Speaker Profile

Ph.D., Professor, UCSF; Senior Vice President, UCSF/Altos Labs

Biography
Dr. El-Samad’s research group seeks to deliver insights into biological feedback control, unraveling evolutionary successful principles of feedback strategies that are most appropriate for the biological substrate and achieving understanding at the right depth and granularity for forward engineering them with predictable outcomes. A major current focus of her research is to enable measurement of feedback in living cells, synthetic technologies to program cellular function, and theoretical frameworks to quantify biological homeostasis and resilience. Her goal at Altos labs is to rationally reprogram cells to a state of health and resilience.


Talk
Programming Health
In this talk, we discuss how cellular therapies can benefit from precise and programmable control. Through this lens, we also discuss how the ambitious future of this field relies on a diverse workforce powering equitable and ethically informed therapeutical advances.


 Session Abstract – PMWC 2023 Silicon Valley

Track 1 - January 25 9.00 A.M.-4.15 P.M.


Track Co-Chairs:
Yael Weiss, Mahzi
Peter Marks, FDA

  • Welcome and Opening by Track Chairs: Yael Weiss, Mahzi
  • PMWC 2023 Luminary Award Ceremony
    - Allyson Berent, Angelman Foundation
    - Terry Pirovolakis, CureSPG50
  • From Bench to Bedside - Biomarkers, Natural History Studies, Animal Models (PANEL)
    Chair: Peter Marks, FDA (Allyson Berent, FAST)
    - Emil Kakkis, Ultragenyx
    - Alysson Muotri, UCSD
    - Nasha Fitter, Invitae
  • Commercialization - Moving from Rare to Common (PANEL)
    Chair: Matthew Patterson, Vor Bio
    - Shankar Ramaswamy, Kriya
    - Rahul Singhvi, Resilience
    - Sarah Glass, Ultragenyx
    - Andrew Lo, MIT
    - Mark Harrison, University of British Colombia
  • Future Modalities (PANEL)
    Chair: Shannon Muir, CIAPM
    - Nadav Ahituv, UCSF
    - Amber Salzman, Epic Bio
    - Ben Oakes, Scribe Therapeutics
  • PMWC NCI Showcase
    - Michael M. Binkley, OpenCell
  • Cellular Rejuvenation Programming
    - Hana El-Samad, UCSF
  • Bioethics & Ethical Implications in Cell and Gene Therapies
    - Hank Greely, Stanford
  • Patient Driven Therapies: The Challenges and Successes (PANEL)
    Chair: Yael Weiss, Mahzi
    - Terry Pirovolakis, CureSPG50
    - Allyson Berent, Angelman Foundation
  • PMWC Showcase - Peter Marinkovich, Stanford