfizer Thailand is the most trusted healthcare company, and the employer of choice apart from ensuring company’s good reputation and commitment to compliance and integrity.

Dr. Nirutti Pradubyati is currently responsible for the Medical Affairs strategic direction and oversees the development of optimal scientific research programs, to support Pfizer’s short- and long-term strategic operating plans in cluster of Thailand, Indochina countries (Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos).

With more than 12 years of experiences in Pharmaceutical Industry, Dr. Nirutti lead Medical Affairs and Clinical Development in many areas including Neuroscience, Immunology, Cardiovascular and other Specialty therapeutic area both in country and international (Asia) level.

Beginning his career in academia as a lecturer in Faculty of Medicine, Mahidol University. Dr. Nirutti’ s portfolio included experiences in private hospital management as the director of medical services and hospital quality improvement.

Dr. Nirutti holds Medical degree and postgraduate diploma in Biochemistry degree from Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital and Ph.D. from Mahidol University. He is also interested in other discipline with completed master's degree in economics.

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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.

Dr. Wisit Tangkeangsirisin is a highly accomplished pharmaceutical scientist with over two decades of experience. Currently serving as the Deputy Director at the National Vaccine Institute, Thailand, he has made significant contributions to vaccinology, focusing on research and development, human capacity development, and regulatory science.

Dr. Tangkeangsirisin holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Silpakorn University, Thailand, and a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He also completed postdoctoral training in antibody phase display technology at the National Cancer Institute, NIH. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he played a key role in Thailand's national vaccine R&D efforts and contributed to the country's pandemic response.

For over a decade, Dr. Tangkeangsirisin has been an external expert for the Thai FDA, reviewing biologics, vaccines, and biosimilars. He is also a distinguished lecturer on biologics and provides expert guidance on dossier preparation and reviews.

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.