Droplet Digital PCR World 2025

Stephen Ollosi is a molecular biologist with extensive experience in gene therapy, particularly in adeno‑associated virus (AAV) development and production. He is currently the Associate Director of Molecular Biology at Jaguar Gene Therapy. He holds a Master of Science in Molecular Biology from Loyola University. His expertise spans AAV vector design, assay development, and cell‑based studies, with a strong focus on analytical method development. At Jaguar Gene Therapy, Stephen leads a team that provides analytical testing services to external partners‑delivering cutting‑edge methods and high-quality data to advance gene therapy development across the industry.

Dr. Adriana Ibarra holds a PhD in Biomedical Research and serves as the co‑lead of the QC department at QUATRE Lab. With extensive international experience in metabolic research, Dr. Ibarra develops customized techniques to meet client‑specific needs, focusing on comprehensive qualifications. She has a solid background in islet and pancreatic biology, as well as hormone physiology and signaling. An expert in primary tissue isolation and stem cell culture, she is skilled in a wide variety of cellular and molecular assays.

Dr. Curtis Hughesman is a research and development laboratory scientist in the clinical genetics and genomics laboratory at BC Cancer. Among his many roles in this position, one that he enjoys the most is being responsible for the development, validation and implementation of molecular diagnostic tests, including ddPCR based assays, that are aimed at improving diagnosis and treatment for patients in BC. Examples of ddPCR based assays that have been deployed for clinical testing at BC Cancer includes detecting resistant mutation in ctDNA from lung cancer patients, minimum residual disease (MRD) monitoring in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) patients and confirming germline copy number variations detected by hereditary cancer NGS testing. Dr. Hughesman is a professional engineer and holds a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of British Columbia. His research work during his Ph.D and Post-Doctoral focused on developing unique assays for qPCR and ddPCR, several of which were adopted by BC Cancer for clinical testing.

Laura Dillon, PhD, FACMG is a Research Associate Professor at the Virginia Tech FBRI Cancer Research Center in Washington, DC. She received her BS from Virginia Tech in 2006 and her PhD from Wake Forest University in 2012. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Virginia in 2015. In 2020 she completed the Medical Genetics and Genomic Medicine fellowship training program at the National Human Genome Research Institute and is ABMGG board‑certified in Laboratory Genetics and Genomics. Dr. Dillon performs translational research focused on developing high sensitivity genomic tools for the detection of measurable residual disease in Acute Myeloid Leukemia patients after treatment, with the goal of predicting which patients may be at risk of relapse and whom may benefit from additional therapy.

Dr. Laura Muinelo is the Head of the Liquid Biopsy Analysis Unit at Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS) and co‑coordinator of the Liquid Biopsy working group of CIBERONC. The Unit is specialized in the study of circulating biomarkers, mainly CTCs and ctDNA, as a tool to characterize tumors and develop a more personalized oncology. Her research is focused on the validation and application of liquid biopsy in the context of MRD detection, treatment selection and monitoring for different solid tumours, and specially for endometrial cancer.

Colin Guy is Senior Manager, GMP R&D, BioPharmaceutical CMC Solutions at Labcorp. He gained a PhD from the University of Nottingham in biochemistry in 2006, and following post-doctoral studies, he joined Labcorp in 2010. He has a broad range of experience within the biochemistry field including liquid chromatography, capillary and gel electrophoresis and ligand binding assays. As a senior manager within the GMP R&D team at Labcorp BioPharmaceutical CMC Solutions, he is responsible for the scientific oversight of analytical development for a range of modalities including monoclonal antibodies, vaccines and C>. Within this role, Colin provides scientific leadership and technical guidance to ensure appropriate methods are employed to monitor the CQAs of therapeutics throughout the product life cycle.

Annemarie Martin is a molecular biologist with a strong background in biotechnology and physiology. She holds a B.Sc. in Biotechnology from Lausitz University of Applied Sciences and an M.Sc. in Molecular Biology and Physiology from Ernst Moritz Arndt University. Her academic journey included research stays at renowned institutions such as the Dana‑Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Charité University Hospital in Berlin. Professionally, she has gained extensive experience in both academic research and applied diagnostics. From 2015 to 2018, she worked as a research associate at the Technical University of Berlin, focusing on zinc‑mediated signal transduction in mammalian cells. Since 2019, she has been involved in planning and analyzing interlaboratory comparison studies at a Berlin‑based diagnostics company with a focus on quality control processes and samples, where she currently leads a Droplet Digital™ PCR project.

Dr. Adriana Ibarra holds a PhD in Biomedical Research and serves as the co‑lead of the QC department at QUATRE Lab. With extensive international experience in metabolic research, Dr. Ibarra develops customized techniques to meet client‑specific needs, focusing on comprehensive qualifications. She has a solid background in islet and pancreatic biology, as well as hormone physiology and signaling. An expert in primary tissue isolation and stem cell culture, she is skilled in a wide variety of cellular and molecular assays.

Peter Braun is currently the Head of Molecular Biotechnology at the Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP, focusing on Immunology, Infection, and Pandemic Research. Previously, he served as a Group Leader and Research Scientist at the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology in Munich, specializing in bacteriology, toxicology, and anthrax research.

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