Advancing cell therapy: innovations in polymer-based encapsulation and delivery

Dr Yevgeny Brudno  is Associate Professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics at the School of Pharmacy and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Jointly at UNC and NC State. He earned dual BA degrees in Chemistry and Biophysics, with minors in Math and Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania. He obtained his PhD in Organic Chemistry from Harvard University, developing directed evolution technologies with Prof David R. Liu. Following the completion of his PhD, he conducted postdoctoral research at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, alongside with Prof David Mooney, developing controlled release drug delivery technologies for cancer and regenerative medicine. He joined UNC and NC State in 2017, with research interests that span organic synthetic chemistry, materials science, and immunotherapy. Dr Brudno's research is rooted in the belief that advances in chemistry and the basic molecular sciences can generate meaningful change in how therapies are designed, produced, and administered.

Dr Omid Veiseh, PhD, is an Associate Professor and CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research in the Department of Bioengineering at Rice University. He leads an interdisciplinary translational research program to engineer and commercialize next-generation cell-based therapeutics for various human diseases. His team leverages the latest techniques in synthetic biology, immunoengineering, and materials science to develop innovative cell-based platforms for real-time and feedback-regulated production of biologics. Over the course of his career, he has authored or co-authored more than 75 peer-reviewed publications, including those in Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Materials, Nature Medicine, and Nature Biomedical Engineering, and is an inventor on more than 40 pending or awarded patents. He is also a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded Sigilon Therapeutics (Nasdaq: SGTX), Avenge Bio, Sentinel Bio, and Curada Bio. These companies collectively have attracted ~ $500M in private and public investment capital. In September of 2023, he was named the Director of Rice University's Biotech Launch Pad, a new initiative with a mission to accelerate the translation of Rice University discoveries and technologies into clinical practice to provide rapid patient access to leading-edge therapeutic products.

Marizela Delic-Schlumbohm, Senior R&D Manager at IFF Pharma Solutions, leads a segment of the Polymer Synthesis & Modification R&D team based in Bomlitz, Germany. Her primary responsibilities include polymer modifications, rheological characterization of synthesized materials, and technical leadership for the NovaMatrix® R&D platform. As an ultrapure alginates expert, Marizela bridges the gap between biopharma technology needs and IFF’s R&D and manufacturing capabilities, fostering additional opportunities in this field. She holds a Master of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Technology in Vienna (TU Wien) and a PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU Wien).

Tom Kamperman is an entrepreneurial biomedical engineer with a strong background in microfluidics, tissue engineering, and enabling (micro)technologies. He has over ten years of experience with the development of microfluidic systems for life science applications and in particular microencapsulation.Before starting IamFluidics, he worked at various internationally recognized institutes including the Max-Planck Institute in Muenster (DE), the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology (NL), the Technical Medical Centre (NL), and the Division of Engineering in Medicine at Harvard Medical School (USA). He is the recipient of the prestigious personal NWO Rubicon and Veni grants. In 2019, he was elected “European Innovator Under 35” by MIT Technology Review.Tom is the co-inventor of the IN-AIR MICROFLUIDICS™ technology, co-founder of IamFluidics, and responsible for the technical management as IamFluidics’ CTO. In this role, he has conceived, executed, and managed various innovative projects, including multiple large European consortia.

Joshua S. Katz, Senior R&D Manager at IFF Pharma Solutions, brings a wealth of expertise to the field. His journey began with an S.B. in Chemistry and a minor in Biomedical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2006 where he worked under the guidance of Prof. Darrell Irvine. Later, at the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Bioengineering, he studied under Professors Jason Burdick and Daniel Hammer, earning his PhD in 2011.

Josh’s career path led him to the Formulation Science group at Dow Chemical, where he contributed to projects spanning pharmaceuticals, coatings, agriculture, and industrial composites. Following the DowDuPont merger, he assumed leadership of the Colloids and Biopharma R&D group within DuPont Nutrition and Biosciences. In 2021, the merger with IFF solidified his current role.

His research today revolves around biopharmaceutical production and formulation. Josh’s accomplishments include prestigious awards, US patents, and numerous peer-reviewed publications. His passion lies in advancing the science that transforms lives.