Professor Amine Kamen
Professor of Bioengineering at McGill University, former Canada Research Chair in Bioprocessing of Viral Vaccines & National Research Council of Canada Researcher Emeritus
About
Biography
Amine Kamen is Professor of Bioengineering at McGill University, and former Canada Research Chair tier-1 in Bioprocessing of Viral Vaccines (10/2014-12/2025). He was recently nominated Researcher Emeritus of the National Research Council of Canada. Until early 2014, he was head of the Process Development section of the Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio and Lead of the Bioprocessing and Manufacturing of the Vaccine Program at the National Research Council of Canada. He received a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from École des Mines de Paris and a Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from École Polytechnique de Montréal. Before joining the National Research Council in 1991, he was a professor of mass-transport phenomena and reactor design. His current research activities focus on uncovering mechanisms associated with cell production of viral vectors and viral vaccines; cell and metabolic engineering; process control and monitoring; and process analytical technologies of high yield productions of viral vectors for gene delivery and vaccination. He published over one hundred and thirty papers in refereed international journals and acts as consultant for a number of national and international private and public organizations.
Courses
- BIEN 500: Special Topics in Bioengineering 1
- BIEN 590: Cell Culture Engineering
- BIEN 675: Process Analytical Technologies and Data Sciences
- BIEN 680: Bioprocessing of Vaccines
- BIEN 685: Gene and Cell Therapy Viral Vectors Biomanufacturing
Interests
- Cell Culture Engineering
- Bioprocess Optimization and Scale-up
- Process Analytical Technologies and Process Control
- Viral Vaccines Manufacturing
- Viral Vectors and Nanoparticules for Gene Delivery and Vaccination
- mRNA Vaccines
Education
PhD Chemical Engineering, 1991 - École Polytechnique de Montréal
Docteur-Ingénieur, Chemical Engineering, 1983 - École Nationale Supérieure des Mines
Ingénieur, Industrial Chemistry, 1979 - École Supérieure de Chimie Industrielle Lyon (France)
Links
Research team
Post-doctoral researchers
Abhishek Mishra
About
Project
Cell Free Platforms for DNA & Protein Synthesis
Education
- PhD - University of Waterloo, Canada
- B.Tech - National Institute of Technology, Rourkela
Links
PhD candidates
Julia Fulber
About
PhD project
Improving scalability of the mRNA vaccine platform: upstream and downstream process development for RNA production.
Master's project
Process development for production of Newcastle Disease Virus-vectored vaccines using suspension Vero cells.
Skills
- Viral vector production in bioreactors with mammalian cell culture
- Molecular biology techniques: PCR, Western Blot, electrophoresis, etc.
- Genetic engineering of yeast
Work experience
- May 2019 - July 2019: Mitacs Globalink Internship at McGill University
- July 2017 - Dec. 2019 Undergraduate research at University of Brasilia supervised by Dr. Fernando Araripe
Education
PhD in Biological & Biomedical Engineering, 2022-present - McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
MEng in Biological & Biomedical Engineering, 2020-2022 - McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
BSc in Biotechnology, 2016-2019 - University of Brasilia (Brazil)
Links
- ResearchGate
- julia.puppinchavesfulber [at] mail.mcgill.ca (Email)
MD Faizul Hussain Khan
About
Project
Modeling and Data Sciences Approach to Accelerate Process Development of Liquid and Solid Formulation of Enveloped Vectored Vaccines.
Experience
- Microbiologist, Upstream & Downstream of Viral Vaccine Development, Incepta Vaccine; Dhaka, Bangladesh - Aug 2015–Aug 2021.
- Participated in upstream process of inactivated rabies vaccine, recombinant hepatitis B vaccine development.
- Involved in downstream process of whole cell inactivated cholera vaccine, inactivated subunit meningococcal vaccine development.
- Prepared cell bank & virus stock preparation for multiple vaccines.
- Guided the viral vaccine manufacturing section and involved in redesigning of viral vaccine facility.
- Research Fellow ICDDR, Dhaka, Bangladesh - Feb 2013-Jan 2014.
- Extracted and isolated genomic DNA & plasmid DNA.
- Executed PCR reaction via multiplex PCR machine.
- Carried out Agarose Gel Electrophoresis for Genomic DNA and Plasmid DNA.
- Carried out Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis.
- Performed serological test against variety of enteropathogenic bacteria.
- Maintained Standard Operating System and various biochemical tests.
Education
- MSc in Microbiology - Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh
Links
Xingge Xu
About
Projects
- Design experiments to optimize the downstream process of purifying influenza virus to meet the specification of animal and clinical tests.
- Write and improve the Standard Operation Procedure of purification and quantification procedures.
- Quantify various bio-components with various analytical tools and equipment.
Education
- MEng in Chemical Engineering, 2017-2019 - McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
Master's students
Sydney Shelp
About
Education
- B. Eng in Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering from Carleton University, 2020-2025.
Work experience
- 2023: Research assistant at University of Ottawa’s Civil Engineering Department (River Group) helping to examine the environmental and societal impact of intercoastal shipping along the St. Lawrence in collaboration with the Kahnawà:ke community.
- 2024: Course development student partner at Carleton University: wrote and illustrated a 22-page course pack for Dynamics of Machinery (a third year mechanical and aerospace engineering course) with the goal of improving the accessibility of complex engineering concepts.
- 2025: Draftsperson at Annis O’Sullivan Vollebekk: prepared digital geomatics engineering plans using AutoCAD.
Skills
- Computer-Aided Design (CAD), MATLAB (Simulink, Simscape Multibody, Stateflow), as well as Ansys CFX
- Applying mechanical engineering principles within biomedical contexts, including implant design and testing, robotics and simulation, and medical device design.
Project
- Upstream DNA template design and amplification for scalable mRNA therapeutic manufacturing.
Alexia Goetz
About
Work experience
- Jan 2023 – April 2023: Research Co-op (Biomineralization & Materials Characterization), McGill University
Skills
- Nanoparticle synthesis and experimental design for biomineralization
- Materials processing and mechanical testing (casting, rolling, welding, tensile/impact/hardness tests)
- Designing processes and developing technologies for metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites
Master's project
- Formulation and freeze-drying process development to enhance the storage stability of mRNA-LNP vaccines
Staff
Laurence Dubeau-Mallette
About
Project
RNA Therapeutics – Quality Control and Analytics
Education
- MEng in Biological & Biomedical Engineering, 2023-2024 - McGill University
- BSc in Biology, 2020-2023 - McGill University
Skills
- Molecular biology techniques
- RNA technology
- Protein production
Rania Bensouyad
About
Xinyue Hu (Luna)
About
Project
Supporting mRNA production and quality control development in low- and middle-income countries
Education
- MSc in Biological & Biomedical Engineering, 2023-2025- McGill University
- BEng in Bioengineering & Minor in Anthropology, 2017-2023- McGill University
Skills
- Biomaterial fabrication and functionalization
- Biosensor design and fabrication
- Microfluidics design and 3D printing
Undergraduate students
Kori Zhang
About
Project
In Vitro Production of Template DNA for mRNA Manufacturing
Work experience
- May 2024 – Aug. 2024: Summer Research Student with the Cellular Microenvironment Design Lab
- Sept. 2024 – May 2025: Pre-Clinical Cell Culture Internship at Lallemand Health Solutions
- May 2025 – Aug. 2025: Hardware/Mechanical Engineering Internship at PhantasiAI
Education
B.Eng in Bioengineering with Minor in Nanotechnology (2021-Present)
Links
Links
Han Ru Liu
About
Project
Education
- B.Eng. in Bioengineering, McGill University (2022-present)
Work experience
- September - December 2025: Course assistant for BIEN 200: Introduction to Bioengineering at McGill University
- May - August 2025: Research assistant under Dr. Amir Shmuel at The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, working on neuroimaging and tissue reconstruction
Links
Alex Butler
About
Iris Sun
About
Project
Optimization of reaction parameters for scalable cell-free manufacturing for Phi29 DNA polymerase.
Work Experience
- Sept 2025 - present: Optimizing fermentation parameters of S. cerevisiae strains for high-yield β-carotene production in benchtop bioreactors and shake flasks in the Ignea Lab.
- Sept 2025 – present: R&D Strategy Associate at 9Bio Therapeutics, building disease-area profiles to position lead assets and inform target product profiles with clinical strategy.
- May 2025 - Aug 2025: Studying the autoproteolytic activity of C. difficile TcdB toxins to validate novel therapeutic candidates for CDI in the Castagner Lab.
- May 2024 – May 2025: Venture Analyst at Novateur Ventures, conducting due diligence on pharmaceutical deals and benchmarking anti-VEGF biologic assets.
- June 2023 - Sept 2024: Validating plasmonic metasurface microfluidic systems for rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing in the Mahshid Lab.
Skills
- Bacterial cell culture (aerobic/anaerobic), protein purification, Western blotting, silver staining, bioreactor, yeast cell culture, and microfluidics.
- Design of Experiments (DoE), statistical analysis (RSM), Python, and MATLAB.
Education
- Bachelor of Engineering (Bioengineering), 2022–2026 – McGill University
Links
Alumni
Michelle Yen Tran
About
Project
Functionality Improvement and Process Intensification of Lentiviral Vectors.
Skills
- Cell culture engineering and development of scalable purification methods for therapeutic recombinant enzymes from mammalian cells and gene therapy vectors from Adeno-Associated Viruses and lentivirus.
- Process and technical transfer to manufacturing, product characterization and risk assessment for FDA review, and lab automation with TECAN liquid handler.
- Purification and analytical techniques: protein chromatography, zonal ultracentrifugation, tangential flow filtration, membrane filtration, endotoxin-free material production, enzymatic activity assays, HPLC/UPLC assays (i.e. size exclusion, reverse phase, weak cation exchange), bio-layer interferometry assays, ELISA, qPCR, PicoGreen dsDNA quantification, western blots, SDS PAGE, endotoxin testing, AKTA Unicorn chromatography software, Agilent HPLC software, Waters UPLC software, and JMP statistical software.
Work experience
- Jan 2013 - Aug 2017: Research Associate in the Purification Process Development group at BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Novato, CA, USA)
- Jun 2012 - Aug 2012: Intern for an environmental health science internship program (STEER: Short Term Educational Experiences for Research) at University of California, Berkeley (USA)
- Feb 2011 - Aug 2012: Research Assistant in Nina Holland’s Children’s Environmental Health Laboratory at University of California, Berkeley (USA)
Education
Master's student (Sep 2017), fast-tracked into the PhD Program (Oct 2018), 2017-2023 - McGill University (Montreal, Canada)
BSc in Bioengineering, 2008-2012 - University of California, Berkeley (USA)
Links
Pablo Diego Moço
About
Skills
- Mammalian cell culture
- Lentiviral vector production
- CAR-T cell development
Work experience
- 2014: Summer internship in the Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular Research at University of Toronto (Canada)
- 2013: Internship at Toronto Centre for Phenogenomics (Canada)
Education
Master in Clinical Oncology, Stem cells and Cell Therapy, 2018 - University of São Paulo (Brazil)
Bachelor in Biotechnology Engineering, 2009-2015 - São Paulo State University (Brazil)
Visiting student, 2013-2014 - University of Toronto (Ontario, Canada)
Links
Christina Silva
About
Project
Process intensification of HEK-293SF cell culture for pandemic influenza vaccine production
Work experience
- June-September, 2017: Process development for antibody production in CHO cells, Mitacs Globalink Research Internship at Polytechnique Montréal.
Education
B.Sc. in Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology - São Paulo State University (Brazil)
Latest
- Development of scalable downstream processing platform for HEK293SF cell-based influenza vaccine production
- Intensification of influenza virus production in fed-batch and perfusion cultures of HEK293SF cells
Links
Milica Momcilovic
About
Research Experience
- July 2019 - August 2019: The Biology Undergraduate Summer School (BUSS) at the University of Zurich (Switzerland)
- August 2018 - September 2018: Volunteering in the laboratory of Dr. Paul Zimba at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi (USA)
Education
MEng in Biological & Biomedical Engineering, 2020-2023 - McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
BSc in Molecular Biology and Physiology, 2016-2020 - University of Belgrade (Serbia)
Cynthia Hitti
About
Project
Process Development for mRNA-Based Vaccines: Optimization of mRNA Stability and DNA Template Production.
Experience
- May 2021 - August 2021: Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) at Prof. Ehrlicher’s Biological and Active Materials (BAM) Lab, McGill University.
- September 2021 - April 2022: Undergraduate Student Researcher at the BAM Lab, McGill University.
- January 2021 - Present: Engineering Design Co-Lead in the context of the Deep Space Food Challenge, MARTLET (McGill Advanced bio-Regenerative Toolkit for Long Excursion Trips).
Education
MEng in Biological & Biomedical Engineering, 2022-2024 - McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
BEng in Bioengineering with a Minor in Technological Entrepreneurship, 2017-2022 - McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
Links
Maryam Youssef
About
Project
Process Development for mRNA-Based Vaccines: Downstream Processing.
Experience
- May 2022- Sept. 2022: Human Health Therapeutics Intern, National Research Council, Montreal.
- May 2021- April 2022: Undergraduate Researcher at the Biological and Active Materials (BAM) lab, McGill University.
Education
BEng. in Bioengineering, McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
Links
Omar Farnos
About
Project
A non-replicative adenovirus vaccine platform for poultry diseases.
Skills
- Protein expression in mammalian cells mediated by viral vectors for vaccine development.
- Design and production of chimeric virus-like particles in large-scale production systems.
- Manipulation of yeast, bacteria, mammalian cells and the mammary gland of ruminants as heterologous expression systems.
- Molecular and cellular immunology, host-pathogen interaction and immunophenotyping of immune cell populations during viral infections.
- Design and conduction of pre-clinical and clinical trials.
Work experience
- 2014-2017: Postdoctoral fellow and Research Associate at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and BioMed Research Center at UQAM (Canada)
- 2013-2014: Visiting professor at University of Concepcion (Chile)
- 2009: Visiting postdoctoral researcher at University of Oviedo (Spain)
Education
PhD in Biological Sciences - University of Havana (Cuba)
Latest
- An adenovirus-based vaccine manufacturing technology platform for mucosal or parenteral immunization against poultry diseases in sub-Saharan Africa
- Development of scalable downstream processing platform for HEK293SF cell-based influenza vaccine production
- Multivalent Influenza vaccine production in HEK-293 cells in response to pandemic threats
- Optimization of rAd5 vectored Newcastle vaccine production in HEK293 at high cell densities
- Cross-Validation of ELISA and a Portable Surface Plasmon Resonance Instrument for IgG Antibodies Serology with SARS-CoV-2 Positive Individuals
Links
Barbara Paes
About
Responsibilities
- Designing and executing production experiments with mammalian cells.
- Implementing analytical protocols for recombinant proteins and viral vectors.
- Writing protocols and reporting the data for technical reports to clients.
- Organizing and analyzing the data for contribution to scientific publications.
- Managing lab inventory, purchases, equipment installation and maintenance, ensuring all Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) regulations are implemented.
Work experience
- 2018: Research Intern at Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto (Brazil), involved in projects for hematopoietic differentiation of iPS cells.
- 2014: Summer Intern at The Shoichet Lab, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering - University of Toronto (Toronto, Canada).
- 2013: Internship at TCP Transgenic Core on Manipulating Mouse Embryonic Stem (ES) Cells (Toronto, Canada).
Education
MSc in Clinical Oncology, Stem Cells and Cell Therapy, 2016-2018 - University of Sao Paulo (Ribeirao Preto, Brazil)
Bachelor in Biotechnology Engineering, 2009-2015 - Sao Paulo State University (Assis, Brazil)
Links
Sean Nesdoly
About
Projects
- Developing software & tools to digitize bioreactor control and process development.
- MEng thesis: bioinformatics of human-influenza genetic and functional interactions.
Skills
- Analysis of high-throughput biological data
- DNA, CRISPR screen, single cell, RNA, methylation, and ChIP sequencing experiments
- Quality control assessment; data processing/wrangling; sequence alignment; feature counting & annotation
- High-performance computing
- Java, UNIX, Julia, Python, R, C/C++, MATLAB, Git, Jira, Vi/m, LaTeX
Work experience
- 2017-2018: Research assistant at Queen’s Computational Genomics Lab (Kingston, ON, Canada)
- 2014-2016: Summer co-op student developer at Enersight (Calgary, AB, Canada)
Education
MEng in Biological & Biomedical Engineering, 2018-2021 - McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
BComp in Biomedical Computing, 2014-2018 - Queen's University (Kingston, ON, Canada)
Latest
- A pooled genome-wide screening strategy to identify and rank influenza host restriction factors in cell-based vaccine production platforms
Links
Jingtian Su
About
Project
Downstream purification of HepC E1&E2 proteins using ÄKTA Avant 25.
Work experience
- Three months (2016.06-2016.08) in downstream protein purification using ÄKTA Avant 25 at McGill University, Montréal, QC.
- Four months (2014.05-2014-08) vaccine R&D at VIDO-InterVac, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
- Four months (2014.05-2014.08) in vaccine marketing analysis and partnership seeking at PREVENT, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Education
MEng in Chemical Engineering, 2015-2017 - McGill University (Montreal, Canada)
BSc (Double Honours) in Biochemistry, Microbiology & Immunology - University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Canada)
Links
Ernest Millan
About
Projects
- Influenza virus production by reverse genetics.
- Adaptation of Vero cells into suspension.
Work experience
- Pfizer Animal Health.
- European Space Agency (MELISSA project).
Competencies
- Cell culture
- Molecular Biology
- Bioprocess
- Virus production and development
- Flow cytometry
- Microscopy
Education
PhD in Biotechnology - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
M.Sc in Biotechnology - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Laura Cervera Gracia
About
Project
Production of Influenza VLPs using Baculovirus-Sf9 cells expression system.
Work experience
- PhD with the title: Strategies to improve the production of HIV-1 VLPs by transient transfection of suspension mammalian cells.
- Optimization using design of experiments.
- Mammalian and insect cell culture.
- Transient transfection.
- Recombinant protein production using Baculovirus-Insect cells expression system.
- Bioreactor operation.
- Confocal microscopy.
Education
PhD in Biotechnology - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
M.Sc in Biotechnology - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Chemical Engineering - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
David Orchard-Webb
About
Project
Adenovirus platforms and cell culture media validation.
Work experience
A combined 10 years of basic/ translational cancer research experience at the Webb-Waring Centre (University of Colorado), University of Bath and University of Leeds, including the development of adenoviral vectors.
Education
PhD in Cancer Biology - University of Leeds (UK)
M.Sc in Molecular and Cellular Biology - University of Bath (UK)
Links
Ibrahim Ahmed
About
Project
Purification of Hepatitis C E1E2 glycoproteins and viral clearance studies.
Work experience
- Mammalian and Insect cell culture technology
- Cell line development
- Cell immobilization
- Baculovirus expression system
- Protein purification
- Molecular biology
Education
PhD Bioprocess Engineering - FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg
Ryan Kligman
About
Project
Using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology, I will be creating a stable cell-line for the industrial production of Adeno-Associated Virus as a gene therapy vector.
Work experience
- Lady Davis Institute, Segal Cancer Centre, Montreal Centre for Experimental Therapeutics in Cancer (2015).
- McGill University Health Centre, Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Laboratories (2015).
- CHUM Research Centre, Guzzo Environmental Cancer Research (2013).
Education
MEng in Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering, 2016-2017 - McGill University (Montreal, Canada)
B.Sc. in Biology (minor in Environment), 2011-2014 - McGill University (Montreal, Canada)
Krisztina Koczka
About
Latest
- Characterization of influenza H1N1 Gag virus-like particles and extracellular vesicles co-produced in HEK-293SF
Hsin Jou (Christine) Yang
About
Undergraduate Student (2017-2018)
Xavier Elisseeff
About
Work experience
- July 2017 - 2018: Research assistant (influenza project) with Prof. Kamen lab, Bioengineering Department, McGill University. Cellular and molecular biology.
Education
Master of Biology (M.Sc.) - University of Quebec in Montreal (Montreal, Canada)
Bachelor of Biology (B.Sc.) - University of Quebec in Montreal (Montreal, Canada)
Links
Alina Venereo Sanchez
About
Project
HEK-293 stable cell line development for production, scale up and characterization of influenza virus-like particles.
Work experience
- 2013-2018: As a PhD candidate, experience with cell line development, bioprocess optimization, and downstream processing at the National Research Council of Canada.
- 2005-2011: Working experience in molecular biology of viral vectors and protein expression in mammalian cells mediated by viral vectors (adenovirus, lentivirus) for vaccine development. Center of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Havana, Cuba).
Latest
- Monitoring the Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus Production using Extended Kalman Filter
- Development of scalable downstream processing platform for HEK293SF cell-based influenza vaccine production
- Multivalent Influenza vaccine production in HEK-293 cells in response to pandemic threats
- Advancements in molecular design and bioprocessing of recombinant adeno-associated virus gene delivery vectors using the insect-cell baculovirus expression platform
Education
MSc in Biochemistry: Molecular Biology, 2006-2009 - University of Havana, Cuba
BSc in Biology, 2000-2005 - University of Havana, Cuba
Links
Noga Aharony
About
Project
Creating and optimizing a platform to transform T-cells using Adeno-Associated Virii carrying CRISPR-Cas9 and a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) of one’s choice, successively.
Latest
- Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors for Homology-Directed Generation of CAR-T cells
Education
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Neuroscience, 2015-2019 - McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
José Pedro Losa
About
Project
Evaluation of VERO cell culture and VSV-based vaccine production in a new bioreactor unit.
Skills
- Cultivation of mammalian cells for viral vaccine production (yellow fever)
- Super-resolution microscopy (dSTORM)
- Computational fluid dynamics
Education
Master in Bioengineering - University of Porto (Portugal)
Links
Cécile Toussaint
About
Project
Process intensification and scale-up of influenza virus production in HEK293 cells.
Skills
- Stable cell line generation, metabolic flux analysis (13C-MFA), and fed-batch process development for antibody production in 2L-bioreactors.
- Development of bioprocesses in 2 to 20L bioreactors for the production of antibody and various viral vaccines, GMP tech transfer (20 and 200L).
Work experience
- 2008-2011: Upstream process development at Vivalis (Nantes, France)
Latest
- Multivalent Influenza vaccine production in HEK-293 cells in response to pandemic threats
Education
PhD in Biochemistry, 2017 - Université de Montréal (Quebec, Canada)
Adeline Poulain
About
Project
Development of an efficient and flexible stable pool platform using insect cell culture and plasmid transfection to produce high yields of VLPs as influenza vaccines.
Skills
- Development and characterization of a stable CHO cell pool platform for rapid production of recombinant protein.
- Optimization of plasmid expression vectors for the production of monoclonal antibodies in CHO cells.
- RhoA protein function in type 2 diabetes.
Work experience
- 2012: Internship at Cellectis (Paris, France)
- 2011: 6-month internship at Biotech Research and Innovation Center (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Education
PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, 2018 - Université de Montréal and National Research Council Canada (Montreal, Canada)
MSc in Biotechnology R&D, 2012 - Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris, France)
Jean-François Gélinas
About
Project
Removing hurdles to Vesicular Stomatitis Virus vector production through design of novel bioengineered cell lines.
Research Interests
Cell culture engineering, bioprocess optimization and scale-up, and manufacturing of antiviral vaccines and viral vectors for gene delivery.
Skills
Viral vector production for viral vectors and vaccines.
Work experience
- 2011-2012: Research Specialist in Levine’s Clinical Cell and Vaccine Production Facility at the University of Pennsylvania (USA)
- 2010-2011: Research assistant in the Viral Hepatitis Research group at Centre de Recherche du CHUM (Montreal, Canada)
Education
DPhil in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 2017 - University of Oxford (United Kingdom)
MSc in Microbiology and Immunology, 2010 - McGill University (Montreal, Canada)
Irene González Domínguez
About
Project
Development of a DSP process for HIV-1 based virus-like particles.
Experience
Characterization and purification of HIV-1 based virus-like particles as a vaccine platform.
Latest
- Multivalent Influenza vaccine production in HEK-293 cells in response to pandemic threats
Education
PhD in Biotechnology - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB, Barcelona, Spain)
Links
Cuitlahuac Chavez-Pena
About
Skills
- Development of analitycal and purification methods for recombinant proteins in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Work experience
- Since 2018: Scientist at Alexion Pharmaceuticals (Connecticut, USA)
- 2015-2018: Graduate researcher in the Viral Vectors and Vaccines Bioprocessing group at McGill University (Montreal, Canada)
- 2012-2015: Scientist in Analytical development at Protein Sciences (Connecticut, USA)
Education
MSc in Biotechnology, 2011 - National Autonomous University of Mexico (Mexico)
Bachelor in Chemistry and Pharmacy, 2005 - University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
Cindy Chan
About
Project
Development of an efficient process for influenza vaccine production using molecular biology techniques such as cell culture, flow cytometry, western blot, DNA isolation, restriction enzyme digests, PCR, bacterial culture for generation of expression plasmids and cell transfection.
Latest
- Rapid High-Yield Production of Functional SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain by Viral and Non-Viral Transient Expression for Pre-Clinical Evaluation
Education
MSc in Biotechnology, 2018-2019 - McGill University (Montreal, Canada)
Jiachi (Josh) Ou
About
Project
Development of a Digital Twin for bioreactors to optimize AAV production.
Research Experience
- Summer 2018: SURE Project in Prof. Amine Kamen’s Lab
Education
B.Eng. in Bioengineering, 2020 - McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
Links
Hanan Chaabane
About
Work experience
- Jan-Jun 2011: Visiting graduate research student at INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier (Montreal, Canada)
Latest
- Multivalent Influenza vaccine production in HEK-293 cells in response to pandemic threats
- Rapid High-Yield Production of Functional SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain by Viral and Non-Viral Transient Expression for Pre-Clinical Evaluation
Education
MSc in Chemical Engineering, 2012-2015 - University of Laval (Quebec, Canada)
Bachelor in Bioengineering, 2006-2011 - National School of Engineering (Sfax, Tunisia)
Kumar Subramaniam
About
Project
A non-replicative adenovirus vaccine platform for poultry diseases.
Skills
- Self-adjuvanted vaccine preparation using bacterial lipid modification strategy.
- Recombinant protein production in E.coli and mammalian cells.
- High cell density microbial fermentation in E. coli for production of recombinant proteins
Work experience
- Research Associate (Feb 2018- Feb 2019) Stem Cell & Cancer Biology Laboratory, Anna University, INDIA
- Visiting Researcher (Mar 2017-Dec2017) Dept. of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, NMBU, Oslo, NORWAY
- Project Scientist (Oct 2016-Feb 2017) National Hub for Healthcare Instrumentation Development, Anna University, INDIA
- Visiting Researcher (Aug 2015 -Feb 2016) Dept. of Food Safety & Infection Biology, NMBU, Oslo, NORWAY
- Senior Research Fellow (Dec 2008 - Dec 2012) Centre for Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai, INDIA
Education
PhD in Biotechnology, 2016 - Anna Univeristy, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Latest
- An adenovirus-based vaccine manufacturing technology platform for mucosal or parenteral immunization against poultry diseases in sub-Saharan Africa
Links
Alice Bernier
About
Skills
- Downstream processing (filtration, chromatography, etc.)
- Analytical methods (HPLC, SRID, etc.)
- Viral clearance
Work experience
- 1998-2017: Technical Officer in the Purification group at National Research Council Canada (Montreal, Canada)
Education
BSc in Biochemistry - Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (Canada)
Latest
- An adenovirus-based vaccine manufacturing technology platform for mucosal or parenteral immunization against poultry diseases in sub-Saharan Africa
- Development of scalable downstream processing platform for HEK293SF cell-based influenza vaccine production
- Multivalent Influenza vaccine production in HEK-293 cells in response to pandemic threats
- Development and Validation of an Anion Exchange High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for Analysis of Empty Capsids and Capsids Encapsidating Genetic Material in a Purified Preparation of Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus Serotype 5
- Development of a scalable and robust AEX method for enriched rAAV preparations in genome-containing VCs of serotypes 5, 6, 8, and 9
- Establishing a Robust Manufacturing Platform for Recombinant Veterinary Vaccines: An Adenovirus-Vector Vaccine to Control Newcastle Disease Virus Infections of Poultry in Sub-Saharan Africa
Pranav Joshi
About
Project
Process development for the production and purification of rAAV based gene therapy vectors.
Skills
- Mammalian and Insect cell culture
- Glycoproteins production in rCHO cells
- AAV vectorology
- Analytical and Preparative chromatography
- Molecular bioanalytics
- Enzymology and Biocatalysis
- Enzymatic biochemical reaction engineering
Work experience
Process development for the production of biotherapeutics including monoclonal antibodies (Bevacizumab) and hormones (FSH) in recombinant CHO cell line. Integral part of the scale-up team responsible for technology transfer to pilot and commercial scale facilities.
- 2013-2015: Associate Engineer in the Upstream Cell Culture group at Intas Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Biotechnology division (Ahmedabad, India)
Education
PhD in Biological & Biomedical Engineering, 2021 - McGill University (Montreal, Canada)
Master of Technology in Bioprocess Technology, 2011-2013 - Institute of Chemical Technology (Mumbai, India)
Bachelor of Pharmacy, 2007-2011 - Sardar Patel University (Vallabh Vidyanagar, India)
Sascha Kiesslich
Details
Project
Development of a Vero cell platform for rVSV vector production.
Skills
- Bioprocess development of rVSV-based vaccine candidates
- Vero and HEK293 cell culture
- Microcarrier bioreactor, fixed bed bioreactor, suspension cell bioreactor
- Suspension adaptation
- Analytical tools (ddPCR, TCID50)
- Scientific writing
- Large-scale bioreactor characterization
- Pervaporation for in-situ product removal during fermentative butanol production
- Insect cell culture / baculovirus expression system
- Metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum
Work experience
- Oct 2015 - Aug 2016: Visiting graduate research student at the University of Western Ontario (London, Canada)
- Apr 2015 - Sep 2015: Internship in the department of Bioprocess Technology & Life Cycle Management at Evonik Industries (Germany)
Education
MSc in Biotechnology, 2013-2016 - Technische Universität (Braunschweig, Germany)
Academic exchange, 2013-2014 - University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada)
BSc in Biotechnology, 2010-2013 - Technische Universität (Braunschweig, Germany)
Latest
- Genomics of vero cells: understanding this cell line and its virus-host interactions for improved vaccine production
- Haplotype-resolved de novo assembly of the Vero cell line genome
- Bioreactor production of rVSV-based vectors in Vero cell suspension cultures
- Evaluation of novel HIV vaccine candidates using recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus vector produced in serum-free Vero cell cultures
- Vero cell upstream bioprocess development for the production of viral vectors and vaccines
- Titration methods for rVSV-based vaccine manufacturing
- Serum-free production of rVSV-ZEBOV in Vero cells: microcarrier bioreactor versus scale-X™ hydro fixed-bed
- Production of rVSV-ZEBOV in serum-free suspension culture of HEK 293SF cells
Links
Mounia Akassou
About
Projects
- Project 1: Development of an efficient platform using insect cell culture and plasmid transfection to produce high yields of VLPs as influenza vaccines.
- Project 2: Digital-twin of bioreactor for accelerated design and optimal operations in production of complex biologics.
Skills
- Laboratory management experience more than 6 years
- Mastering microbial fermentation in bioreactors and protein purification processes
- Mastering several analytical methods such as GC/MS, LC/MS, IC
- Mastering statistical methods
- Ability to develop new analytical methods
Education
PhD in Chemical engineering, 2018 - Faculté de génie, Univerisité de Sherbrooke
Eng. in Food technologies, 2008 - Institut Hassan II, Rabat, Morocco
Latest
- Monitoring the Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus Production using Extended Kalman Filter
Links
Yichen Wu
About
Patrick O'Neill
About
Project
Isolation of a stable packaging cell line for AAV production in HEK293 cells.
Work experience
- Summer 2017: Research Associate at the NRC in Renald Gilbert’s Biotechnology Group (Montreal, Canada)
Education
MEng in Biological & Biomedical Engineering, 2020-2023 - McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
B.Eng. in Bioengineering, 2020 - McGill University (Montreal, QC, Canada)
Links
Marie-Angélique Sene
About
Project
Genomics of Vero cells: Understanding virus-host interactions for improved vaccine production platforms.
Skills
- Electro Wetting on Dielectric (EWOD) on silicon and glass substrate for Lab-on-Chip application.
- 3D printed substrate based Auto-Focusing and Auto-Zooming Liquid Lens.
- 3D patterned IPMC membranes for Drug Delivery.
- PEDOT-PSS heterojunction solar cells.
- Quality control for photolithography machines (PR Track, Nikon STEPPER).
- Clean-room facility use (microfabrication facilities CMOS, MEMS).
Work experience
- Jan 2017 - Aug 2018: Microfabrication trainee at the Inter-University Semiconductor Research Center (Seoul, South Korea)
- Sep 2016 - Aug 2018: Research Student in the Nano/Micro Systems Laboratory at Seoul National University (South Korea)
Education
Master in Mechanical Engineering, 2016-2018 - Seoul National University (South Korea)
First Year Engineering School, 2014-2015 - Polytech Paris-Sud (France)
Magistère in Fundamental Physics, 2014-2015 - Paris Saclay University (Orsay, France)
Intensive preparatory course for competitive entrance into France's leading engineering schools, 2011-2014 - Sainte Geneviève High School (Versailles, France)
Latest
- From functional genomics of vero cells to CRISPR-based genomic deletion for improved viral production rates
- Genomics of vero cells: understanding this cell line and its virus-host interactions for improved vaccine production
- Overview of recent advances in Vero cells genomic characterization and engineering for high-throughput vaccine manufacturing
Links
Divya Srinivasan
About
Work experience
- 2011-2013: Process Engineer at Global Process Systems (Singapore)
- 2018-2020: Process Engineer at PM Group (US)
Education
Advanced Chemical Engineering Certification - University of California, Davis
M.Sc. Chemical Engineering - University of California, Davis
B.Eng. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering - National University of Singapore
Zeyu Yang
About
Project
Development of streamlined downstream process and analytical methods for purification and quantification of VSV-S and NDV-S.
Skills
- Construction and expression of functional proteins
- Optimization and scale up of industrial fermentation processes
- Purification and characterization of viral vectors and proteins
- Protein-ligand interactions analysis
- Development of analytical methods with HPLC and GC
Work Experience
- Jul. 2020 - Dec. 2020: Technical trainer in the department of Bioprocess Solutions at Sartorius (Shanghai, China).
- Jul. 2019 – Aug. 2019: Summer intern in the department of Skin Cleansing at Unilever (Shanghai, China).
- Jan. 2016 – Jun. 2020: Research assistant for HPLC and GC in State Key Laboratory (Shanghai, China).
Education
PhD in Biochemical Engineering, 2015-2020 - East China University of Science and Technology (Shanghai, China)
B.Eng. in Food Science and Engineering, 2011-2015 - East China University of Science and Technology (Shanghai, China)
Latest
- Development of scalable downstream processing platform for HEK293SF cell-based influenza vaccine production
Shantoshini Dash
About
Project
Genome-wide CRISPR screen to identify genes that increase the yield and functionality of AAV vectors.
Skills
- Cell culture techniques, Host-virus interaction- signaling pathway and actin regulation.
- Lentivirus production and transduction, stable cell line generation by overexpression.
- Microscopy – TIRF, Confocal microscopy.
- Biochemical assays: membrane flotation assay, subcellular fractionation, immunofluorescence, mini replicon nanoluciferase assay, immunoprecipitation, GST pull down assay.
Work experience
- May 2018 – Dec. 2019: Postdoctoral Researcher at Dr. Ronald Harty Lab, Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Education
PhD in Biological Sciences - Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM), CNRS, France
Latest
- Rapid High-Yield Production of Functional SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Binding Domain by Viral and Non-Viral Transient Expression for Pre-Clinical Evaluation
Rim Al-Siss
About
Work and Research Experience
- Engineering intern (2020-2021), Red Maple Trials, Ottawa
- Undergraduate Student Research Assistant (2018-2021), University of Ottawa, Ottawa
- Coop Engineering Student (Jan 2019-May 2019), Natural Ressources Canada, Ottawa
- Junior Scientific Data Analyst (May 2018-Sept 2018), Health Canada, Ottawa
Education
BASc in Chemical Engineering & BSc in Biochemistry (Biotechnology), 2015-2021 - University of Ottawa (Ottawa, ON, Canada)
Links
Aline Do Minh
About
Project
Characterization and quantification of extracellular vesicles during the production of lentiviral vectors.
Skills
- Biomanufacturing process development for vaccines and biologics: CHO cell culture cultivation and monitoring (shake flasks, 2L, 10L bioreactors).
- Harvest processes (microfiltration, depth filtration, centrifugation, sedimentation).
- Purification processes (tangential filtration, virus inactivation in vaccine processes, chromatography).
- Analytical tools (SDS-PAGE, CE-SDS, NanoDrop).
- cGMP and GLP environments, BSLII and BSLII+ environments, transfer of technology.
Work experience
- 2016: Technical Officer in Purification in the Human Health Therapeutics Portfolio at National Research Council Canada (Montreal, Canada)
- 2013-2015: Project Manager and Tech Transfer Specialist for Mylan, formerly Confab, at Genipro (Montreal, Canada)
- 2009-2012: Bioprocess Engineer in the Downstream Processing department at Janssen Vaccines (Leiden, Netherlands)
- 2008: Co-op in Process Research and Development, Late Stage Cell Culture at Genentech (South San Francisco, USA)
- Jun-Sep 2007: Intern at Genkyotex, formerly Genticel/BT Pharma (Toulouse, France)
- Mar-Apr 2007: Research Intern at Center of Immunology of Marseille Luminy (Marseille, France)
Education
Master in Biological Engineering, 2008 - Polytech Marseille, formerly ESIL (Marseille, France)
Lars Pelz
About
Project
Process intensification for production of rVSV-based vectors using HEK293 cells.
Skills
- Upstream processing/molecular biology of viral vaccines.
Work Experience
- June 2019 - Present: PhD candidate, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg Germany
- August 2022 - October 2022: Visiting Researcher, McGill University, Canada
- September 2017 - November 2017: Research Internship, Karunya University, Coimbatore, India
Education
MSc in Pharmaceutical Bioprocess Engineering - Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany
BSc in Bioprocess Engineering - Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany
Links
David Sharon
About
Project
Acceleration and intensification of pandemic influenza vaccine manufacturing by genetic engineering of the HEK-293SF cell line.
Skills
- Five-years (+) combined lab experience, primarily in molecular virology and medical genetics research.
- Production, purification, titration, and mutagenesis of DNA and RNA viruses.
- Cell culture and stable cell line generation.
- Gene expression assay and analysis.
- Molecular biology and cloning techniques.
- Mouse breeding, tissue harvest, and surgery.
- Host-virus interactions.
- Human genetics.
Education
MSc in Microbiology and Immunology, 2015 - McGill University (Montreal, Canada)
Hon. BSc in Biotechnology, 2012 - University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada)
D. Tech in Biotechnology, 2010 - British Columbia Institute of Technology (Vancouver, Canada)
Latest
- Multivalent Influenza vaccine production in HEK-293 cells in response to pandemic threats
