Archives: Speakers

Douglas Mahler is the Senior Business Development Manager for the Energy Segment at Mitsubishi Chemical Group. With over 30 years on the polymer shapes industry. he specializes in driving strategic growth, developing innovative material solutions, and fostering key partnerships. Douglas is committed to advancing sustainable technologies and delivering high-performance solutions that meet the evolving needs of the industry.

Brandon Razooky holds a PhD in Biophysics from University of California, San Francisco, and pursued postdoctoral research at The Rockefeller University, blending genome engineering, synthetic biology, and virology techniques to understand host cell responses to viral infections. Over the last few years, he has been working at National Resilience, Inc., focusing on enhancing the manufacturability and release of both gene and cell therapies. Currently focusing on cell therapy, the group he is a part of aims to provide automated solutions to cell characterization and QC release.

Grace Eppolito is a scientist at ImmuneBridge, an early-stage cell therapy company in San Francisco. With over seven years of experience in upstream process development, I have worked extensively with CHO cells for monoclonal antibody production, leveraged the AAV/BEV system for gene therapies, and, for the past two years, have been focused on process development in the cell therapy space. The common thread throughout my career has been my expertise in bioreactor-based process development, optimizing and scaling up systems to drive therapeutic advancements.

Ruiyuan Zheng is a Marketing Product Manager at ACROBiosystems, specialising in cell and gene therapy (CGT) products. With a PhD in chromatin and cell biology from the University of Cologne and postdoctoral research in organoid-based disease models at Heidelberg University, she brings deep expertise in iPSC technology and its applications in regenerative medicine. Now, she focuses on customer engagement and marketing analysis, leveraging her scientific background to drive innovation and strategy in the CGT field.

As Head of Banking Solutions, Giovanni works with global financial institutions to define strategic requirements and accelerate the adoption of advanced analytical capabilities for personalized pricing and decisioning using the Earnix platform. Previously Giovanni headed the Professional Services Banking Team in Earnix, a global team of consultants responsible for the design, management, and delivery of implementation projects for different LOBs: from unsecured lending to mortgages, from auto lending to short- and medium/long-term lending facilities to businesses. Over the last decade Giovanni has designed and delivered projects that every month impact over €10bn in new lending contracts globally. Giovanni has also led strategic consulting projects with focus on advanced analytics and on change management processes and operations.

Rick has 23 years of clinical research experience at multiple Clinical Research Organizations (CROs) in various roles, most recently including Sr. Director of Project Delivery, Sr. Director of Site Operations, Head of Just In Time Oncology Business Unit, Sr. Director – Site Collaborations, and Sr. Director of Clinical Management. Rick has 15+ years of Project and Clinical Management oversight, both as Director of Functional Team Leads and Line Management of CRAs. Additionally, Rick has 4+ years of Site Operations/Collaborations experience specializing in Oncology and Pediatrics.

Rick’s vast experience spans all areas of drug development, specializing in CRO delivery and oversight. Rick has global experience in both Project and Clinical Management oversight as well as Site Operations, spanning Phase I First in Human Trials through Phase IV. Rick has experience in multiple therapeutic areas, but has significant expertise in Cardiology, Vaccines, Hematology/Oncology, Pediatrics and Rare Diseases. Rick has a Bachelor’s of Science in Economics from Oswego State University and is currently located in Raleigh, North Carolina.