Steven Evans

Biography
Dr. Steven Evans is the Chief Scientific Officer at NTx, bringing over 20 years of innovation-driven drug discovery and development experience across multiple therapeutic modalities and disease indications. He has been pivotal in advancing solutions that bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and clinical application. NTx has made significant strides in continuous flow synthesis, leading to the production of next-generation RNA and protein platforms. These advancements offer the speed and scalability necessary to cost-effectively address unmet needs, from global pandemic responses to personalized precision medicines. Dr. Evans has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and holds several patents in the field.

Emerging Therapeutics Showcase:
Nature's Toolbox (NTx)
NTx, based in Rio Rancho, NM, is developing innovative systems like NTxpress® and NTxscribe® to enable manufacturing of mRNA vaccines and protein therapeutics in an eco-friendly and sustainable way. These easily scalable processes enable NTx’s platform to scale from personalized medicine dosage to pandemic volume.

Wassana Yantasee

Biography
Dr. Wassana Yantasee received her PhD in Chemical Engineering and MBA from Oregon State University in 2001. She worked as a scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) from 2001 to 2009, after which she accepted a faculty position at OHSU as an Oregon Nanomedicine Signature Researcher. She has served as principal investigator on numerous NIH-SBIR projects focusing on nano-based combination therapy and immunotherapy.Dr. Yantasee has received multiple honors, including the Ronald L. Brodzinski Early Career Scientific Achievement Award from PNNL, the Council of Outstanding Early Career Engineer Award from OSU, and two corporate philanthropy awards. She was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors and is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She has published more than 70 peer-reviewed papers, is an inventor on over 50 patent applications, and has served on more than 40 scientific review panels for federal grant programs.

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Talk
Nano-delivery platform for rapid drug development
AI is transforming drug discovery by rapidly identifying promising targets. However, many targets are not druggable, and multiple pathways often need to be targeted simultaneously for a lasting response. The Pdx-NP platform is capable of delivering multiple types of drugs to both cancer cells and immune cells, helping to realize the promise of AI.

Emerging Therapeutics Showcase:
OHSU/PDX Pharmaceuticals
PDX Pharmaceuticals, in collaboration with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), has received multiple NCI awards and investments to advance five cancer drug candidates based on its Pdx-NP platform for delivering synergistic drug cargos. This work has led to numerous high-impact publications, more than 40 patent applications, and the training of many next-generation cancer researchers.

Michael Chavez

Biography
Michael co-founded Enoda Cellworks Inc. in 2022 after graduating from Stanford Bioengineering. In Professor Stanley Qis lab, he pioneered multiple lentiviral, CRISPR, and receptor technologies to realize the next generation of cell therapies. As a student, he led biology at Fifty Years, a venture capital firm that supports early-stage deep tech startups.Michael has received several prestigious awards, including the Siebel Scholarship, the NIH Predoctoral National Research Service Award, and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. His commitment to using synthetic biology for societal benefit reflects his passion for addressing significant global challenges through scientific innovation.

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Talk
Harnessing Unexplored Cytokine Signals for Solid Tumor Cell Therapies
Enoda engineers cells with MIMICs, synthetic cytokine receptors that controllably and safely harness previously inaccessible and unknown signals. Screening all of cytokine space with MIMICs identified assets that enable T cells to resist immunosuppression, improving efficacy for both ex vivo and in vivo cell therapies compared to state-of-the-art armoring tools.

Emerging Therapeutics Showcase:
Enoda Cellworks
Enoda Cellworks is a team of synthetic biologists and immunologists whose mission is to expand the curative power of in vivo and ex vivo engineered therapeutic cells by arming them with cytokine signaling pathways unreachable and unknown to other technologies

Sherine Chan

Biography
Sherine Chan leads Neuroene Therapeutics, a biotech company developing novel mitochondrial small-molecule therapies for difficult-to-treat neurological diseases, including pharmacoresistant epilepsies, Parkinsons disease, and those resulting from toxic exposures. Trained as a mitochondrial biologist, Dr. Chan previously served as an Associate Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, where her academic lab developed new animal models and assays to study mitochondrial dysfunction. During this time, she co-founded Neuroene with medicinal chemist Dr. James Chou. Dr. Chan now leads Neuroene full-time from the Washington, DC region. Neuroene is as a JLABS and Blue Knight company, validating its CNS and medical countermeasure strategy.

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Talk
Mitochondrial protective therapies for neurological diseases
This talk will present Neuroenes path from academic discovery to commercialization of patented mitochondrial therapies addressing a fundamental driver of neurological disease. We will discuss our dual-use approach, commitment to rigorous science and partnerships, and how this strategy can deliver new options for patients and caregivers facing diseases with limited effective treatments.

Emerging Therapeutics Showcase:
Neuroene Therapeutics Inc
Neuroene Therapeutics is an early-stage biotech company advancing first-in-class, brain-penetrant mitochondrial small-molecule therapies for severe neurological diseases with high unmet need, including drug-resistant epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and toxin-induced brain injury.