Speaker Profile
Chairman & CEO, Ligandal
Biography
Andre founded Ligandal, a breakthrough gene therapy technology company, to enable programming of biological matter with nanomaterials. His goal is ultimately to extend human lives and create curative genomic therapies. In 2014, he created the world’s first non-viral system for delivering guided nucleases such as CRISPR and TALEN in vivo. This work was the first demonstration of a cell-specifically targeted gene editing technology. He is an inventor on 8 pending or issued patent families relating to cell-specifically-targeted nanomedicine and gene therapy technologies. Andre splits his attention between financing, business development, IP and designing biomimetic peptides for targeting cells with gene therapies. His vision for Ligandal is to enable a new era in personalized medicine and globally accessible gene therapy.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2020 Silicon Valley
Over the past few years, CRISPR has revolutionized the life sciences. Engineered to generate targeted DNA breaks, various DNA changes can be introduced in living organisms which offer the opportunity to treat a plethora of inherited diseases. The ongoing expansions of the CRISPR toolbox supports new applications across various domains of research and medicine. This session intends to provide an informative summary of latest breakthroughs with a focus on recent achievements and potential utility at the clinical setting. The discussion will also include challenges and needs to fully appreciate the potential of this technology.
