
Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) and Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs) 2026
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2026 - Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Location: VOCO Hotel -- Laguna Hills, California
Confirmed Speakers

Aijun Wang, Chancellor's Fellow Professor of Surgery and of Biomedical Engineering, University of California-Davis (UC Davis) -- Conference Co-Chairperson

Cheemeng Tan, Chancellor’s Fellow, Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California-Davis

Eunji Chung, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California

Malgorzata A. Witek, Associate Research Professor, University of Kansas

Mei He, Associate Professor, University of Florida, United States of America -- Conference Co-Chairperson

Niren Murthy, Professor, University of California at Berkeley and the Innovative Genomics Institute

Ross Jacobson, Technical Sales and Service Lead, Western USA, Particle Metrix Inc.

Biao (Bill) Lu, Professor, Department of Bioengineering, Santa Clara University

Dominique PV de Kleijn, Professor Experimental Vascular Surgery, Professor Netherlands Heart Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht

Hsueh-Chia Chang, Bayer Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame; Co-Founder & CTO, Aopia Biosciences - Plenary Speaker

Marley Dewey, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, University of California-Santa Barbara

Michael Graner, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus -- Conference Co-Chairperson

Noah Malmstadt, Professor, Mork Family Dept. of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Southern California

Valeria Lallai, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy

Caitlin McAtee, Field Application Scientist, Exokeryx

Ester Kwon, Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of California-San Diego

Hua Wang, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Matt Kremer, Business Development Manager, Univercells Technologies (a Donaldson Life Sciences Company)

Michael J Heller, Professor Emeritus, Bioengineering Department, University of California-San Diego

R Holland Cheng, Professor, University of California-Davis

Xiaoning Bi, Professor, Western University of Health Sciences
Overview of the Conference
SelectBIO Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) and Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs) 2026 takes place October 27-28, 2026 at the VOCO Hotel, Laguna Hills, California, USA.
This conference brings together academic researchers, industry scientists, and companies from the US, Europe and Asia/Pacific in a focused 2-day event featuring academic presentations on cutting-edge science, company presentations, technology/tools vendor presentations and instrumentation demos plus exhibitors and networking opportunities.
The conference welcomes doctoral students, post-doctoral and research fellows to submit abstracts for oral presentations on their research as it relates to the goals of this conference -- featuring the latest research, engaging researchers and companies, and extensive networking and collaboration opportunities.
**Co-located and Held Concurrently with the Lab-on-a-Chip and Microfluidics World Congress (LOAC2026) -- Each Registration Provides Full Access to Both Tracks, Workshops and All Networking Events**
Abstract Submission for Oral and Poster Presentations
You can present your research in an oral presentation or poster while attending the meeting. Submit an abstract for consideration under the Submissions tab of this conference website
Oral Presentation Abstract Submission Deadline: April 30, 2026
Poster Presentation Abstract Submission Deadline: October 15, 2026
Agenda Topics Covered at this Conference
Emerging Areas in Exosomes/EV Research
Various Platforms for the Isolation of Exosomes/EVs
Characterization of Exosomes/EVs
Downstream Analysis of Exosomes/EV Cargo -- RNAs, Proteins and Lipids
Platforms for Single Exosome/EV Analysis -- Flow Cytometry
Advancements in Technologies and New Disruptive Technologies in EV Research
Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs): Synthesis, Toxicity, Applications
Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs): Companies, Products and Services
Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities
3-for-2 Offer on Delegate Registrations
SelectBIO are offering 3 Delegate Registrations for the price of 2 on all delegate passes. To take advantage of this offer, please contact us by email, phone or click the Contact Us button below. Looking for more than 3 Delegate Passes? Contact us for more information on our special rates for large groups.
Any questions or assistance during registration, please e-mail us at: Contact SelectBIO
Gold Sponsors
Exhibitors
Sponsorship and Exhibition Opportunities
If you require any information about exhibiting or sponsoring at one of our events please contact Jeff Fan using the information below:
Jeff Fan
Exhibition Manager - SelectBIO Conferences
Why Sponsor-Exhibit at a SelectBIO Conference?
Specialists: SelectBIO doesn't organize conferences in shipping, accountancy, textiles etc. – just life sciences. Many of our staff have bioscience qualifications and many years of experience. So, we speak your language and understand your needs.
Superior Customer Service: Our sales team will take care of you with specialist advice and customized packages.
We don’t forget you after you sign on the bottom line either as our customer service dept. will alert you to all the things you need to think about up to and during the event itself.
Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) & Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs) 2026 Conference Venue
SelectBIO is pleased to host Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) & Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs) 2026 Conference at VOCO Laguna Hills: An IHG Hotel -- Laguna Hills, California.
VOCO Laguna Hills
25205 La Paz Road
Laguna Hills, California 92653, USA
Telephone: (949) 586-5000
This hotel in Southern California is easily accessible from Los Angeles and San Diego via Interstate-5 (I-5).
The nearest airport is: John Wayne Airport (SNA) - 13.7 miles from the hotel.
From Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) - the hotel is 52.9 miles.
The hotel is within a short drive of Disneyland and Legoland California, as well as Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, as well as shopping and dining at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.
All conference sessions, exhibition as well as networking reception will be held in the Crystal Ballroom at VOCO Laguna Hills.
SelectBIO has negotiated discounted hotel room pricing for conference attendees at VOCO Laguna Hills.
To make your Hotel Reservations Online: Click the Button Below to Open the Hotel Booking Website. This will provide a SelectBIO discounted rate for booking hotel rooms.




For any questions with the venue or logistics matters, please kindly contact SelectBIO Conferenes:
Jeff Fan
Events Manager, SelectBIO Conferences
E-mail: Jeff@selectbioconferences.com
SelectBIO has NOT authorized ANY third party company to assist in hotel bookings or any bookings or reservations for this conference. Please do NOT do business with any third party companies. If in doubt, please contact Jeff Fan immediately to clarify.
Register to this conference and also enjoy the following co-located events at no extra charge.
Training Courses
If you would like to submit a proposal for an oral or poster presentation at this meeting, please fill out the form below required for your submission.
Successful applicants will be provided with all necessary information.
Abstract Content:
-
Written in English
-
Written in the third person
-
Include title, name(s) and affiliation(s) of the authors
-
Between 100 - 200 words
-
Suitable for direct publication in the proceedings pack and on the website
-
Related to the subject of the conference
Agenda Topics
Emerging Areas in Exosomes/EV Research
Various Platforms for the Isolation of Exosomes/EVs
Characterization of Exosomes/EVs
Downstream Analysis of Exosomes/EV Cargo -- RNAs, Proteins and Lipids
Platforms for Single Exosome/EV Analysis -- Flow Cytometry
Advancements in Technologies and New Disruptive Technologies in EV Research
Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs): Synthesis, Toxicity, Applications
Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs): Companies, Products and Services
Copyrights
The presenting author/person who submitted the abstract assumes full responsibility of the content of the abstract and we assume that all co-authors are aware of this content. Please note that your biography, summary and abstract may be used on this website and conference materials.
Aijun Wang, Chancellor's Fellow Professor of Surgery and of Biomedical Engineering, University of California-Davis (UC Davis) -- Conference Co-Chairperson

Aijun Wang Biographical Sketch
Dr. Aijun Wang is a Chancellor's Fellow Professor of Surgery and of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Davis. He is the Vice Chair for Translational Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the Department of Surgery, Vice Chair for Medical Device Development Graduate Program, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Director of the Center for Bioengineering in Medicine (CBM) at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Wang’s research focuses on developing tools, technologies and products that combine molecular, cellular, tissue and biomaterial engineering to promote regeneration and restore function. Dr. Wang specializes in bringing therapeutics from bench to bedside, through innovative discovery, translational and investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies, current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) manufacturing, and conducting clinical trials in both human and companion animal patients. Dr. Wang is a PI for the CuRe trial, the world’s first FDA-authorized stem cell–based clinical trial for the in utero treatment of spina bifida. Dr. Wang has published over 210 peer-reviewed papers in top tier journals, such as The Lancet, Nature Nanotechnology, and ACS Nano. Since joining UC Davis, Dr. Wang has served as PI, MPI or Co-PI, on numerous major extramural and intramural grants, securing over $65 million in funding from NIH, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), Shriners Children’s, and other agencies. Dr. Wang has received numerous awards, such as the Deloitte QB3 Award for Innovation, the KidneyX Phase 2 Innovation award, and the Sacramento Region Innovation Award. Dr. Wang was inducted into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows in 2024.
Biao (Bill) Lu, Professor, Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, Santa Clara University

Biao (Bill) Lu Biographical Sketch
Dr. Biao (Bill) Lu is a Professor of Bioengineering at Santa Clara University whose research focuses on exosome engineering, nanomedicine, molecular imaging, and precision therapeutics. His laboratory develops genetically engineered extracellular vesicles and exosome-based platforms for targeted drug delivery, cancer therapy, neurodegenerative diseases, and gene/protein therapeutics. His work integrates synthetic biology, molecular engineering, and nanoscale imaging to create programmable exosome systems with enhanced targeting, cargo loading, and therapeutic efficacy. Dr. Lu has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications and numerous conference proceedings in exosome biology, extracellular vesicle engineering, gene therapy, and nanomedicine. His research has resulted in multiple U.S. patents and NIH-funded projects focused on engineered exosome therapeutics for lysosomal storage diseases, cancer vaccines, inflammation disorders and Alzheimer’s disease.
Caitlin McAtee, Field Application Scientist, Exokeryx

Caitlin McAtee Biographical Sketch
-PhD in Biochemistry from University of Nebraska
-Postdoc working on exosomes in cancer progression at Vanderbilt University with Dr. Alissa Weaver
-Joined Exokeryx as a Field Application Scientist in June 2025
Cheemeng Tan, Chancellor’s Fellow, Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California-Davis

Cheemeng Tan Biographical Sketch
Dr. Cheemeng Tan is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Davis. His group integrates synthetic and systems biology to engineer nanovesicles and “cyborg” cells for disease therapy and diagnostics. Dr. Tan earned a B.Eng. (First-Class Honors) from the National University of Singapore, an M.Sc. in High-Performance Computing from the Singapore-MIT Alliance, and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University (2010). He completed a Lane Postdoctoral Fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University before joining UC Davis in 2013. His work has been recognized with several awards, including the Medtronic Fellowship, Young Investigator Grant from the Human Frontier Science Program, Scialog Fellow, Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering New Innovator, UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellow award, UC Davis Lab Safety Award, Branco Weiss Fellowship - Society in Science, NIH-NIBIB Trailblazer, and NIH-NIGMS MIRA. He serves on multiple editorial boards and scientific panels, notably as a standing member in the NIH Cellular and Molecular Technologies study section. He has published extensively on cell-free systems and cell engineering, helping to shape the emerging discipline of translational synthetic biology.
Dominique PV de Kleijn, Professor Experimental Vascular Surgery, Professor Netherlands Heart Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands

Dominique de Kleijn Biographical Sketch
Professor Dr. Dominique PV de Kleijn is molecular biologist and chemist and professor of Exp. Vascular Surgery at UMC Utrecht and professor at the Netherlands Heart Institute. From 2012 to 2016, he was Research Professor of Surgery at NUS/NUHS and preclinical director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) Singapore. He was until 2016 professor of Cardiovascular Immunology and co-chair of Experimental Cardiology at UMC Utrecht. Since 1997 he is coordinating cardiovascular research from basic science, animal myocardial infarction and atherosclerotic studies (pig and sheep) towards clinical biobanking studies. His research interests are: The innate immune system in cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis & Biomarkers predictive for primary & secondary events with a focus on plasma extracellular vesicles. He has more then 275 publications and a H-factor of 78.
Ester Kwon, Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of California-San Diego

Ester Kwon Biographical Sketch
Ester J. Kwon is an associate professor of Bioengineering at the University of California San Diego. She earned her B.S. in Bioengineering and B.A. in Molecular & Cell Biology at UC Berkeley and her Ph.D. in Bioengineering at the University of Washington. Her group in the Bioengineering Department at UCSD builds nanoscale tools, diagnostics, and treatments for diseases of the brain. Dr. Kwon is a recipient of the pre- and post-doctoral NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards, the NIH Director’s New Innovator award, and the NSF CAREER Award.
Eunji Chung, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Director of the Transformative Center for Nanomedicine and Drug Delivery, University of Southern California

Eunji Chung Biographical Sketch
Eunji Chung is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California and the Dr. Karl Jacob Jr. and Karl Jacob III Early Career Chair. She is the Founding Director of the USC Transformative Center for Nanomedicine and Drug Delivery. Dr. Chung has a courtesy appointment in Chemical Engineering, Medicine (Nephrology and Hypertension), Surgery (Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy), and Pharmacy at USC, and is an affiliated faculty of the Norris Cancer Center and the Stem Cells department. Her laboratory is interested in developing nano- to macroscale biomaterials that can be utilized in medicine. Dr. Chung received her B.A. with honors in Molecular Biology from Scripps College, her Ph.D. from the Department of Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University, and her postdoctoral training from the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago. Dr. Chung is a Fellow of BMES, AIMBE, and AHA and an Associate Editor for Bioactive Materials. She has garnered a variety of honors including the K99/R00 NIH Pathway to Independence Award, AIChE 35 Under 35, NIH Director’s New Innovator Award (DP2), and the AHA Transformational Project Award, and is currently part of the NIDDK U54 Kidney O’Brien Center.
Hsueh-Chia Chang, Bayer Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Co-Founder & CTO of Aopia Biosciences

Hsueh-Chia Chang Biographical Sketch
Professor Hsueh-Chia Chang is the Bayer Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Notre Dame. He has been at Notre Dame since 1987 and has served as the department chair and the director of the Center for Microfluidics and Nanofluidics. His research is in the area of micro/nanofluidics and diagnostics, particularly integrated devices for the isolation and characterization of exosomes and other nanocarriers. His research has resulted in 19 patented technologies, eight of them have been licensed by four startups: Cubed Laboratories, AgenDx, ImpeDx and Aopia Biosciences. Products developed from these IPs include CRDTM Botrytis Detection kit by CubedLabs and NanoExTM exosome purification technology by Aopia Bio. Professor Chang served as the Chief Scientific Advisor of FCubed LLC (predecessor of CubedLabs) for 4 years. He co-founded Aopia Bio in 2019 and currently serves as its interim CTO and Board member. Professor Chang has published more than 300 papers and has a Google h-index of 79. He is the co-author of a seminal book in microfluidics: "Electrokinetically Driven Microfluidics and Nanofluidics" by Cambridge University Press in 2009. Professor Chang founded a new journal, Biomicrofluidics of the American Institute of Physics, in 2006 and served for 12 years as its Chief Editor. More than 35 PhD and post-doc students from his laboratory have embarked on academic careers as tenure-track professors in all engineering and science disciplines over 5 continents (15 in the US), including Duke, Imperial, Johns Hopkins etc. They include a chancellor, a Provost, three Department Chairs, four endowed chairs and five NSF Career Awardees. Industrial alumni from his group hold manager/director positions at Merck, Gilead, Alcon, Genentech and other major biotech and world-leading microfluidic companies. Professor Chang is a fellow of APS, NAI and AIMBE. His microfluidics work has been recognized by the Frenkiel Award from APS, the Lifetime Achievement Award from AES and the 1st Source Bank Commercialization Award. He has also won the Notre Dame Provost Research Achievement Award and was recognized at half time during the 2024 game against Stanford.
Hua Wang, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Hua Wang Biographical Sketch
Prof. Hua Wang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UIUC. He is also affiliated with the Cancer Center at Illinois, Department of Bioengineering, Carle College of Medicine, Beckman Institute, Materials Research Laboratory, and Institute for Genomic Biology. Prof. Wang received his B.S. degree in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Science & Technology of China in 2012, completed his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at UIUC in 2016, and pursued his postdoc in cancer immunotherapy and immunoengineering at Harvard University during 2016-2020. Wang lab is conducting interdisciplinary research in the fields of cancer immunotherapy, metabolic glycan labeling, immunoengineering, cell engineering, and biomaterials. Prof. Wang is a recipient of NSF CAREER Award (2021), NCI and NIGMS R01 grants, Scialog Fellow (2023), CMBE Young Innovator Award (2023), Sontag Distinguished Scientist Award (2024), American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award (2024), DoD CDMRP Idea Development Award (2024), Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research (2024), BMES CMBE Rising Star Junior Faculty Award (2025), American Association of Extracellular Vesicles (AAEV) Young Investigator Award (2026), METAvivor Early Career Investigator Award (2026), Biomaterials Science Lectureship Award (2026), and attendee of the 2023 Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Symposium organized by NAE.
Malgorzata A. Witek, Associate Research Professor, University of Kansas

Malgorzata Witek Biographical Sketch
Dr. Malgorzata (Maggie) A. Witek is an Associate Research Professor at KU, Lawrence. Her research focuses on microfluidic-based isolation and solid-phase extractions of liquid biopsy markers, including circulating tumor cells, extracellular vesicles, and cell free DNA for disease management. She shares her research efforts between the University of Kansas in the NIH/NIBIB funded Center of BioModular Multiscale Systems for Precision Medicine and the COBRE funded Kansas Institute for Precision Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC). Maggie co-directs the Liquid Biopsy Core at KUMC campus.
Marley Dewey, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, University of California-Santa Barbara

Marley Dewey Biographical Sketch
Dr. Marley Dewey is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at the University of California Santa Barbara. Dr. Dewey earned her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maine and her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. During her graduate career, she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, won various art of science contests, and was awarded the Annual Innovation Award for Outstanding PhD Thesis from the University of Illinois. After her graduate career, she was a postdoctoral NIH TL1 Clinical and Translational Science Fellow at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. Her lab studies how biomaterials and extracellular vesicles can be leveraged to discover treatments for bone cancer, accelerate bone repair, prevent bone infection, and restore coral reefs. Specifically, her lab combines biomaterials with a new type of extracellular vesicle found embedded within tissues throughout the body, termed matrix-bound nanovesicles.
Matt Kremer, Business Development Manager, Univercells Technologies (a Donaldson Life Sciences Company)

Matt Kremer Biographical Sketch
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.
Mei He, Associate Professor, University of Florida -- Conference Co-Chairperson

Mei He Biographical Sketch
Dr. He is an Associate Professor from the University of Florida College of Pharmacy. She is also the fellow of AIMBE (The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering) and the senior member of the National Academy of Inventors. Dr. He serves the Chair of 2025 PharmSci 360 Scientific Programming Committee, and the Chair of American Association of Extracellular Vesicles (AAEV) scientific program, the Chair of NanoDDS 2024, Editorial Board Advisor for journal of Pharmaceutics and Lab on Chip (RSC) and Associate Editor for Journal of Nanobiotechnology. Dr. He research innovation leads to more than 20 pending and issued patents, and most of them have been licensed and launched as products on the market with focuses on Extracellular vesicle research. Dr. He received the NIH Maximizing Investigator’s Research Award and the LOC Emerging Investigator Award by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Michael Graner, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus

Michael Graner Biographical Sketch
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.
Michael J Heller, Professor Emeritus, Bioengineering Department, University of California-San Diego

Michael J Heller Biographical Sketch
Dr Heller received his PhD in Biochemistry from Colorado State University in 1973. He was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University from 1973 to 1976. From 1976 to 1984 he was supervisor of the DNA Technology Group at Amoco Corporation (Standard Oil Indiana). He was the Director of Molecular Biology at Molecular Biosystems, Inc., (San Diego, CA) from 1984 to 1987. He was a co-founder of Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) and served as President and Chief Operating Officer from 1987 to 1989. He was a co-found of Nanogen (San Diego, CA) and served as the Chief Technical Officer from 1993 to 2001. He was a professor in the Bioengineering and Nanoengineering Departments at the University of California from 2001 to 2017. He was also a Distinguished Scientist at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), Center for Cancer Early Detection and Research (CEDAR), in Portland, Oregon from 2017 to 2001. He was a co-founded of Biological Dynamics (La Jolla, CA) which developed cancer diagnostic devices (2007-2020). Presently he is Professor Emeritus in the Bioengineering Department at the University of California (2017-Present). Dr. Heller has experience in biotechnology, biomedical and diagnostic devices and nanotechnology, with particular expertise in the areas of detection of cancer and other disease related biomarkers, DNA probe diagnostics, electrokinetic lab-on-a-chip devices, DNA synthesis, FRET/fluorescent-based detection technologies and electric field assisted self-assembly of DNA nanostructures. Dr. Heller has over 100 publications and 56 issued US patents.
Niren Murthy, Professor, University of California at Berkeley and the Innovative Genomics Institute

Niren Murthy Biographical Sketch
Dr. Niren Murthy is a professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of California at Berkeley and a member of the Innovative Genomics Institute. Dr. Murthy was an assistant professor at Georgia Tech’s BME department from 2003-2012. Dr. Murthy’s scientific career has focused on the molecular design and synthesis of new materials for drug delivery and molecular imaging. The Murthy laboratory is currently focused on developing next generation lipid nanoparticles that can deliver mRNA and gene editing enzymes in vivo. Several start-up companies and licenses have been generated from the laboratory, in particular, the start-up companies GenEdit (now BreezeBio), BioAmp Diagnostics, Microbial Medical and Opus Biosciences were formed based upon research conducted in the Murthy lab.
Noah Malmstadt, Professor, Mork Family Dept. of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Southern California -- Conference Co-Chairperson

Noah Malmstadt Biographical Sketch
Noah Malmstadt is Professor at the University of Southern California. He received a BS in Chemical Engineering from Caltech and a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Washington. Following postdoctoral work at UCLA, he joined the Mork Family Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at USC in 2007. Malmstadt is the recipient of a 2012 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator award. His research focuses on microfluidic strategies to facilitate material fabrication and biophysical analysis. He has pioneered the integration of ionic liquids as solvents in droplet microreactors and the application of microfluidic systems to synthesizing biomimetic cell membranes. Microfluidic analytical techniques he has developed include methods for measuring the permeability of cell membranes to druglike molecules and techniques for measuring ionic currents through membrane proteins.
R Holland Cheng, Professor, University of California-Davis

R Holland Cheng Biographical Sketch
Dr. R. Holland Cheng is a structural biologist, inventor, and entrepreneur who bridges high-resolution macromolecular imaging and translational biotechnology. He is Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of California, Davis, and founder and Chair of Astrid Pharma. Cheng developed the BioCapZ™ protein nanocarrier platform, born from decades of structural virology and cryo-EM work, including leading PIOMS at Karolinska Institutet, and advanced it at UC Davis into a modular, thermostable mucosal delivery technology for scalable, non-invasive delivery of DNA, RNA, proteins, and gene-editing payloads. He also provides editorial leadership in computational biology and mathematical modeling of biological systems.
Ross Jacobson, Technical Sales and Service Lead, Western USA, Particle Metrix Inc.

Ross Jacobson Biographical Sketch
Ross Jacobson Technical sales and service lead western USA, Particle Metrix Inc. He is dedicated to advancing nanoparticle and extracellular vesicle (EV) research through high-precision Nano Particle Tracking Analysis (NTA) technologies. As the Western Technical Sales and Service Lead at Particle Metrix Inc., he specializes in the characterization of EVs and lipid nanoparticles, helping research teams optimize data quality, measurement reproducibility, and workflow integration. His expertise is directly aligned with the analytical requirements for robust EV cargo and functional profiling, empowering scientists to push the frontiers of molecular and nanoscale biology using tools like the ZetaView® Evolution. Ross brings decades of multidisciplinary scientific experience to his role, bridging biochemistry, physics, and analytical instrumentation. He holds a BA in Chemistry and Physics from Hamline University and completed graduate studies with a focus on Spectroscopy at Duke University. Prior to joining Particle Metrix, Ross spent 17 years as a Research Scientist at Becton Dickinson, where he was engaged in the entire scope of medical diagnostics research—from laboratory discoveries and biochemical sensor adaptation to overseeing clinical studies. His extensive laboratory background also includes directing the analysis of materials using a wide array of techniques such as particle sizing, mass spectrometry, HPLC, and FTIR. Driven by a philosophy of accelerating scientific discovery, Ross focuses on providing research teams with cost-effective, highly reliable instrument solutions. His work seamlessly connects technological innovation with real-world research applications, ensuring that investigators have the advanced characterization platforms necessary to achieve rigorous, MISEV-compliant insights into EV biology.
Valeria Lallai, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy

Valeria Lallai Biographical Sketch
Valeria Lallai, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy, where she leads the Lallai Lab, which studies the neurobiology of addiction across the lifespan. Her research focuses on prenatal exposure to nicotine and THC, including the effects of their co-use on placental biology and offspring neurodevelopment, as well as extracellular vesicle signaling and the behavioral and molecular mechanisms of addiction. Her previous work also includes studies of cocaine, fentanyl, and alcohol. She earned her Ph.D. at the Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Italy, and completed her postdoctoral training at the University of California, Irvine. Having recently made the transition from trainee to independent investigator, she is especially committed to supporting early-career scientists on the same path.
Xiaoning Bi, Professor, Western University of Health Sciences

Xiaoning Bi Biographical Sketch
Dr. Xiaoning Bi is a Professor of Physiology, and the Daljit S. and Elaine Sarkaria Endowed Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, Western University of Health Sciences. She currently serves as Interim Chair of the department. Dr. Bi received her B.S. in Medicine from Binzhou Medical University, an M.D. in Neuroanatomy from the University of Zurich, and a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from the University of Southern California. Dr. Bi’s research focuses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity, neurodegeneration, and neurological disorders. Her work integrates biochemical, molecular, imaging, physiological, and behavioral approaches to study neural circuitry and disease mechanisms.
07:30
27 October 2026
Continental Breakfast Buffet is Served
08:00
27 October 2026
Conference Entrance
Participants Check-In
Conference Registration, Materials Pick-Up, Continental Breakfast and Networking
09:00
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom I
Plenary Presentation

Steve Soper, Foundation Distinguished Professor, Director, Center of BioModular Multi-scale System for Precision Medicine, The University of Kansas, United States of America
Microfluidics and Liquid Biopsies: From Bench-to-Bedside
Liquid biopsies are becoming an integral part of biomedical research and translation but are challenged by the fact that their markers are typically a vast minority in a mixed population in clinical samples such as blood. Therefore, the liquid biopsy marker must be purified/enriched prior to downstream analyses. There are several purification platforms for liquid biopsy markers including those that are specific for a particular sub-type (i.e., affinity selection) and those that select the biomarker irrespective of sub-type. For example, in the case of extracellular vesicles (EVs), isolation based on size will isolate all EVs within a certain size range but isolates both normal and diseased cells’ EVs. In the case of affinity selection, it will isolate EVs secreted from only diseased cells. In this presentation, I will discuss different microfluidic selection/purification strategies for EVs as a case example for the analysis of liquid biopsy markers from discovery (bench) to the clinic (bedside). I will then briefly discuss the use of microfluidics and EVs for two clinical applications: (i) the isolation of CD15 expressing EVs for the diagnosis of acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke using their mRNA expression analysis; and (ii) the early detection of ovarian cancer using EVs secreted from the Fallopian tubes of patients with the analysis of their miRNA content to improve test positivity. Due to the complexity of the analysis (i.e., enrichment followed by exosomal RNA analysis), I will also discuss the use of integrated and modular microfluidic systems for automating the workflow to facilitate testing in a clinical environment.
09:30
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom I
Plenary Presentation

Nancy Allbritton, Frank and Julie Jungers Dean of the College of Engineering and Professor of Bioengineering, University of Washington, United States of America
Building the 3D Architecture of a Human Small Intestine on Chip
The small intestine is a dynamic tissue that continuously renews itself while performing essential functions such as nutrient absorption, barrier protection, and hormone secretion. My laboratory had developed an architecturally accurate 3D human small intestinal tissues with crypts-villi of the size and density in a living human. Cells of the crypts/villi are fully polarized with respect to luminal-basal orientation. Importantly the model displays a stem cell compartment in the crypt niche with cells migrating up the crypt/villus long axis, making fate decisions to place fully differentiated cells on the villus. Both living and apoptotic cells are extruded at the villus tips as the cells reach the end of their one-week lifespan. Importantly all cell types are present in their expected locations along the crypts/villi including Paneth cells in the stem cell niche, goblets cells throughout the crypts/villi and absorptive enterocytes localized to the villi. Enteroendocrine or hormone secreting cells of all types are present throughout the crypts/villi. When combined with a macroporous scaffold, stromal cells e.g., immune cells and fibroblasts can be included in the small intestine. Since these tissues are generated from patient-derived biopsies, they provide powerful tools for studying gastrointestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease and malabsorption syndromes as well as drug discovery.
10:00
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom I
Plenary Presentation

Gregory Nordin, Professor, Brigham Young University, United States of America
OS1 and PyMFCAD: An Open Platform for High-Resolution 3D-Printed Microfluidics
Interest in 3D printing for microfluidic fabrication remains high, but manufacturer-reported resolution still does not reliably predict the interconnected negative features that define device function. That outcome depends on pixel-scale irradiance, resin properties, process automation, and whether design software can express the controls the printer actually has.
We quantify this with pixel impulse response (PIR) measurements on Asiga DLP, Elegoo LCD, and Anycubic DLP-XPR printers as well as our custom printers, clarifying when commercial tools suffice and when custom optics and dose control are required. A family of nine resins is characterized for biocompatibility, Young’s modulus, Shore hardness, and solvent resistance so materials can be matched to valves, membranes, cell-facing structures, and assay chemistry.
These options are implemented in OS1, an open automated DLP 7.6 micron pixel platform (CERN-OHL-S) with automated planarization, focus correction, power control, and grayscale irradiance flattening, and in PyMFCAD ('pip install pymfcad') to design devices and write print files that expose the same controls. Examples include a device with 11,200 valves, uniform 7 µm isoporous membranes across the full build area, and stepped-height channels that extend colorimetric dynamic range by making optical path length a designed variable.
10:30
27 October 2026
Exhibit Hall
Mid-Morning Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibit Hall -- Meet Exhibitors and Network with Colleagues
11:15
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom I
Plenary Presentation

Abraham Lee, Professor, Biomedical & Mechanical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Science, Ctr for Advanced Design & Manufacturing of Integrated Microfluidics, University of California-Irvine, United States of America
Microfluidics for Immunoengineering and Immunotherapy
Precision medicine is the paradigm to develop treatments for patients based on molecular-targets that are effective in vivo when administered. That is, one must not only be able to identify molecular and cellular targets that are the source of disease but also understand how these targets behave inside the body based on physiological principles. Recent developments in microfluidics have contributed to burgeoning precision medicine fields such as liquid biopsy, immunotherapy, single cell analysis, molecular , and microphysiological systems. Since microfluidics bridges the scales of molecular, cellular, tissue, and can even recapitulate organ and circulatory functions of the body it is the ideal platform technology to develop personalized medicine. Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) involves the processing of blood from a donor to isolate cells (e.g. T cells) for genetic manipulation followed by reinfusion back into patients. Specifically for CAR T cell therapy, genetic coding material (e.g. DNA, mRNA) is inserted into the T cells to express chimeric antigen receptors to target biomarkers of cancer cells and trigger an activated immune response towards the tumor of interest. This process that starts from blood drawn from one person and ends with specialized engineered cells delivered to the patient includes multiple tedious and costly steps, and can require a long time that the patient may not have. In this talk I will introduce three microfluidic platforms developed in my lab and applied to the process of cellular engineering and immunotherapy. First, a lateral cavity acoustic transducer (LCAT) was used for processing blood samples, isolating immune cells, transfecting cells, and finally expanding T cells to scale up for treatment. We developed the acoustic electric shear orbiting poration (AESOP) device to uniformly deliver genetic cargos into a large population of cells simultaneously for high quality transfected cells with controlled dosage delivery of different genetic cargos. Second, we constructed bottom-up artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPCs) for antigen-specific T cell activation based on droplet microfluidics. Finally, I will introduce a new droplet-based platform that is capable of studying the 3D cell morphology of both the cell surface and also its intracellular constituents to further understand immune cell activation status.
11:45
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom I
Commercialization Spotlight Presentation

H. John Crabtree, President and Founder, HJC Consulting Inc., Canada
Supporting Microfluidic Product Development, Business Growth and Acquisition
What are the areas that must be considered to carry a microfluidic or organ-on-a-chip (OoaC) idea from brilliant product concept to CAD layout, CFD model, prototype, beta and eventually launched product? How can you communicate your company’s capabilities in the language of your client? As an investor or start-up target, what are some key product and business areas to focus on for a due-diligence investigation — from either side of the table? I’ll illustrate how I support clients in all of these areas ... to help them hit their milestones before funds run out, the opportunity passes, or the competition steals their lunch!
Based on 13+ years of consulting to start-ups, SMEs and multinationals alike on a variety of technical product development, IP landscaping, and investment due diligence projects, a survey of these scope areas will be provided, along with an outline of how these projects typically proceed, for each project type.
12:15
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom I
Plenary Presentation

Hsueh-Chia Chang, Bayer Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Co-Founder & CTO of Aopia Biosciences, United States of America
Nanotechnologies for Multi-Omic and Multiplexed EV Diagnostics
Liquid biopsy disease biomarkers are enriched in extracellular vesicles (EVs). However, EV diagnostics face several daunting obstacles. They must have extraordinary sensitivity (~fM LOD) and selectivity from interference by far (by 3-6 logs) more abundant dispersed molecules and EVs from non-diseased cells. They also need to isolate specific EV subsets without pretreatment steps that lead to significant analyte loss. I will review an array of nanotechnologies from our lab that can circumvent these EV-specific issues and introduce our current effort to integrate these modules with a SPION immunobead technology with antibodies that can be cleaved by orthogonal techniques. Some of these technologies exploit the specific size range of EVs: a high-throughput conic-nanopore ultrafiltration technology for biomarker discovery (being commercialized by Aopia Bio, Cell Comm and Signaling, 2026; ACS Nano 2023), an interference-free Brownian rotation assay of EV-conjugated ImmunoJanus particles (Nature Biomedical Eng, 2026), a surface acoustic wave sensor to estimate the size of EVs/lipoproteins (Analytical Chem, 2026) and a magnetic nanoporous membrane for capturing SPION immunobeads (CommBio, 2022). Some are charge sensors to quantify EVs with mulitiple colocaized markers with minimum Debye screening and interference from weakly charged non-targets: membrane sensors for supermeres (Sci Rep, 2026), EVs(Comm Bio, 2024) and lipoproteins(Nature Comm, 2023) and isoelectric separation of different nanocarriers (ACS Nano, 2023). Some are activity assays to probe activities of EV surface enzymes (Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2026). Others are optically based to allow single-EV resolution of colocalized proteins without cross-talk (Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2025). Other than protein affinity and activity EV assays, the integrating magnetic beads also allow us to profile miRNA and mRNA from a subset of EVs (Small, 2022; Analytical Chem, 2021). We report some small clinical trials (for GBM, CRC, CVD, PDAC, AD) that demonstrate such integrated multiomic and multiplexed EV assays significantly elevate disease screening performance (with AUC>90% for all trials).
12:45
27 October 2026
Exhibit Hall
Networking Buffet Lunch -- Meet Exhibitors and Engage with Colleagues
13:59
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II
EV-LNP Track Welcome

Michael Graner, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, United States of America
Welcome and Introduction to the EV-LNP Track and Topics Covered
14:00
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II
Keynote Presentation

Dominique PV de Kleijn, Professor Experimental Vascular Surgery, Professor Netherlands Heart Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
Extracellular Vesicle Plasma Proteins in Diagnosis and Prognosis of Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease and underlying atherosclerosis is developing over decades in humans often without any symptoms until an event occurs. Most common events are myocardial infarction, stroke and increasingly periferal artery disease with walking pain, open wounds and amputations.
We are using plasma extracellular vesicle proteins to exclude atherosclerotic stenosis of the major arteries of the heart to reduce cost and burden on hospitals. Next to this, we use plasma extracellular vesicles proteins to identify the patient after a first cardiovascular event who has a high risk for a second cardiovascular event and needs add-on therapy or has a low risk and does not need a surgical intervention. Furthermore, we initiated a biobank of patient with an acute thrombotic occlusion in the major leg arteries to investigate using plasma extracellular vesicle proteins to determine which patient is at risk for a severe bleeding (eg hemoragic stroke) or which patient can safely undergo thrombolysis to remove the thrombus. In these studies, we seek differences in disease and in extracellular vesicle content are taken into account.
14:30
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II
Keynote Presentation

Aijun Wang, Chancellor's Fellow Professor of Surgery and of Biomedical Engineering, University of California-Davis (UC Davis), United States of America
Engineering Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles (EV) and Lipid Nanoparticles (LNP) for Targeted Delivery and Gene Editing
This presentation will highlight translational research from the UC Davis Center for Bioengineering in Medicine, where engineering principles are integrated with biology and clinical medicine to develop innovative biologic, cellular, nanomedicine, and genetic therapies across the lifespan. Using the CuRe Trial as a translational roadmap, Dr. Wang will describe the development of engineered placenta-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cell technologies for fetal repair of myelomeningocele, from laboratory discovery and large-animal validation through pre-IND and IND-enabling studies, GMP manufacturing, regulatory interactions, and implementation of the world’s first FDA-authorized stem cell clinical trial for in utero treatment of spina bifida. Phase 1 safety results from this first-in-human study were recently published in The Lancet. Building on this translational foundation, the presentation will discuss emerging platforms that extend the concept of “engineering biology for cures,” including engineered stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles for tissue-targeted delivery, regenerative signaling, and repair, as well as lipid nanoparticle-based nonviral systems for in utero delivery of gene-editing cargos to treat monogenic diseases. Together, these programs illustrate a translational framework for moving engineered biological delivery systems from discovery toward clinical application.
15:00
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II
Technology Spotlight Presentation

Ross Jacobson, Technical Sales and Service Lead, Western USA, Particle Metrix Inc., United States of America
ZetaView® Evolution: Calibration-Free Screening of Lipid Nanoparticles and Extracellular Vesicles by Size, Concentration and Zeta Potential
The surface charge of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) is set by the ionizable lipid and the surrounding pH, and zeta potential measured across pH reports the net particle charge, which has been linked to delivery efficiency and off-target expression. This presentation describes how the ZetaView® Evolution nanoparticle tracking analyzer measures size, concentration, zeta potential and fluorescence at the single-particle level for LNPs and extracellular vesicles (EVs). Concentration Scanning Technology increases the measurement volume from 33.3 nl to 220 nl and analyzes up to 20,000 particles in 30 seconds, making concentration measurement calibration-free. A sensitivity-improved CMOS camera detects particles carrying fewer than 20 AF488 molecules, and fluorescence NTA (F-NTA) with CD9, CD63 and CD81 detection kits quantifies labeled EV subpopulations. Zeta potential is measured in scatter and fluorescence mode to assess the colloidal stability of all particles or of specific subpopulations. Application examples with HEK- and MSC-derived EV preparations show quality control of size, concentration, purity and zeta potential, and monitoring of concentration and purity across depth filtration and tangential flow filtration.
15:30
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II

Eunji Chung, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Director of the Transformative Center for Nanomedicine and Drug Delivery, University of Southern California, United States of America
New Approaches Using EVs and LNPs for Kidney Diseases
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a prevalent genetic disorder leading to renal failure. Current treatments provide limited benefits and do not address the underlying genetic defect. Here, we develop targeted lipid nanoparticles (LNP) and extracellular vesicles (EVs) as platforms for the delivery of mRNA, microRNA, and protein to renal cells. A focused LNP library identified an optimized formulation, which, when functionalized with targeting peptides, enabled selective delivery to cyst-forming cells. In ADPKD mouse models, systemic administration of therapeutic LNPs restored protein expression, reduced cyst burden, and suppressed fibrotic and inflammatory signaling in ADPKD models. Additionally, EVs derived from urine from wildtype backgrounds contained cargo missing in the disease and inhibited disease progression in vivo. These findings demonstrate that LNPs and EVs can be used to restore renal function and reverse disease in genetic kidney diseases such as ADPKD.
16:00
27 October 2026
Exhibit Hall
Late Afternoon Coffee Break and Networking with the Exhibitors
16:30
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II

Cheemeng Tan, Chancellor’s Fellow, Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California-Davis, United States of America
High-Throughput and Cell-Free Engineering of Synthetic Extracellular Vesicles
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are promising therapeutic carriers secreted by living cells. However, conventional surface engineering of EVs is slow, noisy, and requires tedious cell culturing. Here, we present a cell-free platform that programs or mimics EVs. The approach synthesizes membrane and surface proteins in vitro and inserts them co-translationally into synthetic or native EVs. Our platform consisted of high-throughput and cell-free engineering of nanovesicles, machine learning, and high-resolution single-EV measurements. In addition, we study the efficacy of the synthetic EVs for treating various diseases, including neuroprotection and cell/tissue damage. Our cell-free platform enables the rapid prototyping of EVs, opening doors to creating superior EV-based therapeutics for broad biomedical applications.
17:00
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II

Niren Murthy, Professor, University of California at Berkeley and the Innovative Genomics Institute, United States of America
Charge Switching Lipid Nanoparticles Deliver Nucleic Acids Without Triggering Inflammation
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have great potential for delivering nucleic acids, however they trigger the production of inflammatory cytokines and this limits their medical applications. Developing LNPs that do not trigger the production of cytokines is challenging because the LNP’s ionizable lipid and the process of endosomal disruption are the major sources of LNP toxicity, and are also essential for delivering nucleic acids. In this presentation, I will present a new class of LNPs that switch their charged states between the pHs of 7.4 and 4.0, and can deliver nucleic acids efficiently without triggering inflammation, termed the switchable nanoparticles (SNPs). The SNPs deliver mRNA and pDNA as efficiently as traditional LNPs in vitro and in vivo, but do not activate the TLR4, complement, galectin-8 and platlet activating factor (PAF) signaling pathways, and consequently have lower toxicity than traditional LNPs. In addition, SNPs are better at treating LPS-induced acute lung injury than traditional LNPs because they do not exacerbate pre-existing inflammation. We anticipate numerous applications of the SNPs because of their ability to deliver nucleic acids efficiently without triggering inflammation.
17:30
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II
Technology Spotlight Presentation

Matt Kremer, Business Development Manager, Univercells Technologies (a Donaldson Life Sciences Company), United States of America
From Bench to Commercial-Scale: Scale-X™ Structured Fixed-Bed Bioreactors for Scalable Production of Extracellular Vesicles
Univercells Technologies has developed the scale-X™ structured fixed-bed bioreactor platform. The spiral wound, bi-layer design of the scale-X fixed-bed provides a low shear environment for achieving high cell densities and high cell specific productivity. scale-X bioreactors are available from bench to commercial size (0.5m² to 600m² cell growth area) in a directly scalable format. These characteristics shorten time to market while de-risking scale-up and enabling significant cost savings. Originally designed for vaccine and viral vector manufacturing, the platform has also been successfully used for extracellular vesicles and stem cell manufacturing. This presentation will highlight the design of the scale-X bioreactor and its application to extracellular vesicle production in several case studies.
18:00
27 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II
Keynote Presentation

Michael Graner, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, United States of America
Do Glioblastoma Exosomes in vitro Come with Their Own Corona? A Focus on Antibodies, with Implications for Downstream Functions
18:30
27 October 2026
Exhibit Hall
Beer and Wine Networking Reception in the Exhibit Hall -- Meet Exhibitors and Sponsors, Network with Colleagues
19:30
27 October 2026
Close of Day 1 Main Conference Programming
19:45
27 October 2026
Slate Room

Claudia Gärtner, CEO, microfluidic ChipShop GmbH, Germany
Microfluidics at a Glance – Technology, Applications & Hands-on-Experiences
**All Conference Participants are Welcome to Attend this Training Course for a Deep Dive into Microfluidics & Lab-on-a-Chip**
30 years after the introduction of the concept of the “miniaturized total analysis systems (µTAS) and about 20 years after the gold digger’s frenzy about how this technology would revolutionize all aspects of chemical, biological or diagnostic applications, the technology has matured but is still a key driver to ease and improve analytics and diagnostics for a wide variety of applications.
The course will provide a broad overview of all aspects of microfluidics (lab-on-a-chip) technology as enabling technology for new product development strategies, manufacturing technologies, application cases, markets as well as aspects of commercialization and latest trends in research. Recent product examples will be presented as well as lessons learned during all stages of the development and commercialization process of microfluidic-enabled devices.
Furthermore, the second half of the course will be dedicated towards practical experience for the participants: With hands-on-tests first the basic operation of microfluidic standard modules will be introduced, focusing on fluidic interfaces, microfluidic modules like mixers, droplet generators, how standardization is continuously applied and how instrument modules and pumps complement the microfluidic devices.
Secondly, the way to plan and conduct product developments in a sped-up way by using and combining existing modules will be introduced with a set of microfluidic modules the participants can freely combine to simulate own experiments.
**Course Outline*
The course will be divided into a theoretical and practical part.
The theoretical part will cover:
1. Introduction into microfluidics
2. Physical principles
3. The reagent choice
4. The material choice
5. Development strategies
6. Case studies: Applications and products
7. The way towards commercialization
8. Lessons learned
9. Research trends
10. Conclusions
The practical part:
1. How to use microfluidic: The basics for a quick start with microfluidic modules, fluidic interfaces, handling frames, accessories, pumps and instrument modules.
2. How to plan a development start with microfluidic modules: For a given development task, the participants should choose from microfluidic modules to build up a test microfluidic system from single building block as microfluidics LEGO.
Learning Outcome:
1. An overview on microfluidics as technology and its benefits
2. Understanding microfluidics as a real system approach and the respective complexity: microfluidic chip, instrument, assay and reagents
3. Identifying the critical elements for the development of microfluidic systems
4. How to build a team to develop a microfluidic system
5. How to work with microfluidic modules and understanding the modular concept for system development with hands-on-experiments.
Target audience:
Researchers and technicians from academia and industry with interest in innovative technologies; technical sales and marketing personnel who want to get an introduction in the field. Technical and company management who need to evaluate technologies for strategic decisions.
Demonstrations:
The demonstrations will be done with various microfluidic modules showing mixing, droplet generation and combining microfluidic modules.
22:30
27 October 2026
Close of Day 1 of the Conference
07:30
28 October 2026
Continental Breakfast Buffet is Served
09:00
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II
Keynote Presentation

Mei He, Associate Professor, University of Florida, United States of America -- Conference Co-Chairperson
Nano-Engineered Extracellular Vesicles for Precision Immunity Regulation
Antigen-presenting cell-derived extracellular vesicles (APC-EVs) are essential immune mediators in cancer immunotherapy. They carry immunogenic factors, such as class I major histocompatibility complexes (pMHC-I), CD80, and CD86, which engage T cell receptors (TCRs) to form an immune synapse that could prime CD8+ T cell activity against tumors. Clinical trials using APC-EVs have shown that a lack of high-quality APC-EV isolates, a lack of advanced molecular engineering methods to engineer pMHC-I, and varied patient MHC-I/TCR repertoires have impeded their translation as an effective cancer immunotherapeutic. To address this translational challenge, a foundational molecular engineering platform was developed to design APC-EVs with peptides that facilitate high-quality immune synapses and prime CD8+ T cells to initiate TCR-restricted killing of tumors. This presentation will introduce our recently developed peptide engineering approach for rapid, large-scale generation of high-quality APC-EVs employed in immunogenic screening across various patient immune profiles and facilitating the development of precision cancer immunotherapies.
09:30
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II
Technology Spotlight Presentation

Caitlin McAtee, Field Application Scientist, Exokeryx, United States of America
Demeter EVPrep: Automated EV Isolation to Accelerate Your Discovery
Demeter EVPrep is a novel EV-isolation tool that separates EVs using dielectrophoresis and semiconductor technology. The Demeter EVPrep system provides a fully automated, hands-off method for obtaining high quality EV preps from various sample types. Early adopters of this technology observe improved yield and purity of EV isolations, as well as compatibility with downstream analyses like mass spectrometry.
10:00
28 October 2026
Exhibit Hall
Mid-Morning Coffee Break and Networking in the Exhibit Hall -- Meet Exhibitors and Network with Colleagues
**Hands-On Practical Session of Microfluidics Workshop in the Slate Room**
10:30
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II

Marley Dewey, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, University of California-Santa Barbara, United States of America
Engineering Extracellular Vesicles in the Extracellular Matrix
The extracellular matrix plays a pivotal role in wound repair, cancer, aging, disease, and more, and recently, a new type of extracellular vesicle (EV) was found to reside within this matrix. These extracellular vesicles, termed matrix-bound nanovesicles (MBVs), are distinct from other types of EVs and recapitulate many of the features of the native extracellular matrix from which they are derived. I will present the recent work ongoing in my lab on the characterization and engineering applications of MBVs. Specifically, we characterize differences of MBVs from other types of EVs, including their therapeutic potential as drivers of wound repair and their link to the extracellular matrix. I will also discuss our methods of combining MBV with biomaterials to control their delivery to overcome one of the major bottlenecks in EV therapeutics: rapid systemic clearance by the body.
11:00
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II

Hua Wang, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States of America
Tumor Extracellular Vesicle Vaccine for Treating Solid Tumors
Tumor extracellular vesicles (EVs) have demonstrated promise to serve as therapeutic cancer vaccines for treating solid tumors, but are limited by the modest cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses and therapeutic benefit. In this talk, I will share our recent work on metabolic tagging and targeting of tumor EVs and further development of robust tumor EV vaccines.
11:30
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II

Biao (Bill) Lu, Professor, Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, Santa Clara University, United States of America
Genetic Engineering of Nanoscale Exosomes for Targeted Drug Delivery and Therapy
Exosomes are naturally cell-derived nanoscale extracellular vesicles with exceptional potential for targeted drug delivery due to their biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and ability to cross biological barriers. This presentation will highlight our laboratory’s recent advances in the genetic engineering of exosomes for precision medicine applications. Topics will include the development of programmable membrane scaffolds for cargo loading, molecular targeting, surface display, and real-time imaging of engineered exosomes in living human cells. Recent findings demonstrating how membrane scaffold architecture influences exosome biogenesis, intracellular trafficking, cargo incorporation, and therapeutic function will be discussed. Applications in inflammation, lysosomal storage disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, and targeted cancer therapy will be presented, along with emerging strategies exploiting diverse viral and cellular membrane scaffolds to improve therapeutic specificity, efficacy, and translational potential.
12:00
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II
Keynote Presentation

Noah Malmstadt, Professor, Mork Family Dept. of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Southern California, United States of America
A Deep Dive into LNPs 2026
12:30
28 October 2026
Exhibit Hall
Networking Buffet Lunch -- Meet Exhibitors and Engage with Colleagues
13:30
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II
Technology Spotlight Presentation

Malgorzata A. Witek, Associate Research Professor, University of Kansas, United States of America
Translational Potential of Extracellular Vesicles as Emerging Biomarkers and Drug Delivery Carriers in Breast Cancer
This presentation will demonstrate the dual application of extracellular vesicles (EVs); first, as disease biomarkers, and second, owing to their natural uptake by cells, as drug delivery vehicles that can carry therapeutic payloads to cells and tissue. We will report on a microfluidic chip for efficient affinity isolation and preconcentration of EVs. Microfluidic chip can also serve as a solid-phase platform for EV modification and EVs’ surface bioengineering. Chips are made from thermoplastics and are amenable to high-volume production, thus supporting the testing and clinical validation of these biomarkers. Following selection or bioengineering, EVs are released from the surface for enumeration, visualization, molecular profiling of their cargo, or treatment of model cell lines. By analyzing mRNA derived from phenotypically distinct EVs isolated from plasma of breast cancer patients we secured information on molecular subtypes of cancer cells, which can guide targeted therapy. Finally, we will show how breast cancer-derived EVs can reprogram recipient cells, altering cells phenotype at the mRNA level.
14:00
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II

Michael J Heller, Professor Emeritus, Bioengineering Department, University of California-San Diego, United States of America
Point of Care Devices for Early Detection of Cancer Related Biomarkers
The development of Point of Care (POC) devices for the early detection of cancer present both technical and practical problems, including cost, need for a venous blood draw, complex assay procedures, and impracticality of doing time course measurements. Blood Spot Cards (BSC) offer a gateway to POC devices as they provide a fast, efficient, and cost-effective method for collecting patient blood samples. However, the small sample size ~5ul-10ul often contains limited amounts of cancer-related cf-DNA and exosome biomarkers. To overcome these problems new assay methods, utilize fluorescent charge-changing peptide (CCP) substrates for the detection of cancer-related protease biomarkers Trypsin, Chymotrypsin, Cathepsin-S and MMP-2. In the case of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC), elevated levels of these biomarkers could be detected in <1ul of patient blood and plasma samples, including in BSC samples stored for more than 10 months. New POC devices based on the CCP assay procedures together with BSC samples offer a promising diagnostic technology for the early detection of cancer and disease time course monitoring.
14:30
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II

Xiaoning Bi, Professor, Western University of Health Sciences, United States of America
Extracellular Vesicle Dysfunction Contributes to Synaptic and Cognitive Deficits in Angelman Syndrome
Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by deficiency of neuronal UBE3A expression. Although intracellular consequences of UBE3A deficiency have been extensively studied, its effects on extracellular communication remain less understood. This talk examines how altered extracellular vesicle (EV) release and function may contribute to synaptic and cognitive deficits in AS model mice. We investigated EV release from synaptosomes of brains from wild-type (WT) and AS mice and the effects of WT neuron-derived EVs on neuronal structure and behavior. Synaptosomes from AS mice exhibited reduced EV release following depolarization or activation of the lysosomal calcium channel TRPML1. These findings implicate disrupted activity-dependent and endolysosomal regulation of EV secretion. Proteomic analyses further revealed alterations in EV-associated proteins related to synaptic function, mitochondrial processes, and protein homeostasis. Treatment with WT neuron-derived EVs improved dendritic spine density and morphology in AS neurons. Systemic administration WT synaptosome-derived EVs also improved learning and neuronal structural measures in AS mice.
Together, these findings support the contribution of impaired EV-mediated communication to AS pathology and identify restoration of physiological EV signaling as a potential therapeutic strategy. They also highlight unresolved questions concerning the active EV components, recipient-cell responses, and the relationship between intracellular UBE3A function and EV-mediated effects. Understanding these mechanisms may reveal new approaches to restoring synaptic function in neurodevelopmental disorders.
15:00
28 October 2026
Exhibit Hall
Mid-Afternoon Coffee Break, Network with Exhibitors and View Posters
15:30
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II

Valeria Lallai, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy, United States of America
Multidimensional Analysis of Dopaminergic Neuron-Derived Extracellular Vesicle Expression During Nicotine Exposure
Tobacco use remains a leading cause of preventable death worldwide, and nicotine's addictive properties are driven largely by its actions on the mesolimbic dopamine system, including dopaminergic projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc). Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as important mediators of intercellular communication in the brain, yet how drugs of abuse affect EV signaling remains largely unexplored. Using transgenic mice generated by crossing a CD81-NeonGreen reporter line with DAT-Cre mice, we combined super-resolution and hyperspectral imaging to characterize dopaminergic neuron-derived EVs in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), mPFC and NAc following acute nicotine exposure. Nicotine increased EV release in both the mPFC and NAc and altered vesicle biodistribution in male and female mice. These findings identify EV signaling as a previously unrecognized target of nicotine within the reward circuit and suggest that EVs may be clinically relevant in nicotine dependence.
16:00
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II
Presenter Details to be Confirmed
Presentation Details to be Confirmed
16:30
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II

Ester Kwon, Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of California-San Diego, United States of America
Peptide-targeted Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs)
Lipid nanoparticles are the most clinically advanced nonviral gene therapy platform. A key to unlocking their potential is achieving tropism in organs beyond the liver. In this presentation, I will summarize our work on modifying lipid nanoparticles with peptide ligands to reprogram their tropism to cell types outside the liver.
17:00
28 October 2026
Crystal Ballroom II
Closing Keynote Presentation

R Holland Cheng, Professor, University of California-Davis, United States of America
BioCapZ: A Modular Platform for Targeted, Mucosal, and Gene-Based Delivery
BioCapZ™ is a programmable protein nanocarrier designed to overcome persistent limitations in RNA and biologic delivery, including poor tissue
specificity, invasive administration, formulation complexity, and storage constraints. A calcium-responsive disassembly-reassembly mechanism enables mild, aqueous loading of mRNA, plasmid DNA, proteins, small molecules, and CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoproteins. The exterior surface can be modified with targeting ligands, nanobodies, antigens, or imaging agents, supporting applications in precision delivery, mucosal vaccination, and theranostics. Researchers are developing its stable protein shell for oral and intranasal administration and scalable, fermentation-based manufacturing. Current translational directions include targeted cancer therapy and imaging, universal mucosal vaccines, and non-invasive gene-editing delivery for gastrointestinal disorders. BioCapZ therefore represents a unified platform that connects payload protection, tissue targeting, controlled delivery, and manufacturability across multiple therapeutic modalities.
17:30
28 October 2026
Close of Conference Track


















