Join us for a lunch time session on "Accelerating research translation of mRNA-based innovation"
12:45 p.m. Wednesday 27 May 2026
Meeting Room 519, Palais des congrès, Montreal, Canada
This session is only open to the attendees of the RNA Society 31st Annual Meeting.
Complimentary tickets and lunch are included.
Registration to attend this BioNTech session is required for catering purposes. Attendance is capped at 200 due to room capacity.
About the session
The rapid deployment of mRNA‑based COVID‑19 vaccines has accelerated the emergence of mRNA as a versatile platform with the potential to transform vaccines, oncology, infectious diseases, and beyond. mRNA medicines can be engineered to encode antigens, antibodies, cytokines, and therapeutic proteins, potentially enabling new classes of innovative vaccines and immunotherapies.
This seminar will explore how advances in mRNA design, delivery, and manufacturing are translating RNA research into clinical‑stage medicines. We will cover some of BioNTech’s innovative mRNA design principles and applications in the context of mRNA optimisation. Drawing on BioNTech’s experience in developing mRNA as a scalable platform technology, the session will highlight key scientific and strategic considerations along the pathway from discovery to first‑in‑human studies.
In Australia, BioNTech has established an Innovation Centre and R&D laboratory and is building clinical GMP mRNA manufacturing capacity, enabled by modular BioNTainer infrastructure for drug substance and formulated products, including fill-and‑finish capabilities. BioNTech supports researchers and companies through scientific guidance, translational support, and access to research‑ and clinical‑scale manufacturing.
Attendees will gain a practical, end-to-end view of key decision points and capabilities that may help to accelerate the translation of mRNA programs into clinical trials and beyond.
Speakers
BioNTech is pleased to welcome the following speakers who will share practical insights into the key steps and capabilities required to accelerate the development of the mRNA-based innovation and approaches:
Dr. Sarah Herridge, Director of Research and Scientific Affairs, BioNTech Australia
Dr. Sarah Herridge is an accomplished leader with over 15 years of experience in RNA therapeutics development for oncology, spanning the full spectrum from target discovery to clinical trials. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry in Germany and completed her postdoctoral training at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the United States, where she collaborated with Ionis Pharmaceuticals on pioneering RNA-based cancer therapies. Sarah has held leadership positions in academia, including as Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago in New Zealand, and served as the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer for two startups in the RNA therapeutics sector: Amaroq Therapeutics and Fold AI. She currently serves as Director of Research and Scientific Affairs at BioNTech Australia. In her current role, Sarah leads the development and execution of research strategy, manages scientific collaborations and external partnerships, oversees the onboarding of new research projects, and drives the implementation of scientific engagement initiatives to advance BioNTech’s mission in Australia and the wider region.
Dr. JiaYee Lee, Director of Strategy and Alliance, BioNTech Australia
Dr .JiaYee Lee is based at the BioNTech Innovation Centre in Melbourne where she shapes and grows the mRNA innovation ecosystem for immunotherapeutics and vaccines by engaging with researchers, clinicians and early-stage companies in advancing research translation and portfolio development. Her career spans technology innovation, venture creation, medical research, commercialisation, and policy development, giving her an end-to-end perspective on how ideas move from the lab into real-world healthcare solutions. Before joining BioNTech, JiaYee was Professor in MedTech at the University of Melbourne and Centre Director of the Centre for Advanced Defence Research and Enterprise (CADRE), where she led multidisciplinary programs at the intersection of research, industry, and national priorities. She previously served as Director of the Health and Life Sciences Business Team at National ICT Australia (NICTA, now Data61 CSIRO), driving research translation and commercialisation across diagnostic genomics, biomedical informatics, and assistive technologies. JiaYee formerly led virology research funded by the Australian National Health & Medical Research Council at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory and the MacFarlane Burnet Centre (now the Burnet Institute). She currently holds an Adjunct Professor appointment at La Trobe University, Australia.
Dr. Loni Klaus, Scientist for mRNA optimization, BioNTech SE
Dr. Loni Klaus is a molecular biologist specializing in gene regulation and therapeutic mRNA optimization. She began her research career at the Max Delbrück Center in Berlin, mapping protein interactions, and later joined Mikko Taipale’s lab at the Donnelly Centre in Toronto to study translational regulation. During her doctoral studies in Alex Stark’s lab at the Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna, Loni systematically identified and characterized protein domains that repress transcription, refining our understanding of transcriptional regulation. As a scientist at BioNTech in Germany, she now combines her diverse research experiences to optimize therapeutic mRNAs and advance the company’s RNA platform innovations.
Dr. Daniele Hasler, Scientist, RNA Process Development, BioNTech SE
Dr. Daniele Hasler is an RNA biologist with more than a decade of experience spanning fundamental RNA research and the development of GMP-compliant manufacturing processes for mRNA therapeutics. He obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Regensburg, Germany, where he dissected mechanistic pathways of microRNA biogenesis. He subsequently continued his work on RNA-binding proteins and their roles in human disease, securing independent funding to investigate RNA modifications and contributing to academic teaching and mentoring.
In 2023, Daniele joined BioNTech SE in Mainz as a Scientist in RNA Process Development. In this role, he drives the optimization of in vitro transcription processes for the GMP-compliant production of mRNA therapeutics and serves as a subject matter expert for mRNA production and purification across multiple infectious disease and oncology clinical programs. Daniele applies Quality by Design principles to RNA-based drug substance development, thereby contributing to the establishment of robust and efficient manufacturing strategies. His cross-functional work within CMC programs supports the clinical development and marketing authorization of next-generation mRNA-based therapeutics.
Meet the BioNTech Speakers at the Poster Session on Wednesday 27 May 2026
If you have questions about advancing mRNA-based therapeutics or vaccines, please visit us at the BioNTech Poster.
