Annabelle Biscans, PhD
Associate Principal Scientist, AstraZeneca
Former RTI Lab: Postdoctoral Fellow, Khvorova Lab
Training Period: 2016 - 2020
Prior Academic Degree Institution: Institute des Biomolécules Max Mousseron, France
Before joining the Oligonucleotide chemistry team at AstraZeneca R&D in Göteborg, Sweden, Dr. Annabelle Biscans was a postdoctoral associate at the RNA Therapeutics Institute at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, MA, USA in Anastasia Khvorova’s lab, one of the pioneers in oligonucleotide therapeutics research. There, she made major contributions to the development of novel chemical platforms for enhancing the delivery and uptake of siRNA therapeutics. Dr. Biscans designed and identified novel conjugated siRNAs that enable safe, sustainable and robust silencing in various extra-hepatic tissues including muscle, heart, and lung. This crucial discovery allows for the targeting of several new targets for therapeutic intervention and advance the oligonucleotide therapeutics field.