Current Perspectives:
Cell Line Engineering and Expression Optimization
Presenters:
Andrew Geall, PhD
Chief Development Officer, Co-Founder,
Replicate Bioscience
Andrew Geall, PhD, chief development officer and co-founder at Replicate Bioscience, has over 20 years of professional experience in the development of drug delivery systems and is a pioneer in the fields of mRNA vaccines and nucleic acid delivery. He's an inventor on 41 patent families, with 505 applications and 203 issued patents in multiple jurisdictions.
Prior to joining Replicate, he was chief scientific officer at Precision NanoSystems Inc. (PNI), where he focused on the creation of transformative nanoparticle medicines using their proprietary LNP delivery systems and microfluidic formulation platform. He's also held positions as vice president of formulations, analytics and chemistry at Avidity Biosciences, where he pioneered the development of their antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate delivery platform. As a member of the executive management, he helped raise over $100 million in venture capital and take the company public in June 2020 with an initial public stock offering of $259 million.
Before Avidity, Andrew led mRNA vaccines in the vaccine division of Novartis. Over seven years, he created a global team and was principal investigator on a Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) contract to develop self-amplifying mRNA vaccines. Andrew also had a two-year tenure at Novartis Pharmaceuticals AG, where he was the global siRNA formulation team leader, responsible for the design and implementation of the siRNA delivery strategy.
Andrew received his pharmacy degree from the University of Bath in the UK and went on to do his pre-registration training as a hospital pharmacist in the aseptic dispensing unit at St. Helens and Knowsley Trust Hospitals. He then obtained his doctoral degree from University of Bath in non-viral gene delivery.
Nicole Faust, PhD
Strategic Advisor, Board Member,
Peppermint Venture Partners GmbH
Nicole Faust, PhD, is a strategic advisor, board member, and biotechnology executive with more than 30 years of experience in biopharmaceutical R&D, cell line development, and biomanufacturing. Previously, Nicole was CEO and CSO of CEVEC, where she led the company's strategic transformation and growth until its acquisition by Cytiva. Before joining CEVEC, she held senior roles at Lonza and Taconic Biosciences, building extensive expertise across biologics development, manufacturing technologies, and business strategy.
With a doctoral degree in cell and molecular biology and a master's degree, Nicole combines scientific knowledge with broad executive leadership experience. She is internationally recognized for her expertise in cell line development, bioprocessing, and cell and gene therapy, advising companies ranging from early-stage to more mature biotech ventures.
Jonathan H. Dempsey, PhD
CEO,
Pathway Biopharma
Jonathan (Jon) H. Dempsey, PhD, is CEO of Pathway Biopharma and co-inventor of Select XPress, a novel selective marker technology that enhances protein expression in CHO cells. He holds a doctoral degree in industrial cell biology from the University of Edinburgh and has nearly 30 years of experience in biopharmaceutical process development, cell line engineering, and biomanufacturing.
Throughout his career, Jon has held senior scientific and operational roles at Lonza, Cambridge Antibody Technology (later AstraZeneca), Invitrogen, Piramal, and Hyaltech. He has led the development of multiple cell line and protein expression platforms, both within industry and as a consultant to leading CDMOs and biopharmaceutical companies.
His expertise spans cell line development, media optimization, protein expression technologies, and bacterial manufacturing, with a particular focus on translating early-stage scientific innovation into commercially viable products and manufacturing platforms. As CEO of Pathway Biopharma, Jon continues to develop enabling technologies that advance cell line development, protein expression, and biologics manufacturing.
Chris Spivey
Director of Industry Relations and Strategic Partnerships,
BioProcess International
Chris Spivey, director of industry relations and strategic partnerships, BioProcess International. Chris oversees both BioProcess International events and media to ensure both represent the interests of the larger bioprocessing ecosystem. Chris co-founded the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) and more recently co-founded the Alliance for mRNA Medicines (AMM). He's co-authored half a dozen scientific papers, in the field of advanced wavefront tansforms and adaptive optics. He also has been the primary author for several technology market research reports, such as metal 3D printing and NRAM computer memory. He served as conference chair for 50-plus sub disciplines, from human genetic variation and microarrays to gene quantification and biotech startup funding and management.
His consulting work includes bulk hetero-junction CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells, spinel LiMn2O4 as lithium ion battery cathode material, passivation of laser diode micro channel coolers, nanomaterial processes for algal biodiesel fuel, and general nanoparticle manufacture from a bottom-up approach. He has also served in leadership positions in media and research companies.
