Dr. Banishree Saha serves as the Associate Director and Analytical Lead for Translational Biomarker Assays at Takeda Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, MA. She is instrumental in advancing biomarker assay development and spearheading innovative research in gastrointestinal and liver diseases. Renowned for her expertise in extracellular vesicles, especially exosomes, Dr. Saha has made substantial contributions to understanding the role of microRNA cargo in immune responses during liver injury. Her extensive experience in academia and the pharmaceutical industry allows her to significantly influence the field of liver biology and translational research, devising new therapeutic strategies for liver-related ailments.

Dr. Bruna Corradetti is a translational scientist and professor whose research lies at the intersection of regenerative medicine, biomaterials, and stem cell biology. With a strong foundation in stem cell-based therapies and immunomodulatory biomaterials, her work focuses on developing innovative, cell-free therapeutic strategies, ranging from extracellular vesicles to RNA-enhanced biomimetic patches, that harness the body’s natural healing processes. These minimally invasive approaches are designed to improve chronic wound healing and address congenital malformations.

Dr. Corradetti holds a faculty position at Baylor College of Medicine (USA) and is an affiliated investigator at both the Houston Methodist Research Institute (USA) and Swansea University Medical School (UK). Her research is supported by federal agencies and philanthropic foundations and reflects a deeply translational approach, informed by training and appointments across premier institutions in Europe and the United States.

In 2022, she was named one of 20 Innovative Investigators in Texas by the TMC Innovation Advanced Cancer Therapeutics (ACT) program, in recognition of her pioneering work on exosome-based vaccines aimed at preventing ovarian cancer recurrence. Internationally recognized for her scientific leadership, Dr. Corradetti was included among the 100 Italian Excellences in 2017. She was the first woman appointed to the Scientific Board of the European Society for Translational Medicine and received the Business and Professional Women-CUP Leadership Award in 2019 for her efforts in advancing gender equity in STEM.

Her TEDx talk, “The Power of Resilience in Science,” and her feature in Fortune Italia underscore her commitment to mentoring early-career scientists and building inclusive, supportive research environments.

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Daniel T. Chiu is currently the A. Bruce Montgomery Professor Chemistry, Endowed Professor of Analytical Chemistry, and Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. He is a member of the University of Washington’s Center for Nanotechnology, Neurobiology and Behavior Program, and the Cancer Consortium of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. He has authored more than 180 publications and is the inventor on over 40 issued patents. Dr. Chiu obtained a B.A. in neurobiology and a B.S. in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley in 1993, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Stanford University in 1998.

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.

Holger Schmidt received the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of California Santa Barbara and served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at M.I.T. He is currently the Narinder Kapany Chair of Optoelectronics and Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UC Santa Cruz. He directs the W.M. Keck Center for Nanoscale Optofluidics and has served as the Associate Dean for Research in the Baskin School of Engineering. His research interests cover a broad range in photonics and integrated optics, including optofluidic devices, nanopore sensors, nano-magneto-optics, spintronic devices, and ultrafast optics. He has authored more than 400 publications, several book chapters, and co-edited the CRC Handbook of Optofluidics. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the IEEE and the Optical Society of America. He received an NSF Career Award, a Keck Futures Nanotechnology Award, and the Engineering Achievement Award by the IEEE Photonics Society.

Katherine Tuchez is a Business Development and Product Application Specialist at EXODUS Bio, where she leads collaborations and technical applications of automated EV isolation systems across academic and industry laboratories. Her work focuses on optimizing EV isolation and bridging research, and GMP-ready production.

Matt Kremer has over 35 years of business development experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Since joining Univercells Technologies in 2018, he has played a key role in launching the scale-X platform in the U.S. market. Matt holds both a BA and an MBA from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.

Michael Graner received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois followed by post-doctoral and research faculty work at the University of Arizona, shifting gears from the Drosophila extracellular matrix to cancer immunotherapy. He then took at faculty position at Duke University’s Tisch Brain Tumor Center, followed by his current position as Professor in Neurosurgery at the University of Colorado Denver (Anschutz Medical Campus). He is also a member of the University of Colorado Cancer Center, the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, the MAVRC Program, and holds a Visiting Professorship Appointment at the Shenzhen Third People’s Hospital (China) and an adjunct faculty appointment at Colorado State University. Graner has a long-standing interest in cell stress responses, which led to cancer vaccine development (including one in clinical trials), which somehow led to the world of extracellular vesicles (EVs). His lab currently concentrates on signaling mechanisms involving EVs, in particular the transfer of stressed phenotypes from stressed tumor cells to unstressed ones via EVs.

Advancing nanoparticle and extracellular vesicle (EV) research through high precision Nano Particle Tracking Analysis (NTA) technologies. With a background bridging biochemistry, analytical instrumentation and customer education, Ross focuses on helping research teams optimize data quality, reproducibility and workflow integration in EV and lipid nanoparticle characterization. His work connects technology innovation with real-world research applications, empowering scientists to push the frontiers of molecular and nanoscale biology.

Shawn Dudley is Executive Director of Shantel Medical Supply, and has three decades of experience in developing and formulating innovative and effective skin care solutions. Member of Society of Cosmetic Chemists.

Professor Soper (since 2016) is a Foundation Distinguished Professor in Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kansas. At KUMC, Prof. Soper holds an adjunct appointment in the Cancer Biology Department and is a member of the KU Cancer Center. He also holds an appointment at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in Ulsan, South Korea, where he is a World Class University Professor.

As a result of his efforts, Prof. Soper has secured extramural funding totaling >$125M, has published over 245 peer-reviewed manuscripts (h index = 70; >17,000 citations); 31 book chapters and 71 peer-reviewed conference proceeding papers, and is the author of 12 patents. He is also the founder of a startup company, BioFluidica, which is marketing devices for the isolation and enumeration of liquid biopsy markers. Soper recently founded a second company, Sunflower Genomics, which is seeking to market a new DNA/RNA single-molecule sequencing platform. His list of awards includes Ralph Adams Award in Bioanalytical Chemistry, Chemical Instrumentation by the American Chemical Society, the Benedetti-Pichler Award for Microchemistry, Fellow of the AAAS, Fellow of Applied Spectroscopy, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, R&D 100 Award, Distinguished Masters Award at LSU and Outstanding Scientist/Engineer in the state of Louisiana in 2001. Finally, Prof. Soper has granted 50 PhDs and 7 MS degrees to students under his mentorship. He currently heads a group of 15 researchers.

His major discoveries include: (1) Technology for the detection of liquid biopsy markers that can manage a variety of diseases using a simple blood test (test has been demonstrated in multiple myeloma, pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, pancreatic, breast, colorectal, prostate, and ovarian cancers); (2) new hardware and assay for the point-of-care diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke; (3) single-molecule DNA and RNA sequencing nanotechnology; and (4) currently working on a home-test for COVID-19 infections (handheld instrument and the associated assay.