Vaccines and Immunization

Pierre A. MORGON is the Founder of MRGN Advisors. He is Chairman of the board of Virometix and he is Non-Executive Director at the boards of Theradiag and of Eurocine Vaccines. He is also Regional Partner for Switzerland at Mérieux Development. He holds a Doctorate of Pharmacy, a Master in Business Law and a MBA. He is also an alumnus of INSEAD, IMD and MCE executive programs.

Pharmaceutical, biological industry and in healthcare

Dr. Diaz-Mitoma is a renowned medical scientist and professor who most recently served as a professor of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (“NOSM”). While in this position, Dr. Diaz-Mitoma was Vice President of Research at Health Sciences North and founder of the Advanced Medical Research Institute of Canada (“AMRIC”) and served as its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientist. AMRIC is focused on translational medical and vaccine development research. Prior to joining the faculty at the NOSM, Dr. Diaz-Mitoma was a professor of Pediatrics, Pathology, Laboratory Medicine, and Microbiology at the University of Ottawa. While in this position, he founded the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Centre at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (“CHEO”), a pediatric health and research center. Dr. Diaz-Mitoma received his medical degree from the University of Guadalajara, completed fellowship training in Infectious Diseases at the University of Manitoba, and earned a Ph.D. in Virology from the University of Alberta.

Infectious disease, Immunology, Biotechnology

Medical and cosmopolitan professional specialized in infectious diseases, internal medicine covering various therapeutic axes, certified in Immunology and Pediatric, MBA vaccinology and years of clinical practice contributing to bring innovative science and diplomacy for global health. Lived multi-country medical “field “experience in Southeast Asia (India in particular), West/Central/East Europe. Speaking French, English, Russian, Italian, Czech, Slovak with notion of Mandarin. Over 15 years of experience in pharmaceutical research and development for European and USA companies (Director of R&D for new delivery platforms focused on children and elderly) for various therapeutic areas for adults and children including neurodegenerative diseases, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases and orphan indications. Active member of French immunology society (SFI) administrative board and several international academic societies (focus on innovation of R&D reflecting immunology and genetic variability, role of immunologic approach for treatment and diagnostic, tackle problem of resistance for antimicrobials, antimalarial, antivirals etc.). Member of advisory Health concern (India) and think tank group in order to attract attention to role of immunology, personalized and preventive medicine and accurate diagnostic and global cooperation in this area. Years of expertise to work globally within Europe, USA but recently more focused on BRICS - Asia (India in Particular) as a Medical advisor bringing new innovative concepts alive and getting them endorsed.

Immunology

Prof. Olga Kubar is Head of the Clinical Department at Pasteur Institute, St. Petersburg. She is an experienced Regulatory Adviser at the national and international levels (UNESCO and IPA CIS) with particular expertise on Human Rights related to medicine taking into account social, legal and environmental dimensions. Prof. Kubar has contributed to guidelines, internationally (recommendations, reports, model laws for WHO, UNESCO and IPA CIS) and is a Member of the Russian Bioethics Committee at the Commission for the Russian Federation for UNESCO, Ex-Chair and Honorary member of the Forum for Ethics Committees in the Commonwealth of Independent States (FECCIS), and a Member of the European Forum for Good Clinical Practice (EFGCP) Board.

Ethical aspects of vaccination

John D. Nieland, PhD, Associate professor, brings broad management experience, an in-depth research background in immunology and an expertise in the development of biopharmaceuticals and coordination and development of clinical trials. He worked as head of immunology and later director of research at Medigene AG, where has was involved in the development of the AAV-HPV vaccine, and held the position of vice president preclinical research at Borean Pharma. John initiated and collaborated on numerous projects, has published more than 30 articles and is the inventor of 15 patents, including several on the AAV vaccine platform. In addition to his scientific experience, John has extensive business experience and is the founder/co-founder of three biotech companies.

Immunology

J. Santiago Mejia MD, PhD is a Research Scientist interested in the development of vaccines and diagnostic platforms to help prevent and control neglected diseases.He have experience with experimental models of several arthropod-borne diseases, including: Lyme borreliosis, leishmaniasis, LaCrosse viral encephalitis, filariasis, Chagas disease and malaria. While exploring strategies to control these diseases. He became interest in arthropod saliva as potential target of pan-arthropod vaccines. He also became interested in the powerful immuno-modulatory molecules present in arthropod saliva and how they could be used in the treatment and prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases. Finally, while looking for methods to induce protective anti-salivary immunity, participated in the development of an inducible lymphoid structure (BluePort) that can be used as vaccination portal and scaffold for tissue engineering.

Development of diagnostic tests for infectious, inflammatory, autoimmune and degenerative diseases.

Dr. Ellis has over 30 years of line and senior management experience in R&D in large (including Merck), medium & small pharma and biotech companies in US & Israel – directing projects across multiple classes of indications, and directing stages from research and preclinical through development and clinical, plus project management, strategy and evaluation. He was project leader and champion for key phases in the development of five products that accrue ~$4B / year in annual sales, and brought eight product candidates to the clinic. He holds PhD (Cornell U) MBA (U Maryland), and BA (U Chicago) degrees. He has given >125 presentations at international conferences. He is founding and incumbent Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed indexed journal Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics.

Immunotherapeutics and Vaccines

Dr. Tong-Ming Fu is a senior scientist at Merck Research Laboratories, and is leading the research lead for Merck CMV vaccine program. He obtained his medical degree at Peking University Health Science Center, formerly Beijing Medical University, in China, and his Ph.D. at Pennsylvania State University, Hershey Medical Center, in US. He joined Merck Research Laboratories after his academic trainings, and has been with Merck Vaccines Research for 20-years. He is active in many aspects of vaccine research, including vaccine target identifications, vaccine designs, immune assays, and animal model development, and his research supported development of Merck novel vaccine programs, including HIV-1 and influenza M2 peptide-conjugate vaccines. He also has research interests in DNA vaccine mechanisms, immune-enhancement by novel adjuvants and antibody-based immune modulations by PD- 1 blockade.

Infectious Diseases and Vaccines Research

Dr. Boritz began his HIV research career in the mid-1990s as a summer student in the laboratory of Dr. John K. Rose. An interest in fundamental and translational studies of host-virus interactions then led him to pursue combined M.D./Ph.D. training at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. He completed his Ph.D. in the Immunology Program studying HIV-specific CD4 T-cell responses with Dr. Cara Wilson. After an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital, he came to NIAID as a fellow in infectious diseases. Following the clinical portion of his fellowship, he joined Dr. Daniel Douek's laboratory at Vaccine Research Center, where he worked to understand the cellular and molecular events that allow HIV reservoirs to persist in vivo. He joined the NIH faculty to establish the VPDS in 2017.

Genetic and gene expression analyses of viruses and host cells.

Prof. Liliya Pekova is a specialist of Infectious diseases and Epidemiology. She is the head of the Dept. of Infectious diseases of Medical Faculty, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria and a chief of the Clinic of Infectious diseases in the University Hospital at the same city. She has recently led a science project in the field of viral Neuroinfections with many different involving specialists. The accumulated great clinical experience in this area gives her reason to look for the prognostic factors and opportunities for early diagnosis and proper treatment.

Vaccines and Infectious Diseases

Natalia Romanenkova is the leading researcher of the department of virology and scientific responsible for international scientific Projects and courses in the field of virology of Pasteur Institute in Saint-Petersburg, author of more than 100 scientific publications. She is virological supervisor of WHO Subnational Laboratory for Poliomyelitis in Saint-Petersburg and expert in surveillance and diagnostics of poliomyelitis and enterovirus infections, studies of the circulation of polioviruses and non-poliomyelitis enteroviruses among population and in the environment, immunology and molecular epidemiology of viral infections. She has certificate of Appreciation of WHO Regional Office for Europe for her contribution to the success of Poliomyelitis Eradication in Russia and European Region.

Microbiology,virology,Poliomyelitis

Dr. Pramod Jog, M.D. (Ped), DNB(Ped),F.I.A.P.is Prof. of Pediatrics at D.Y.Patil Medical college, Pune, India. He has been the President of Indian Academy of Pediatrics, 2016. He is Standing Committee Member, IPA (International Pediatric Association ) 2016-19 ,Steering Committee Member, GAVI (CSO) 2016-19 & Associate Fellow, International Association of Perinatal Medicine.

Pediatrics

Nikolai Petrovsky MBBS, FRACP, PhD is an active hospital clinician, research professor at Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide Australia and research director of Vaxine, an Australian vaccine development company. He is Secretary-General of the International Immunomics Society and has received major funding from the US National Institutes of Health to develop novel biodefense vaccines and adjuvants. He has won prestigious awards including the AMP Innovation Award at the 2009 Telstra Business Awards and an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010. He has taken four vaccines to the clinic and has authored over 100 scientific papers and book chapters Honours, awards and grants: NH&MRC Postgraduate Medical Research Scholarship, 1994 Cleveland Young Investigator Award, Royal Melbourne Hospital, 1995 Edith Moffat Award, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, 1996 Distinguished Speaker Award, International Immunomics Society, 2005 Flinders University Public Affairs and Alumni Media Award 2005 & 2007 AMP Innovation Award, 2009 Telstra Business Award AusIndustry Innovation Award, Australian Anthill Company Awards

Vaccines

Michael G. Hanna is the founder of Vaccinogen and the discoverer and developer of OncoVAX® an autologous vaccine designed to provoke a specific immune response against colon cancer cells. His previous accomplishments include Chairman (Emeritus) and Chief Scientific Officer of Intracel Resources, Chief Operating Officer of Organon Teknika/Biotechnology Research Institute and Sr. Vice President of Organon Teknika Corporation. Prior to that (1975-1982) Michael G. Hanna was Director of the National Cancer Institute, Frederick Cancer Research Center. OncoVAX® is an autologous vaccine designed to provoke a specific immune response against colon cancer cells. The product is comprised of irradiated tumor cells obtained from the patient after surgery and it is administered along with the BCG vaccine. Vaccinogen believes OncoVAX® is the first product to show a significant reduction in recurrence of disease in Stage II colon cancer patients in a major, long-term clinical trial. Except for surgery, there is no medically accepted treatment for Stage II colon cancer. Trials using adjuvant chemotherapy have not demonstrated any patient benefit to date. He led the team that achieved FDA regulatory approval of TICE BCG for treatment of carcinoma in situ (CIS) bladder cancer. Worldwide registration was achieved in 1991 and it is standard of care for prophylaxis of recurrence of superficial bladder cancer and therapy of CIS. He received a doctoral degree in experimental pathology and immunology from the University of Tennessee. He has over 225 publications to his credit, has 11 patents in immunotherapy and has been the recipient of numerous honors, and served on many editorial boardsBiography

Vaccines

Maurizio Chiriva Internati completed his doctorates of immunology at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom and morphological sciences at the University of Milan, Italy. He completed his postdoctoral research on tumor immunology and cancer vaccine studies from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Currently, he is the director of Basic and Translational Research at the division on Hematology& Oncology at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, and is a senior editor for the journal, International Reviews of Immunology. He has published more than 100 papers in peer reviewed journals and serves as on the editorial board of several reputed cancer journals.

Research is focused on developing new therapies for Multiple Myeloma, ovarian and lung cancer, and prostate cancer and melanoma.

Dr. Tary-Lehmann received her M.D. and Ph.D. in Immunology, both from the University of Tübingen, Germany. Her postdoctoral training in Immunology was at the University of California, Los Angeles. Thereafter, she went on to Case Western Reserve University as a faculty member, where she was awarded tenure and appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology in 2003. As Chief Scientific Officer for CTL, she provides guidance and oversight for technical operations, ensuring the ongoing scientific excellence of the company. For more than 10 years, she has worked with various pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients in developing, validating and performing regulated immunology assays in CTL’s GLP- and CLIA- compliant laboratory

vaccines

Jagat Kanwar is an Associate Professor of Immunology & Cell Biology, and Group Leader in “Nanomedicine-Laboratory of Immunology and Molecular Biomedical Research” at Deakin University, Australia. He did his PhD in 1993 from PGIMER, Chandigarh, India and worked as a Senior Scientist in The Auckland University, New Zealand for more than 10 years. He has a national and international reputation in investigating fundamental and applied molecular aspects of cancer and chronic inflammation. His research is also focused on miRNA, aptamer, locked nucleic acid (LNA) LNA-modified chimeric aptamers-siRNA conjugates, and immunoliposomes technology and disease targeted drug discovery. His research combines Immunology with state of the art and cutting edge techniques in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Nanobiotechnology and visualization to investigate the pathways in which key molecules are regulated in both normal and disease states. He designed nanocarriers for applications in vaccines, immunotherapy, and drug delivery of antigens immunostimulatory ligands to dendritic cells and subsequent stimuli to T- lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes and TH17 cells.

Cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases targeted nanomedicine based drug delivery siRNA, miRNA anti-sense targeted gene nanomedicine based technology to target cancer and inflammation Drug discovery with anticancer targets for cancer cell survival, death, arrest, and repair Development of recombinant proteins and searching new immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory bioactives, proteins and peptides for cancer and neuroprotection Development of complementary alternative medicine from the milk derived proteins including metal binding protein (Lactoferrin), and herbal preparation derived active components with a special focus on the treatment of colon and breast cancers Development of oral and intravenous administration of nanocarriers to overcome the challenging concept of drug resistance in various cancers Development of new generation safe, biodegradable, less toxic, disease targeted natural contrast materials for imaging Novel nano-medicinal based vaccines and immunotherapy Micro-fluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip devices for delivery and diagnosis

Geert Vanden Bossche obtained his DVM at the Veterinary Faculty of Ghent and his PhD in Virology at the University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart. Following his postdoctoral training in virology, immunology and molecular biology at the Free University of Berlin and Hohenheim (Germany), where he subsequently held adjunct faculty appointments, he transitioned to the Vaccine Industry where he served various senior roles in both early and late vaccine development at GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics and Solvay Biologicals. He then joined the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to serve as SPO in Vaccine Discovery for Global Health. He is founder of UNIVAC llc in the US and UNIVAC NV in Belgium and visiting scientist at the REGA Institute, University of Leuven (Belgium).
Geert is board certified in virology and microbiology, the author of over 30 publications, and inventor on several patent applications. He has presented vaccine- and adjuvant-related topics at multiple international congresses.

Vaccines

Giulio Tarro graduated from Medicine School, Naples University (1962). Research Associate, Division of Virology and Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital (1965-1968), Assistant Professor of Research Pediatrics, College Medicine (1968-1969), Cincinnati University, Ohio. Oncological Virology Professor, Naples University (1972-1985). Chief Division Virology (1973-2003), Head Department Diagnostic Laboratories, (2003-2006). D. Cotugno Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Naples; Emeritus, 2006 -. Since 2007 Chairman Committee of Biotechnologies and VirusSphere, World Academy Biomedical Technologies, UNESCO, Adjunct Professor Department Biology, Temple University, College of Science and Technology, Philadelphia, recipient of the Sbarro Health Research Organization lifetime achievement award (2010). President Foundation de Beaumont Bonelli for Cancer Research.

Clinical and laboratory applied, Virology basic and diagnostic, Viral Oncology, Immunology clinical practice,Vaccines.

René Labatut is commited since 26 years to the biotech industry with deep experience in CMC management in biopharmaceutical industry from research & development to manufacturing in highly regulated environment (US, EU, Japan, China, ...). He has developed a worldwide international skill set in Innovation, technology transfer, licensing in and out, and acquisition - integration management. He is the Vice President of Manufacturing Technology of Sanofi Pasteur the vaccines division of Sanofi. He has delivered numerous speeches in reputed conferences and has been serving as a steering committee member of Center for Biomedical Innovation at MIT. He has brought significant contribution to several key healthcare product developments like Ceredase, Thymoglobulin, hexavalent pediatric, Flu and Dengue vaccines . René holds a PhD in biochemistry, Master in bioengineering from National Institute of Applied Sciences (Lyon, France) ; Master in molecular biology from Lyon I University ; and Master in business from Lyon III University

Vaccines

Akira Homma was born on August 12, 1939, in President Wenceslau, São Paulo, son of Harusi Homma Homma and Koyuki. The Adolfo Lutz Institute in São Paulo, came to the Pan American Center for Foot-in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, in 1961. He graduated in Veterinary Medicine in 1967 from Universidade Federal Fluminense. Soon joined Fiocruz, to work on Polio Laboratory of the Department of Biological Sciences, School of Public Health Foundation, along with Hermann Schatzmayr. In 1972, he obtained the degree of Doctor of Science at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, United States, with the thesis "Experimental studies of using coil filter for concentration of sewage virus." Akira Homma points out in his interview, that the thesis of Oswaldo Cruz was also on dissemination of infectious agents via water, and their study is about viruses and the Oswaldo Cruz on bacteria. Worked in the Laboratory Bayer in Germany in the production of vaccines against foot and mouth disease in the year 1974. Later, from 1990 to 1991, he coordinated the National Program for Self-Sufficiency in Immunobiology (Pasni), the Ministry of Health, and this year until 1997 coordinated the Special Program for Vaccines and Immunization PAHO. He was superintendent and director of the Institute of Technology in Immunobiology of Fiocruz (Bio-Manguinhos), 1976-1989, president (1989-1990) and Vice President of Fiocruz Technology (1997-2001). Responsible for structuring Bio-Manguinhos, articulated agreements with Japanese institutions aiming at the production of oral polio vaccine and other vaccines. Throughout its history the institution has exercised the activity of teaching and research, with numerous publications and participation in scientific events. In 2001 he was elected director of Bio-Manguinhos, a position in which it remains until today.

vaccines

Emmanuel Drouet, is professor of Virology at the University of Grenoble-Alpes (France), and previously served as a biomedical pathologist in the Institut Pasteur (Lyon, France). Dr Drouet’s research investigates the persisting viruses in human (RNA and DNA viruses) and the balance with our host immune system. He focuses on their effects on humans (both their impact in pathology and their symbiotic relationships in humans).. Emmanuel Drouet has an excellent track record in herpesvirus field, and his group is engaged in clinical research in the field of EBV diseases. Current research included the field of Hepatitis C Virus research, leading to elucidation of some aspects of its epidemiology and control.

Current research included the field of Hepatitis C Virus research.

Marc P Girard received his doctorate in veterinary medicine at Paris University in 1960, and his doctorate in Science in 1967, also in Paris. He trained for three years in the molecular biology of poliovirus as a Post-doctoral Fellow in the USA with Pr James Darnell, Renato Dulbecco and David Baltimore. He went on studying the molecular biology and genetics of poliovirus, then SV40 and adenovirus, before moving to HIV. He was a visiting professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Pr Hurwitz), the NIH (Dr Anthony Fauci), the Salk Institute in La Jolla (Pr David Baltimore) and Duke University (Pr Bolognesi). He worked for the last 20 years of his career on the development of an HIV vaccine.
Pr Girard was the Director General of the Mérieux Foundation in Lyon from mid 2001 to end of 2004. He previously was the Director of the Center for Research in Immuno-Virology (CERVI) in Lyon, France, which includes the BSL4 Virology Laboratory that was operated jointly by the Mérieux Foundation and the Pasteur Institute, and the Federative Research Institute on Virology, Immunology and Pathology of Emerging Diseases (IFR 74), a research laboratory of the French National Health & Medical Research Institute (INSERM).
Among the positions held by Pr Girard prior to his appointment in Lyon were Head, Department of Virology, and Professor, Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Institut Pasteur, Paris (1980-1999); Scientific Director (CSO), Pasteur Vaccins, a joint industrial subsidiary of the Pasteur and Mérieux Institutes (1984-1990); Vice-Director of the Pasteur Institute, Paris (1990-92), Professor of Virology and Molecular Biology at University Paris 7 Denis Diderot, Paris (1974-1984; on leave until 2001).
Pr Girard was the Chairman of the Concerted Action “Vaccines” at the French National AIDS Research Agency (ANRS) from 1988 to 1998. He then chaired the E.U. HIV Vaccine Initiative “EuroVac”, an international AIDS vaccine Research Consortium which grouped together 21 European laboratories participating in comparative Phase I clinical trials of candidate HIV vaccines in human volunteers.
Marc Girard went on official retirement on 31.12.2004 but he has remained active, teaching, giving talks and writing review articles on vaccines as an Honorary Professor at University Denis Diderot (Paris 7). He also is a member of the French National Academy of Medicine and of the French Veterinary Academy. He has been the organizer of the “Cent Gardes Conference” on HIV Vaccines since 1986.

Vaccine Research

Luigi Aurisicchio, PhD, received his Laurea in Biology in 1996 at the University of Napoli "Federico II". At the Stazione Zoologica A. Dohrn in Napoli characterized signal transduction mechanisms in thyroid cancer. In 1997, joined IRBM/MRL focusing on the development of gene therapy approaches for the cure of viral hepatitis. Subsequently contributed to the approval and development of Cancer Vaccine program, being Research Group Leader in the last 5 years. His research interests include the discovery, characterization and engineering of novel tumor associated antigens for cancer vaccines, but also intratumoral delivery of siRNAs, generation of novel monoclonal antibodies and development of Oncology pre-clinical models. Has published >60 papers in peer reviewed International Journals and is author of 8 patents.

His research interests include the discovery, characterization and engineering of novel tumor associated antigens for cancer vaccines, but also intratumoral delivery of siRNAs, generation of novel monoclonal antibodies and development of Oncology pre-clinical models.

Professor Timms is a nationally and internationally renowned microbiologist with specific expertise in the area of Chlamydia. His laboratory is acknowledged as the leading Australian laboratory and one of the leading groups internationally working on all aspects of chlamydial infections

His research group is developing vaccines and new diagnostics for chlamydial diseases in humans and animals as well as an improved understanding of chlamydial genomics, cell biology and pathogenicity.

Giampietro Corradin graduated in chemistry at the University of Padua and received his PhD degree in chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara, after completion of a thesis on the structure and function of cytochrome c. After a post-doctoral position in biochemistry at Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire, he continued his training in molecular immunology at the National Jewish Hospital, Denver, Colorado. He joined the Institute of Biochemistry in 1979 where he was an Associate Professor. For the last 15 years the main focus of his laboratory has been the elucidation of the immunological mechanisms of protection in malaria using well-defined animal models. In addition, development of vaccine candidates has been actively pursued by introducing new and faster approaches for the identification, production and development of novel malaria vaccine candidates.

MALARIA: SEARCH OF ANTIGENS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROTECTIVE VACCINES

Nikolai Petrovsky MBBS, FRACP, Ph.D. is an active hospital clinician, research professor at Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide Australia and research director of Vaxine, an Australian vaccine development company. He is Secretary-General of the International Immunomics Society and has received major funding from the US National Institutes of Health to develop novel biodefense vaccines and adjuvants. He has won prestigious awards including the AMP Innovation Award at the 2009 Telstra Business Awards and an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010. He has taken four vaccines to the clinic and has authored over 100 scientific papers and book chapters.

Pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes, Obesity and type 2 diabetes, Vaccine development and Immuno-informatics.

Graduated in Medicine and Surgery from Bangladesh in 1980 and received PhD in Medical Sciences from Japan in 1993. Being a post-graduate fellow from 1994-1996, worked as full faculty member at the Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime University, Japan, from 1996-2008. In 2008, joined Toshiba General Hospital, Tokyo, Japan as Principal Investigator. Worked to elucidate pathogenesis of chronic liver diseases and hepatocellular carcinoma; subsequently developed therapeutic vaccine for HBV transgenic mice and now have been conducting pilot studies and clinical trials in patients with CHB with Therapeutic Vaccines for last one decade to optimize a safe, effective and clinical viable regimen of this approach in CHB patients. Have authored more than one hundred scientific articles in peer-reviewed journal. Associated with all major international and local liver organizations.

Immunology, Immune therapy, Heptatitis, Gastroenetrology, Hepatology, Dendritic cells.

XL Lin serves as Director of Market Development for Esco Group. He founded and manages the Esco Pharma Division within the Esco group of companies in 2009 developing the companies’ very first cGMP Downflow/Containment Booths and Isolation systems from Concept Development to Sales, Project management, site-work and validation. Under his leadership Esco Pharma has expanded from just a small division to now having 3 factories globally in USA/ UK and Singapore. He brings his unique skillset in social entrepreneurship, market development, strategic product development, global alliance networking, sales/contract management, clean air/containment facility and systems design / integration into VacciXcell. XL Lin graduated with a Bachelor of Sciences from University of Sydney he is currently pursuing various options for further studies.

New products, New markets, New technology, Networking with new potential hires with industry experience

Dr. Srivastava joined Protein Sciences in 2012 as Vice President, Product Realization. He has a strong background in vaccine development, particularly in immunogen design, purification, analytical and formulation development, and has published extensively in these areas. Dr. Srivastava served on the NIH special emphasis study section focused on vaccine development for ten years, and in 2011 he co-edited the book, "Development of Vaccines: From Discovery to Clinical Testing." Previously, Dr. Srivastava spent more than twelve years at Chiron Corporation/Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc. in various capacities, including Head (AI), Protein Biochemistry; Head, Vaccine Manufacturing; and Head, Protein Expression and Analytics. He also spent about two years at the Vaccine Research Center, a division of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where he led the purification, analytical and formulation development of vaccine candidates for clinical evaluation. Prior to joining the biotechnology industry, Dr. Srivastava was an Assistant Professor of Research in Microbiology and Immunology at the Medical College of Pennsylvania. He holds a Ph.D. from the Kanpur University, India and completed his post-doctoral training with Prof. Luc Perrin at the Hospital Cantonal, University of Geneva, Switzerland.

Vaccine development

Dr. De-chu Christopher Tang is the Founder of VaxDome LLC and Vaxin Inc. (Vaxin’s nameplate was changed to Altimmune, Inc. in 2015). He obtained his PhD in Microbiology from Indiana University in 1989. He carried out his postdoctoral work at Baylor College of Medicine, Duke University, and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He joined the faculty at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in 1994; subsequently founded Vaxin Inc. on UAB campus in 1997; and was responsible for Vaxin’s daily operation as the Chief Scientific Officer until 2012. Dr. Tang was one of the pioneers during the development of DNA vaccines, noninvasive skin-patch vaccines, adenovirus-vectored nasal vaccines, adenovirus-vectored poultry vaccines, as well as the protective innate-adaptive immunity duo platform technology. He received the Wallace H. Coulter Award for innovation and entrepreneurship in 2000; and Vaxin Inc. was selected as a Tech Museum Awards Laureate in 2007. Dr. Tang was selected as a Distinguished Overseas Scientist by the South Korea KOFST Brain Pool Program in 2012; subsequently joined Chung-Ang University and International Vaccine Institute (IVI) in Seoul; and was appointed as a Scientist at IVI after the Brain Pool Program Award expired in 2013. He founded VaxDome LLC in Birmingham, Alabama, USA in 2014.

His research focuses on development of the non-invasive drug-vaccine duo (DVD) platform technology that confers rapid-sustained-broad protection of vaccinees against pathogens, with neither the potential to induce drug resistance nor that to trigger harmful systemic inflammation.

Yuzhang Wu has completed his Ph.D for Immunology at the age of 29 years from Third Military Medical University School of Medicine. He is the director of the Institute of Immunology, PLA, the Chair of National Engineering Lab for Vaccine Development of China and National Center for Immunoproducts Research and Development of China. He has published more than 150 papers in reputed journals, applied for 75 international and national invention patents, among which 43 has been approved; and has gained 2 item of Computer software copyright. He is serving as chief-editor of Immunological Journal.

Immunology