Dr Shafagh Waters (BSc, MSc (Disc.), PhD) is a Scientia senior lecturer at UNSW and an honorary senior scientist at Sydney Children’s Hospital. A productive PhD (2012; ANU) and postdoctoral fellowships (2013-2016; UNSW) helped her secure international training fellowships in gene therapy (City of Hope USA) and organoid medicine (Lisboa, Portugal) establishing her independent lab in 2016. Dr Waters lead an NHMRC funded research program on adult-stem-cell biology for cystic fibrosis (CF) that is supported by 32 grants; 21 as CIA including international and national industry partnerships. Dr Waters is a founding member of NSW Non-Animal Technologies Network, has developed an Australian national biobank of stem-cell-derived airway and gut organoids, and has built a platform for high-throughput therapy-testing on patients organoids. She combines her unique strengths in organoid disease modelling, multi-omic molecular profiling and computational research with clinical data to improve individualised outcomes for patients with CF. She is regularly invited to media interviews and present at community, and as a keynote speaker at national and international meetings, on two occasions, and was the recipient of the best ECR research award at the 2019-Australian Academy of Science, Precision Medicine Conference. In 2020, the latter (co-culture airway organoid with pathogens) was pivoted to COVID-19 to delineate the innate immune response to SARS-CoV2 infection

Jennifer Byrne was awarded the University Medal for her BSc (Hons) studies at the University of Queensland, where she also obtained her PhD in cancer genetics. Jennifer is currently Director of Biobanking- NSW Health, and Professor of Molecular Oncology at the University of Sydney. She is based at the NSW Health Statewide Biobank, and also leads the PRIMeR group (Publication and Research Integrity in Medical Research) at the University of Sydney, with NHMRC funding support. Jennifer has published on topics including cancer genetics, gene function, childhood cancer predisposition, biobanking operations, and error detection and correction within the biomedical literature.

Anne O'Neill is Director Enterprise, International Partnerships and Clinical Trials at NSW Ministry of Health. Anne has over 25 years’ experience in the health, medical research and policy sectors. She is responsible for leading the development and implementation of major policies and programs to enhance medical research capacity in NSW, and raise the profile of NSW research and development nationally and internationally. She is responsible for the NSW Medical Device Fund and NSW Commercialisation Training Program – both have been critical to accelerating the development of NSW intellectual property and the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs in NSW. Anne holds a Bachelor of Science (Physiology and Pharmacology) (Hons) and an Executive Masters of Public Administration (ANZSOG).

Associate Professor Lisowski is a mid-career researcher with research interest is in genetic engineering of viral vectors, vector manufacturing and genome engineering for use in gene therapy approaches. He received his PhD from Weill Cornell University in New York for studies related to the development of lentiviral vectors for the treatment of β-thalassemia and completed postdoctoral training at Stanford University School of Medicine where he mastered design, production, and functional validation of novel bioengineered vectors based on adeno-associated virus (AAV). He developed the first bioengineered rAAV to enter clinical evaluation. In 2012 A/Prof. Lisowski was recruited by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies to oversee their Gene Transfer, Targeting and Therapeutic (GT3) facility. Based on his growing international reputation, in 2015 he was recruited by the University of Sydney / Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) to establish his independent research team, Translational Vectorology Research Unit (TVRU) and with direct financial support from Luminesce Alliance to also establish Vector and Genome Engineering Facility (VGEF). His research concentrates on the studies of AAV biology and vectorology, and development of novel bioengineered AAV variants for clinical applications. His team has extensive expertise in the development and validation of in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo preclinical models of human disease, including the use of primary patient derived cells and organs and patient derived organoids. In addition, his group specializes also in development and improvement of viral vector manufacturing technologies, including upstream production and downstream purification, with special interest in clinical vector manufacturing. His team is leading a number of gene therapy programs that aim to develop novel advanced therapeutics for paediatric genetic disorders affecting the CNS, lungs, liver and other organs. Directly aligned with his mission to establish Australia as the global leader in gene therapies, together with the NSW Government and key decision makers at the Westmead Research Precinct, A/Prof. Lisowski is building a dedicated clinical grade vector manufacturing facility. This facility is a critical component that will enabling the development and clinical implementation of Australian gene therapies for paediatric and adult disorders, bringing the benefits of cutting edge science to the patients.

Joshua Studdert is a laboratory-trained scientist with exceptional experience in project management and research planning and a proven talent for meeting deadlines and managing staff. Over the past 19 years, he has held various research, operational, and project management positions at Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) starting in the Embryology Research Unit, then moving to Operations, where he led continuous improvement projects. As the Scientific Core Facilities Engagement and Service Support Lead, he now oversees research projects utilising CMRI’s Research Facilities and is responsible for coordination of cross-facility services for academic and commercial customers across Australia.