Attaining Precision, Cell-Specific Targeted Gene Delivery with Peptide Direct Conjugates (PDC)™
Andre Watson
Chairman and CEO, Ligandal
The speaker did not provide an abstract for this talk.
Watson’s current work focuses on AI-driven biomolecular design, creating predictive peptides and receptor-targeting ligands that are engineered to precisely deliver nanoparticles, gene-editing tools, drugs, and nucleic acids to specific cells and tissues. This approach aims to enhance therapeutic specificity, reduce toxicity, and accelerate the development of curative and preventative delivery of therapeutics. Previously, while researching at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he developed gene-editing delivery platforms for guided nucleases like CRISPR and TALEN. Today, he applies AI and predictive physics to rapidly generate and evaluate novel targeting agents, mapping uncharted receptor-ligand relationships as an enabling technology for biopharmaceutical delivery systems. With over 80 pending global patents (22 approved, 6 allowed), Watson’s work pioneered integrating cell surface transcriptomics, predictive targeting ligand design, and drug and gene delivery systems. He and his team aim to transform how we approach the world’s most challenging diseases, advancing the frontier of precision therapeutics and diagnostically-responsive medicine.