Keynote Conference on RNA Medicine
In partnership with Therapeutics Initiative and the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School.
Drew Weissman, MD, PhD
2023 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine
Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Drew Weissman, MD, PhD
2023 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine
Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, is a world-renowned physician and researcher at Penn Medicine,best known for his contributions to RNA biology and the COVID-19 vaccines. Weissman and Katalin Karikó, PhD, were jointly awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discoveries that enabled the modified mRNA technology being used in Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's vaccines to prevent COVID-19.
More than 15 years ago at Penn Medicine, Weissman and Karikó found a way to modify mRNA and later developed a delivery technique to package the mRNA in fat droplets called lipid nanoparticles. This ensured that it could reach the proper part of the body and trigger the immune system to fight disease.
These laboratory breakthroughs made mRNA safe, effective, and practical for use as a vaccine against COVID. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine received FDA approval in August 2021, and the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized by the FDA for emergency use.
Dr. Weissman and his team are currently at work on a pan-coronavirus vaccine to stop the next coronavirus epidemic, a universal flu vaccine, and a vaccine to prevent herpes. They are working with Penn colleagues to develop cancer therapeutics with mRNA technology. Weissman's lab is also developing a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine with Chulalongkorn University in Thailand to help residents of Thailand and other surrounding nations with fewer financial resources than the United States access lifesaving vaccines.
Before joining Penn in 1997, Weissman was a fellow at the National Institutes of Health studying HIV in the lab of Dr. Anthony Fauci. Weissman received his bachelor's degree and master's degree from Brandeis University. He earned his MD and PhD from Boston University and completed his residency at Beth Israel Hospital.
Frank Bennett, PhD
2019 Breakthrough Prize Laureate
Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Ionis Pharmaceuticals
Dr. Bennett is the executive vice president and chief scientific officer at Ionis Pharmaceuticals and one of the founding members of the company. He is responsible for continuing to advance Ionis’technology and expanding the company’s drug discovery platform. Dr. Bennett is also the franchise leader for gene-editing programs at Ionis. He has been involved in the development of antisense oligonucleotides as therapeutic agents, including research on the application of oligonucleotides for inflammatory, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, oligonucleotide delivery, pharmacokinetics and medicinal chemistry.
Dr. Bennett has been recognized for his research with numerous awards. He is a co-recipient of the Rainwater Prize for Outstanding Innovation in Neurodegenerative Disease Research, the 2021 Gabbay Award and the 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for his contributions to the discovery and development of SPINRAZA® (nusinersen), and the inaugural Healy Center International Prize for Innovation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dr. Bennett alsoreceived the 2018 Hereditary Disease Foundation’s (HDF) Leslie Gehry Brenner Prize for Innovation in Science for his leadership and continued commitment to developing antisense therapies for Huntington’s disease (HD).
Dr. Bennett has published more than 230 papers in the field of antisense research and development, and he is an inventor on more than 175 issued patents.
Prior to joining Ionis, Dr. Bennett was associate senior investigator in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology at SmithKline and French Laboratories (currently, GlaxoSmithKline).
He received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas and his B.S. degree in Pharmacy from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico. He performed his postdoctoral research in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology at SmithKline and French Laboratories.
Dr. Bennett serves on the Advisory Board for the Hereditary Disease Foundation and SAB for the McLaughlin Institute.
George D. Yancopoulos, MD, PhD
Board Co-Chair, Co-Founder, President and Chief Scientific Officer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.
George Damis Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., is one of the world’s premier scientific inventors and medicine-makers. He has built the biotechnology company Regeneron alongside CEO and President Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D., as its Co-founder, President, and Chief Scientific Officer for the past 35 years. Under their leadership, Regeneron has become one of the most admired and innovative companies in biotech, with twelve approved or authorized medicines and a pipeline of approximately 35 investigational products – almost all of which were homegrown in the company's own laboratories. In the last twenty years, fewer than 100 biotech companies have invented and successfully obtained FDA approval for even one drug, and only a handful have done this four or more times.
Yancopoulos takes an unusually hands-on approach to drug discovery, serving as lead inventor and developer of Regeneron’s medicines, including EYLEA® and Dupixent®, which are among the world’s most widely-used medicines and have collectively helped millions of people around the world. He and his team have delivered additional important medicines such as Praluent®, Libtayo®, and the first antibody cocktail treatments for Ebola and COVID-19 in rapid response to emerging public health threats. George has also worked with his team to develop the underlying technologies that support and expedite Regeneron’s drug discovery, including the VelociGene ® "knockout" platform, the VelocImmune® human antibody mouse, and the Veloci-Bi™ bispecific antibody creation platform.
During his career, Yancopoulos has been among the most-cited scientists, with landmark publications pertaining to the cloning and biology of numerous growth factors and their receptors (from the Neurotrophins, Angiopoietins, and Ephrins to the CNTF receptor and the Agrin receptor, MUSK), on the elucidation of the mechanism of action of the cytokine class of receptors, and other findings leading to the development of Regeneron's medicines and technologies. His team continues to pursue cutting-edge research, including through the Regeneron Genetics Center, a world-leading effort that has sequenced the exomes of more than two million people and paired this information with de-identified medical records in the quest to identify new and improved treatment options.
Yancopoulos is a first-generation Greek-American who grew up in NYC, attending public schools and graduating as valedictorian of both the Bronx High School of Science and Columbia University. Yancopoulos then received his M.D. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from Columbia University. At Columbia, he was one of legendary geneticist Dr. Fred Alt's first doctoral students.
Yancopoulos was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and into the Biotech Hall of Fame in 2014. He and Dr. Schleifer were named Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016. In 2020, Yancopoulos was named by Fortune as one of the “World’s 25 Greatest Leaders: Heroes of The Pandemic.” His leadership of company culture has also been recognized, with Regeneron routinely listed as a top employer by Science, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, and others. In 2022, Regeneron was awarded the prestigious Prix Galien USA Best Biotechnology Product for Inmazeb®
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Yancopoulos often notes that his interest in science is a direct result of his high school experiences in science projects and science fairs. Thus, Yancopoulos drives Regeneron’s commitment to STEM education, and spearheaded the company’s primary sponsor ship of the world’s leading high school science competitions, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS; formerly the Westinghouse and Intel STS) and the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF; formerly the Intel ISEF). Regeneron has committed over $100 million to support these programs.