2024 Plenary Keynote Sessions

Monday, August 19, 2024 | 4:20 – 5:30

SOLVING TODAY’S CHALLENGES

READY: Addressing Current Challenges in Biomanufacturing with Reliability, Efficiency, Agility, Data and (high)Yields
Jerry A. Murry, PhD, Senior Vice President, Process Development, Amgen

The biopharmaceutical sector is currently producing vast amounts of data, a trend set to amplify with new tech like smart sensors, PAT, and process automation. This presentation will highlight the significance of a holistic digital strategy, incorporating AI, machine learning, predictive modeling, and data visualization, to spearhead the evolution of biomanufacturing. Emphasizing enhanced efficiency and innovation, this strategy will enable the efficient manufacture of complex biologic molecules with reliability of supply, agility, and differentiation. By leveraging these advanced technologies, biomanufacturing can achieve high throughput, ensuring metric tons of life-saving medicines to patients in need around the globe.

Wednesday, August 21, 2024 | 4:00 – 5:00 PM

LEADING TO TOMORROW’S ADVANCES

Plenary Fireside Chat: Genetic Medicines—Transforming the Future of Biotherapeutics
Moderator:
Ann Lee, CTO, Prime Medicine, Inc.

Genetic medicines have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of diseases by editing the genes responsible for illness. The landmark approval of CASGEVY, the world’s first CRISPR-based treatment, has opened the door to an exciting new era of gene-editing therapies and technologies. Though not without challenges. This unique Fireside Chat brings together leading experts from the fields of CRISPR cas-9, prime editing, base editing, and epigenetics to discuss the technologies, tools, and strategies to succeed in the clinic and commercially.

Panelists:
E. Morrey Atkinson, PhD, Executive Vice President, Chief Technical Operations Officer, Head, Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Manufacturing Operations, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Plenary Keynote Biographies:

Jerry A. Murry, PhD, Senior Vice President, Process Development, Amgen
Jerry Murry is senior vice president, Process Development. Murry has held several roles at Amgen, including vice president of Small Molecule Process & Product Development, vice president of Chemistry, Manufacturing & Controls Lifecycle Management, and, most recently, vice president of Drug Product Technologies. Prior to Amgen, Murry spent six years at Merck Research and the preceding six years at Pfizer Central Research. Earlier, he was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) fellow at Harvard University. Murry received his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Texas Lutheran University and earned his PhD in chemistry from the University of Utah.

Ann Lee, CTO, Prime Medicine, Inc.
Ann Lee is Chief Technical Officer at Prime Medicine, a next generation gene editing company aiming to deliver a new class of one-time curative genetic therapies to patients.  For over 30 years, she has built and led industry-leading global technical and operational organizations across multiple biopharma companies including BMS, Celgene, Juno, Genentech, Roche and Merck. Her teams have developed new processes and technologies, designed new facilities, manufactured high quality vaccines, small molecules, biologics, and cell therapies, and built global supply chains and digital systems to deliver these medicines.  Ann is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  She serves on the board of directors of Alliance of Regenerative Medicine, American Institute of Chemical Engineering, and two public companies.  Over the course of her career, she has contributed to the commercialization of 25 new vaccines and medicines, the most recent being two CAR-T cell therapies.

E. Morrey Atkinson, PhD, Executive Vice President, Chief Technical Operations Officer, Head, Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Manufacturing Operations, Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Throughout his decades-long career in the biopharmaceutical industry, Morrey has contributed his expertise in the development and commercialization of multiple modality therapeutics across all aspects of preclinical, clinical and commercial manufacturing including small molecules, biologics and cell therapies. He joined Vertex in 2020 and serves on the Executive Committee as Chief Technical Operations Officer and Head of Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Manufacturing Operations. In his role he oversees all aspects of our preclinical, clinical and commercial biopharmaceutical sciences, manufacturing operations and global supply chain functions.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Indiana University and his doctoral degree in biological sciences from Stanford University. Prior to Vertex, Morrey was the Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing Operations at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) and was responsible for the global network of internal and external manufacturing for BMS commercial products. He joined BMS in 2012 as the Vice President of Biologics Development and progressed through various roles, including Vice President of Biologics Manufacturing and the Integration Leader for Manufacturing, Product Development and Cell Therapy during the Celgene-BMS Integration. Prior to BMS, Morrey’s career included various scientific and management roles of increasing responsibility at Eli Lilly and Company, Cook Pharmica (now Catalent) and Targeted Genetics Corporation.

Morrey serves on the board of directors for 89bio and is active in advocating for LGBTQ+ equality, including serving on the National Leadership Council for the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. He is the executive sponsor for Vertex PRIDE, our employee resource network that supports, provides visibility of, and celebrates our LGBTQ+ employees and allies.

Manmohan Singh, PhD, CTO, Beam Therapeutics
Dr. Manmohan Singh is the Chief Technology Officer at Beam Therapeutics. Dr. Singh has more than 24 years of drug discovery and development experience at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Novartis and Chiron Corporation. Prior to joining Beam Therapeutics, Dr. Singh was the Global Head of Drug Product Development at Takeda Vaccines, where he oversaw the drug product development of all vaccine programs, including Takeda’s dengue vaccine that was in Phase III efficacy study. At Novartis, he served as the Head of Formulation Development for more than 10 years and was instrumental in the licensure of several key vaccines (Bexsero , Fluad, Flucelvax) that were subsequently divested to GSK and CSL. He also led the development of the LNP platform of Novartis’s RNA vaccine. Prior to Novartis, Dr. Singh also spent more than 10 years at Chiron Corporation, where he led the development of Novel adjuvants and delivery systems for vaccines. Based on his contributions at Chiron and Novartis, Dr. Singh is considered as one of the leading experts in the field of adjuvants and vaccine delivery systems. He has authored six books in this field and has more than 120 publications. He was elected as a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) in 2011. Dr. Singh holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery from the National Institute of Immunology in New Delhi, India.

Heidi Zhang, PhD, Executive Vice President, Head, Technical Operations, Tune Therapeutics
Heidi Zhang is the Executive Vice President and Head of Technical Operations at Tune Therapeutics. Her responsibility includes technical development, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, and regulatory. Heidi is a seasoned Techops executive with leadership experiences from Tune, Juno/BMS, Genentech, Novartis, and Amgen. She has been involved in the development and commercialization of a wide range of biological and genetic medicines.