Aurélien Bancaud is a researcher at LAAS-CNRS (Toulouse, France) and Research Associate at the University of Tokyo. He is working at the intersection of biophysics, micro/nanofluidics, and life sciences, with the aim of advancing innovative concepts and technologies for genetic analysis and bioengineering. Key achievements in his career include: (i) developing cutting-edge DNA processing technologies, (ii) uncovering fundamental biophysical properties of chromosomes, and (iii) pioneering advancements in vascular biology and poroelastometry. One of my most notable contributions is the development of the µLAS technology, a breakthrough innovation supported by five patents and 12 publications since 2016. This technology, now transferred to industry through Adelis Technologies, offers unmatched sensitivity (1 fg/µL in just 10 minutes) for DNA size analysis. µLAS has been implemented in multiple international research centers and is a cornerstone technology for large-scale clinical trials on cell-free DNA analysis.

Catherine Alix-Panabières is a Professor of Oncology and the Director of the ‘Laboratoire de Cellules Circulantes Humaines Rares et Biopsie Liquide’ (LCCRH) at Montpellier University Hospital and the Faculty of Medicine. Since 2022, she has also held the position of Professor at the University of Hamburg in Germany. A specialist in circulating tumor cell (CTC) research for 26 years, she is credited with coining the term "liquid biopsy" in 2010, in collaboration with Prof. Pantel. Professor Alix-Panabières instructs students in this subject at academic institutions in France and abroad, has organized numerous international conferences, has published over 160 scientific articles and numerous chapters in books and encyclopedias, has filed three patents and has collaborated on numerous European, American, and Asian research projects. Her most significant contribution is the demonstration of the clinical utility of CTCs in breast cancer. She has been the recipient of numerous accolades in France and abroad, including the "Gallet et Breton" prize in 2012 and the "Berthe Péan, Antoine et Claude Béclère" prize in 2023, bestowed by the Académie Nationale de Médecine. In 2022, she played a pivotal role in the cancer exhibition at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (Paris), which was curated by the National Institute of Cancer (INCa). Furthermore, the esteemed journal Nature, in its December 2020 issue, acknowledged the significance of liquid biopsy as a pivotal advancement in cancer research over the past two decades and showcased the contributions of Prof. Alix-Panabières throughout her career.

Dr. Claudia Gärtner studied chemistry and biology and has earned her diploma and PhD in chemistry at the University of Düsseldorf in 1996. Between 1996 and 1999, she worked as an assistant to the Director at the Institute for Microtechnology in Mainz (IMM), where she coordinated large scale international projects (e.g. TMR-project MICROSYNC, LSF-project). In 1999 she was appointed Director of the Application Centre for Microtechnology in Jena, a daughter institution of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering. In 2002 she founded MFCS together with Dr. Holger Becker. Since April 2006 she is CEO of microfluidic ChipShop. She has been coordinator of numerous R&D projects on national and international level, including the FP 7 IP Multisense Chip. In 2017 she was decorated with the 3rd prize as Women Innovator competition by the European Commission. She is in the board of trustees of the German Museum in Munich and the advisory board of the Trade Fair in Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany. Lab-on-a-Chip system as bleed-to-read-systems including their manufacturing and commercialization are in her focus.

Clotilde Costa obtained her Biology degree from Vigo University before completing a Ph.D. in Molecular Oncology at CIEMAT (Madrid), where she investigated cell cycle genes in squamous cell carcinomas. In 2013, she joined the Translational Medical Oncology Group in Santiago de Compostela to study metastasis by Liquid Biopsy. Since 2015, she has led the Breast Cancer Liquid Biopsy Line at the Oncomet group, based at the Clinical Hospital of Santiago de Compostela. As a principal investigator, her current work focuses on identifying biomarkers and unraveling the biology of the metastatic process in breast cancer through the study of circulating tumor entities.

Dan Tagle is Director of the Office of Special Initiatives at NCATS where he many coordinates efforts towards development of disruptive technologies in translational research. He obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Wayne State University School of Medicine. He was an NIH National Research Service Award postdoctoral fellow in Human Genetics at the University of Michigan. He has served on numerous committees, advisory boards, and editorial boards. He has authored many scientific publications and has garnered numerous awards, including more recently the Roscoe O. Brady Award for Innovation and Accomplishment, and the Henry J. Heimlich Award for Innovative Medicine.

Guillaume Gines received his PhD in chemical biology in 2013, working on biosensors of DNA repair enzymes. Until 2016, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Fuji laboratory (U. Tokyo), investigating the emergence of collective behaviors in large populations of DNA-programmed particles. He then moved to Paris to work on developing microRNA detection technologies, spanning concepts from molecular programming combined with microfluidics. Since 2020, he has owned a CNRS research position at ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University. His research revolves around DNA nanotechnology and molecular programming, from their fundamental demonstrations to applications in diagnostics and biotechnology.

Lorena Diéguez joined INL in 2014 as a Staff Researcher and is, since 2018, the leader of the Medical Devices research group. Her research is mainly devoted to Translational Medical Research in close collaboration with hospitals and focuses on the development of tools and solutions based on microfluidics, biosensors and nanotechnology towards early diagnosis and better understanding of diseases. She is also very interested in translating her technology from the lab to the clinic and is co-founder and CEO of the spin-off company RUBYnanomed in the field of liquid biopsy. Currently, she is also the Chair of the Working Group in Medical Devices at the ETPN (European Technology Platform in Nanomedicine). She obtained her Bachelors in Physics with a Major in Optoelectronics at the University of Santiago de Compostela in 2005, then completed her Masters in Nanotechnology at the University of Barcelona (UB) in 2007 and her PhD in Biosensors at the UB, the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia and the ETH Zürich. Her postdoc at the University of South Australia (2010-2013) was devoted to the study of rare cells from biological samples using microfluidics.

Maïwenn Kersaudy-Kerhoas is a Professor of Microfluidic Engineering at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. She leads a multi-disciplinary research group of biologists and engineers. Her work has focused on the development of robust, reproducible and affordable prototyping methods for point-of-care diagnostics. She has developed several pre-analytical tools for liquid biopsies applications with clinicians, including blood plasma separation devices, cell-free DNA extraction cartridges and a finger-actuated blood processing device. In 2013, she received a five year Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship and in 2018 a Healthcare Technology Challenge Award from the UK Engineering and Physical Science Council. In 2019 she was awarded a Royal Academy of Engineering ‘Frontiers of Development’ and Global Challenge Research Fund seed funding to develop an advanced sepsis diagnostic tool via cell-free microbial nucleic sequencing with clinical partners around the world. She is a recipient of the 2023 Royal Academy of Engineering Frontiers Champion award, which she will use for the creation of a Frugal Diagnostic network.

Sven Kreutel studied biology at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany. After his graduation in biology, he received his PhD in microbiology and protein biochemistry at the University of Hohenheim under Prof. Dr. Andreas Kuhn and Dr. Dorothee Kiefer working on the light sensing and signal transduction in photosynthetic bacteria. Since then, he worked in different sales and sales manager positions within the life science industry from clinical research over biology to nanoparticle sciences.

V. Taly is a CNRS research director and group leader of the Translational Research And Microfluidics team within the clinical oncology research unit MEPPOT (personalized medicine pharmacogenomics and therapeutic optimization) in the Cordeliers Research Center (university Paris Cité). Her team performs interdisciplinary researches aiming at developing and validating microfluidic tools for cancer research in close collaboration with clinicians and researchers in oncology and toxicology. Since 2008, she developed droplet-based digital procedures for Cancer diagnosis. Recently, her research has been dedicated to the clinical validation of droplet-based microfluidics for the non-invasive detection of Cancer biomarkers, the highlighting of new Cancer Biomarkers and the development of original tools and procedures for their detection with applications in personalized medicine, cancer recurrence detection and cancer diagnostics. She is co-founder of EMULSEO (2018) and METHYS Dx (2021) start up companies. She is now president and CSO of METHYS Dx.

Veronica Foisor is Gene Therapy Field Application Scientist specializing in Leprechaun at Unchained Labs. She has many years of experience at the bench and as a field application scientist characterizing EVs and viruses, using techniques including interferometry (SP-IRIS), DLS, qPCR and IHC. Veronica completed a Ph.D. in Molecular and Analytical Sciences at Warwick University, UK, focusing on nanoparticle labels for microscopy.