Conference Day Two | Thursday, March 27, 2025

7:50 am Check In & Light Breakfast

8:50 am Chair’s Opening Remarks

Investigating Cell-Free DNA Production as an Alternative to Plasmid Production to Facilitate Informed Process Development Decisions to Maximize Quality & Efficiency

9:00 am Deep-Dive Workshop: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Cell-Free DNA & pDNA: Comprehending the Cost, Quality, Usability, & Timeline of Synthetic DNA

  • Hui Zhi Principal Scientist - Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Process Development, Beam Therapeutics Inc.
  • Swap Ghosh Scientist, Molecular & Cell Technologies, Pfizer

Synopsis

Ideally, DNA manufacturing should be affordable, flexible, responsive to demand and producible at scale. Cell-free DNA synthesis promises all of this and more – but what is the reality of using synthetic DNA? Share your experience of cell-free DNA and hear from 

experts who have turned to cell-free manufacturing when traditional methods prove limited. 

This workshop will address:

  • Considering advantages, breakthroughs and challenges of cell-free DNA
  • Reviewing the side-by-side comparisons of cost, speed, fidelity, immunogenicity, accuracy and quality when using cell-free and plasmid DNA
  • Exploring challenges in navigating the regulatory landscape of cell-free DNA and how to overcome these hurdles to enter the clinic
  • Assessing the limitations and exploring the potential of cell-free DNA for the future of advanced therapeutics

12:00 pm Lunch & Networking

Defining Impurity Thresholds & Assessing Supplier Quality to Pave the Future of DNA Manufacturing

1:30 pm Round Table Discussion: How Pure Should DNA Be? Understanding Purity Thresholds for DNA as a Starting Material or API through Analytical Tests

  • Taesun Eom Director in RNA Technologies, Chroma Medicine

Synopsis

  • Understanding the significance of DNA purity as a drug substance or starting material
  • Selecting appropriate bioanalytical and quality control tests to accurately measure impurities
  • How to safeguard against mutations, unwanted isoforms and variable expression to create DNA with high yield and fidelity

2:30 pm Afternoon Break & Networking

Successfully Navigating Regulatory Guidance for pDNA Production to Facilitate the Release of Vaccines & Cell & Gene Therapies to Meet Increasing Demand

3:00 pm Plasmid DNA Strategy as a Starting Material for mRNA Pharmaceuticals

  • Mark Geng Director, Global DS MS&T DNA Lead, Moderna

Synopsis

  • Evolution of industry understanding of regulatory expectation
  • Understanding phase appropriateness of manufactured DNA
  • Unravelling the ongoing global strategy discussion

3:30 pm Comprehending Regulatory Guidelines for pDNA Manufacturing to Increase the Chance of IND Approval

Synopsis

  • How to understand phase appropriateness and ascertain when GMP should be applied to processes and materials
  • How to comprehend acceptable thresholds of DNA isoforms, genomic DNA and impurities
  • How to maintain appropriate documentation throughout production to support IND submissions

4:00 pm Chair’s Closing Remarks & End of 2nd DNA Process Development & Manufacturing Summit