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Event

Industry Insights with etherna

Friday, January 31, 2025 12:00to13:30
Zoom

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About the webinar

The success of m㽶Ƶ vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic has opened the door to a new era in medicine. Today, advancements in m㽶Ƶ and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technologies are paving the way for the next generation of vaccines and therapeutics -designed to be more potent, longer-lasting, and able to target various diseases.

etherna is a technology leader in developing nucleic acid-based medicines, enabling partners to create unique and novel therapeutics to improve patients’ lives.

Join 㽶Ƶ's D2R Initiative and etherna for an interactive webinar and fireside chat to explore the advancement of m㽶Ƶ and LNP technologies.

  • Innovative m㽶Ƶ process technology and chemistry to produce ultra-pure, high-quality m㽶Ƶ to avoid immunogenicity and ensure safety and efficacy.
  • Breakthroughs in LNP technology for diverse therapeutic applications; and How to develop these new medicines from concept to the clinic.
  • Compelling data demonstrating etherna's intra-tumoral-stimulatory platform that achieves high expression in the tumor while reducing harmful off-target expression in the liver of a novel immunomodulation payload leading to high antitumor efficacy in preclinical models.
  • Detailed case study showcasing the innovation and efficacy of an improved malaria vaccine approach.

Followed by a panel discussion with renowned faculty from 㽶Ƶ & D2R Initiative along with etherna:

  • Delving into how m㽶Ƶ and LNP innovations are set to revolutionize medicine and improve countless lives.
  • The challenges for disease treatment and the opportunities for therapies beyond vaccine and oncology

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore, learn, and discuss the groundbreaking innovations in m㽶Ƶ and LNP technologies.

Agenda

12:00

Introductions:

  • Opening Remarks, by Janet Prince, D2R
  • etherna Company Introduction Overview, by etherna
12:05 m㽶Ƶ Challenges and Solutions – Design, Manufacture, Production, by Phil Challis, etherna
12:10 LNP Technology for Diverse Therapeutic Applications, by Stefaan De Koker, etherna
12:20 Case Study 1 – Intra-tumoral Platform, by Florence Lambolez, etherna
12:30 Case Study 2 – Malaria Vaccine Platform, by Stefaan De Koker, etherna (12 min)
12:50 Fireside Chat and Q&A – McGill/etherna, moderated by Ronald Openshaw (Moderator), etherna (20 min)

    Speakers

    Phil Challis, SVP Manufacturing, etherna

    Phil has 30 years of experience in the Pharmaceutical and Biotech industry, having worked for small SMEs, larger pharmaceutical companies, and CDMOs. He has broad experience in the manufacture of biologicals and NCEs and expertise in the transfer of processes from R&D, process development through clinical phases, process validation, and commercial manufacture.

    Stefaan De Koker, VP Technology and Innovation, etherna

    Steffan is a Principal Scientist with over 15 years of research experience in immunology, immuno-oncology, vaccine design, and nucleic acid delivery. His publication track record includes over 50 publications, and he is the key author of several patents.

    Florence Lambolez, Director Pharmacology, etherna

    Florence is an expert in mucosal T-cell development and function, having over 20 years of immunology and immuno-oncology experience, including 7 years of life science expertise. Before joining etherna, Florence was a team leader in in vitro Pharmacology at iTeos Therapeutics and Instructor/Principal Investigator at La Jolla Institute for Immunology, San Diego, US. Florence is widely published and is a holder of several patents.

    Nathan Luedtke, Associate Scientific Director, D2R and Professor, Chemistry, McGill

    Nathan Luedtke’s group pioneered the development of non-toxic, catalyst-free bioorthogonal “click” reactions on cellular DNA and 㽶Ƶ. In cooperation with Sigma Aldrich, the “clickable” nucleosides produced in the Luedtke Lab have been commercialized and distributed world-wide. This has facilitated broad use of Luedtke’s molecules and methods in highly diverse research fields including biomaterials, chromosomal architecture, 㽶Ƶ therapeutics, stem cell biology, virology, and precision medicine.

    Julia Burnier, Assistant Professor, Pathology, Oncology, McGill

    Dr. Burnier completed a PhD in molecular and cell biology at 㽶Ƶ (Experimental Medicine), and post-doctoral fellowships at McGill and the Centre for Genomic Regulation (Barcelona). Her lab within the Cancer Research Program (CRP) of the RI-MUHC aims to uncover the role and mechanisms of tumor-derived (circulating) molecules in tumor progression and metastasis, in order to develop novel accurate and sensitive biomarkers and identify new targeted therapeutic strategies. Using liquid biopsy samples and cell models, she investigates the role of circulating nucleic acids and tumour-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) in mediating tumour metastasis via communication with and reprograming of the tumor microenvironment. She has developed a unique synthetic system to model EVs and to weaponize them as delivery vehicles for therapeutics.

    Ronald Openshaw, Chief Financial Officer & Head of Commercial, etherna (moderator)

    Ronald’s career spans over a dozen years as an investment banker with blue chip firms such as Panmure Gordon, one of the UK’s oldest City names, and Jefferies & Co. the US based investment bank. He also gained great direct industrial expertise in leading Pharmagene plc, as its CFO and then CEO, to create Asterand plc, a UK London Stock Exchange listed company focused on the core research and tools in translational medicine. Ronald started his career as a scientist and then qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG in London.

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