Dr. Baek Kim is Professor, Schinazi Family Distinguished Professor in Biomedical Research, and Director of Pediatrics Center for Drug Discovery in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia).
He is also a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Research Scholar. Dr. Kim graduated from Kyung-Hee University (Seoul, South Korea) with an RPh degree and graduated from the University of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona) with a PhD in Biochemistry. He completed his postdoctoral training in Virology and Biochemistry (HIV-1) at the University of Washington (Seattle, Washington). He started his independent research on HIV-1 and other infectious pathogens including influenza virus at the University of Rochester Medical Center (Department of Microbiology and Immunology; Rochester, New York) and was promoted to full professor. Dr. Kim moved to Emory University in 2013 and continues his research on HIV-1 and other infectious viral pathogens. His current research activities in Emory University include molecular biology, enzymology, protein chemistry, structural biology, and evolution of HIV-1 proteins and enzymes as well as host factors.
Recently, he is also involved in research activities on the replication machinery and evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Dr. Kim served as both regular and ad hoc members in various NIH grant review study sections for more than 15 years, and he also conducted various external consultation activities for both pharmaceutical industry and non-profit sectors. Dr. Kim also served as a visiting professor/researcher in multiple international research institutes including Deakin University (School of Medicine: Geelong, Australia), Kyung-Hee University (School of Pharmacy: Seoul, South Korea), and Institute of Human Genetics (Montpellier, France).
Matt Kane is a biotechnology CEO, entrepreneur, and board member with a successful track record of building and scaling venture-backed university spinouts. He has executed strategic partnerships exceeding $4.7B in value, raised more than $490M in equity and debt financing, and led a $145M IPO. A pioneer in genome editing, Mr. Kane has driven multiple first-in-field breakthroughs, including leading the first in vivo gene insertion therapeutic, first antiviral epigenetic editing therapy, and the first gene editing in non-human primates. His work additionally spans the development of allogeneic cell therapies for oncology and autoimmune disease, as well as the first demonstrations of gene editing in plants and aquaculture.
Professor Raymond F. Schinazi, PhD, Hon DSc, FAASLD, is the Frances Winship Walters Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Center for ViroScience and Cure, and the Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology at Emory University. Dr. Schinazi holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Bath, England (1976). Dr. Schinazi has authored over 600 peer-reviewed papers and 6 books. He holds over 100 issued US patents, which have resulted in 28 New Drug Applications (NDA). Dr. Schinazi is best known for his pioneering work on HIV, HBV and HCV drugs including FTC (emtricitabine), LdT (telbivudine), and sofosbuvir (Sovaldi). More than 94% of HIV-infected individuals in the US on combination therapy take at least one of the drugs he invented. He is also the inventor of the use of baricitinib, a JAK inhibitor for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
He is the founder of several successful companies including Pharmasset Inc, Idenix Inc, and Triangle Pharmaceuticals. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including: 2018 France’s highest civilian honor, the Légion D’honneur, for saving millions of lives globally; the AASLD Distinguished Achievement Award, and is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Schinazi is internationally recognized as one of the most influential persons in the life science sector.
Andrea Cox is currently a Professor of Medicine and Oncology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. She earned her Ph.D. studying T cell immunology at The University of Virginia. She subsequently completed an M.D. and then Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease training at Johns Hopkins. As a member of the Viral Hepatitis Center in the Division of Infectious Diseases, she specializes in the treatment of patients with hepatitis virus infections and HIV. Her laboratory investigates human immune responses to viral vaccines and infections and in hepatitis C virus (HCV) vaccine development. She is the PI of a U19 investigating mechanisms of spontaneous and vaccine mediated HCV control to direct rational development of a novel HCV vaccine and co-led the Johns Hopkins SARS-CoV-2 Pathogenesis and Immunity Center. She was the principal investigator on the first prophylactic HCV vaccine trial implemented in an at-risk population and the lead immunologist on an ACTG trial of HBV vaccines in people living with HIV. She is a Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America and a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society.
Justin Bailey is a Professor of Medicine in the Infectious Diseases Division at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He earned M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine through the Medical Scientist Training Program, studying immune control of HIV infection. He subsequently completed Internal Medicine residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital, and then returned to Johns Hopkins for fellowship training in Infectious Diseases, joining the faculty in 2013. Clinically, he cares for patients with HIV and viral hepatitis infections. His research is focused on studies of protective antibody and B cell responses against hepatitis C virus (HCV) and other viruses, and development of HCV vaccines.
Caitlin Shepard is a motivated scientist with strong communication skills and a proven ability to stay organized and adaptable. She is known for her collaborative spirit, attention to detail, and enthusiasm for both scientific discovery and teamwork. Caitlin is experienced in lab management, research collaboration, and cross-functional coordination.
As Director of Administration at XARNA Medical, she leads internal operations and facilitate cross-functional collaboration to ensure organizational efficiency and strategic alignment. She focuses on connecting people—both within the company and across external partnerships—to drive progress toward delivering novel medical therapies. Her role supports everything from daily administrative functions to high-level project coordination.
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