Securing the future of mRNA: strategy, science, and resilience in 2026

Ajay Gupta, PhD, is Co-founder, President, Chairman & CEO of Celestial Therapeutics Inc. Dr Gupta is an accomplished executive, scientist and an entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech/CRO industry. Dr Gupta received his PhD in synthetic organic chemistry from the University of Waterloo. He has extensive experience in executive management of both private and publicly traded companies, entrepreneurship, business development, medicinal chemistry, drug, device & mRNA vaccine discovery & development, design and conduct of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, analytical, bioanalytical chemistry, toxicology, cGMP manufacturing, formulation development, regulatory affairs, business development, establishing licensing agreements as well as interactions with the FDA, EMA and Health Canada.

Rebecca Antoine is a Senior Manager of Manufacturing at Genentech with over a decade of experience in the biotech industry. Leading a multidisciplinary team, Rebecca provides mRNA and pDNA to support a diverse portfolio encompassing R&D, Process Development, and Phase 1 clinical programs. Over the last six years, she has led the expansion of internal manufacturing capabilities, scaled up complex production processes, and enhanced internal testing capabilities. Working in conjunction with research and analytical colleagues, Rebecca’s team has developed processes for new molecules of interest; optimizing product quality while increasing production yields and reducing operational costs.

Prior to her focus on internal manufacturing, Rebecca spent four years in CAR T cell research developing both autologous and allogenic therapies for multiple solid and liquid tumor indications. She holds a BSc. in Microbiology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Telmo is Process and Technology Lead for mRNA at Lonza and a key member of the External Innovations team within Cell and Gene Therapies. He is program manager for the mRNA Platform transition capabilities from R&D into GMP and QC, while aligning R&D, operations, innovation, and commercial stakeholders to drive governed execution. His role includes shaping strategic, research, and licensing collaborations and advising the Global Strategy Group on technology, innovation, and investment decisions. Previously, Telmo led automated mRNA manufacturing platforms at CureVac SE. He holds a Master’s in Biological Engineering and a PhD in Immunology and Infectious Diseases.

Andreas Kuhn has worked with RNA for almost thirty years. This started with his diploma and PhD theses on the structure and function of small non-coding RNAs using biochemical and molecular biology methods. In his post-doctoral work, Andreas studied RNA-protein interactions in the spliceosome in yeast and later worked on small molecules to affect pre-mRNA splicing. His work on mRNA-based immunotherapies began in 2007 in the academic group of Ugur Sahin at the University Clinic Mainz, and Andreas joined BioNTech SE shortly after its founding in 2008. In his current role as Senior Vice President RNA Biochemistry & CMC Development the main focus is expanding proprietary technologies to increase the efficacy of mRNA-based therapies and to develop and optimize GMP-compatible manufacturing processes for RNA.

Mark Keegan is the Global Head of Drug Substance Process Development & Industrialization at Sanofi's mRNA Center of Excellence, where he leads a global team advancing mRNA process development for multiple vaccines and therapeutics in clinical development. Under his leadership, the team has successfully scaled mRNA processes to commercial scale and completed tech transfer to GMP manufacturing facilities. 

With over 25 years of biotech experience, Mark has built a distinguished career at the intersection of particle technology and biologics, spanning mRNA, oligonucleotides, proteins, and small molecules. He has a proven track record of taking novel biologics from discovery through late-stage clinical trials and successfully working with CDMOs. 

Prior to Sanofi, Mark held senior leadership positions at Tidal Therapeutics, Selecta Biosciences, and Acusphere, where he consistently delivered innovative solutions for scaling novel biologics and nanoparticle technologies from laboratory to commercial manufacturing. He holds a BSc in Chemical Engineering from Brown University and an MSc in Engineering from Northeastern University.