Accelerating Global Access Through Innovations in Product and Process Technologies

Biotherapeutics and vaccines – including protein and nucleic acid-based therapeutics and vaccines, and gene therapies – are playing an increasingly important role in maintaining and improving global public health. Biotherapeutics and vaccines have been developed and commercialized to treat a wide variety of important medical conditions, ranging from infectious, autoimmune gastrointestinal and cardiovascular diseases to cancer and neurological disorders. Their development, from selection and candidate engineering to expression, purification, formulation, analytical characterization, and delivery to patients, is a highly interdisciplinary scientific field.

This third Gordon Research Conference on Biotherapeutics and Vaccines Development in 2024 will bring together scientists from academia, industry, government, and non-profit organizations for in-depth exploration of the latest cutting-edge advances in this rapidly moving and exciting field. This GRC aims to assemble researchers from a variety of fields to discuss and debate the fundamental scientific advancements being made in the development and manufacturing of biotherapeutics and vaccines to accelerate their development, reduce their cost, and expand access of these critical treatments. The program will reflect the broad cross-disciplinary scientific and engineering issues involved in the development of biotherapeutics and vaccines. Tentative sessions include: i) therapeutic engineering and candidate selection; ii) artificial intelligence/machine learning in development and manufacturing; iii) therapeutic product characterization, including analytical, biophysical, immunogenicity, pharmacokinetics and structure-function studies; iv) cell culture and expression, including continuous manufacturing; v) downstream operations, including purification and conjugation; vi) formulation and drug delivery; vii) novel therapeutic modalities, including gene and cell therapy, mRNA vaccines, antibody-drug conjugates and conjugate vaccines; and viii) a keynote session featuring talks on emerging concepts and trends by thought leaders in the field.

To encourage participation by junior scientists at the graduate and postdoctoral level, a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) will be held immediately prior to the GRC. The GRS will be an exciting opportunity for junior scientists to present posters on their latest research and engage with colleagues in a supportive, interactive environment.