Dr Tycho Speaker’s comprehensive background in pharmaceutical and materials sciences, coupled with a doctorate in physical chemistry, has contributed to a career marked by significant achievements and contributions to drug delivery technology. Over the past two decades, he has worked primarily in the field of transdermal and intradermal drug delivery, with numerous patents and engagements that contribute to advancements in this sector, including work as part of the PATH Microneedle Array Patch (MAP) Center of Excellence. Currently serving as the Director of Drug Delivery and Biomaterials at AbbVie, Dr Speaker continues to drive the development of innovative drug delivery systems. 2025 marked the publication of his work on a post-driven “patchless” microneedle delivery system to bridge microneedle delivery with existing aseptic fill line infrastructure for global public health.

Colin Spencer is a project manager and the head of the technology transfer group at Oakwood Laboratories. At Oakwood, he has worked on a variety of technology transfer projects, leading the transfer of both commercial and developmental products into Oakwood's FDA approved, GMP, aseptic manufacturing facility. Colin also has experience at Oakwood working on long-acting injectable products, working both on the initial feasibility of new products and the scale-up and large-scale manufacturing of clinical materials. His other roles include leading the process improvements initiative at Oakwood, investigating new technologies that can further enhance Oakwood's development and manufacturing capabilities.

Dr Srini Sridharan is currently the Head of Drug Delivery & Product Strategy at Bristol Myers Squibb. Dr Sridharan has 25 years of experience in the area of CMC, drug delivery and combination products in a variety of roles from R&D, Manufacturing, Business Development and Product Development. He has developed and launched numerous products worldwide ranging from coronary catheters, drug eluting stents, glucose sensors, insulin delivery devices, prefilled syringes, sub-cutaneous injection devices and pharmaceuticals. Dr Sridharan is passionate about addressing unmet needs through a Patient Centric mindset to develop the best possible therapies. He is a Chemical Engineer and received his Bachelors from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and a MS and PhD from Georgia Tech, Atlanta. Dr Sridharan enjoys all outdoor sports & activities, traveling and is also a home brewer.

Alina Su is the founder and CEO of NovaXS Biotech. Prior to NovaXS, Dr Su served as researcher at UC Berkeley QB3 Laboratory under rejuvenation pioneer, Professor Irina Conboy. Her extensive experience in drug-device combination and drug delivery efficacy set up the foundation of the science at NovaXS. Dr Su is currently a PhD student at Harvard Medical School.

Julie Gerberding, MD, joined the FNIH as CEO on May 16, 2022. She served before that as chief Patient Officer and Executive Vice President, Population Health & Sustainability, at Merck & Co, Inc. She was responsible for patient engagement, corporate social responsibility, Environmental/Social/Governance issues, and other functions. Formerly, Dr Gerberding oversaw Global Public Policy and Strategic Communications for the company. She joined Merck in 2010 as President of Merck Vaccines and was instrumental in increasing access to the company’s vaccines to people around the world.

Kanika Suri, PhD, is passionate about developing innovative, effective, and patient-friendly therapies that address debilitating health conditions. At Takeda, she leads the CMC development of pipeline drug products, spanning proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and synthetic small molecules, and tackles formulation and delivery challenges across oral, topical, and parenteral routes. Drawing on deep experience in research and development, Dr. Suri excels at translating scientific insight into pragmatic, patient-centric phase-appropriate solutions that advance seamlessly through clinical trials. Her academic journey reflects her commitment to solving complex drug-delivery problems: during her PhD, she developed a novel oral delivery platform for nucleic acids, adding another dimension to her Master’s work investigating bioactive permeation enhancers to improve drug absorption of macromolecules. A champion of innovation and a dedicated advocate for Women in STEM, Dr. Suri combines scientific rigor with purpose-driven leadership to advance the next generation of therapies.

Dr Shankar Swaminathan is a Team Lead at Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine leading drug product development activities for multiple preclinical and clinical cell therapy candidates. Dr Swaminathan obtained his doctoral degree in pharmaceutics focusing on creating new polymer based drug delivery formulations for cancer nanomedicine and delivery of labile small and large molecules. Soon after his PhD, he joined the pharmaceutical industry to work on drug eluting long-acting combination products. He later went on to complete his postdoctoral training in ophthalmic drug product development at the College of Medicine at University of Tennessee health science center, where he focused on creating new treatment approaches for debilitating eye diseases. As a young ophthalmology investigator, he obtained independent grant funding for supporting his ideas before successfully transitioning to the biopharmaceutical industry. Dr Swaminathan has supported CMC activities for multiple products/INDs submitted for approvals to various agencies. He has about 15 years of combined industry and academic experience and has successfully overseen product development from early-stage discovery through late-stage submission. He has been associated with ophthalmic drug delivery and development for over 10 years. He is vastly experienced in aseptic drug product development, quality-by-design, advanced drug delivery, cryopreservation technology, CTM campaign execution and management, fill-finish, modified release solid orals and ocular drug delivery. He is an editorial board member in Scientific Reports and serves as a reviewer for over 20 peer reviewed journals. He has published 15+ peer reviewed publications, commentaries and blogs.

As a Senior Staff Engineer for Research and Development at Enable Injections, Aaron Swick is focused on leading the connected healthcare program, collaborating with partners to determine the needs of the next generation of the enFuse technology. With 15 years of experience in medical device and healthcare innovation, Mr Swick uses research, strategy, and design to develop products that enhance the patient and provider experience. He earned his MSE and BSE in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Amir Tabaian is a Senior Combination Product Development Engineer at Pfizer. At Pfizer, he has worked on a variety of combination products including auto-injectors, prefilled syringes, and convenience kits. His current role is in the Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Research and Development organization and executes device development from conceptualization through initial production registration. Mr Tabaian’s current focus is on vaccine projects. Prior to Pfizer, Amir worked for a startup researching kinase inhibitors design and discovery. Mr Tabaian holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Virginia.

Sakura Taneichi is a R&D scientist of NOF CORPORATION. She has been developing LNP formulations. She has made contributions to the development of mRNA-LNP platform using proprietary ionizable lipids.