Meet our Keynote speakers
Dr. Anna Blakney
Assistant Professor
University of British Columbia
Dr. Natalie Grandvaux
Full Professor
Universite de Montreal
Dr. Anna Blakney is an Assistant Professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in the Michael Smith Laboratories and School of Biomedical Engineering at UBC. She received her Bachelor of Science in Chemical & Biological Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and her PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Washington. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Imperial College London on the development of molecular and biomaterial engineering strategies for delivery of self-amplifying RNA. Her lab uses bioengineering, molecular biology and immunology approaches to develop the next generation of RNA vaccines and therapies. Her research has been published in a variety of top tier journals including ACS Nano, Nature Communications, Molecular Therapy, Biomaterials, Journal of Controlled Release, and Advanced Materials. She is also a passionate science communicator and runs a TikTok channel dedicated to educating the public about RNA biotechnology, which now has >250,000 followers and >18M views. Dr. Blakney has received numerous awards and recognitions including the 2023 MIT Tech Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35, 2022 Gairdner Early Career Investigator Award, the 2021 UBC President’s Award for Public Education Through Media, the 2021 American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy Award Science Communication Award and the 2022 Controlled Release Society Gene Delivery and Editing Focus Group Young Investigator Award.
Dr. Nathalie Grandvaux is a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the Université de Montréal and a senior researcher at the Research Center of the Université de Montréal Hospital Center (CRCHUM) since 2005. Since 2020, she has served as the Deputy Scientific Director for Student and Postdoctoral Affairs at CRCHUM, supporting the next generation of scientists.
Dr. Grandvaux leads a cutting-edge research program focused on combating respiratory viruses. Her primary research investigates the molecular mechanisms driving interferon-mediated antiviral responses, with a special focus on the role of redox metabolism. This work aims to identify new therapeutic targets for the development of host-targeted broad-spectrum antivirals that can act independently or in synergy with direct antivirals. Her research also extends to developing transformative treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, including rare disorders such as interferonopathies. In addition, Dr. Grandvaux and her team actively collaborate on projects characterizing the infectivity of respiratory viruses in bioaerosols, addressing critical public health challenges.
She is a frequent invited speaker at conferences in Canada and abroad. She is also regularly called upon to review grant programs and serve on several advisory committees. She chaired the Respiratory System panel at CIHR and is currently a member of the advisory committee for CIHR's Institute III.
Highly engaged in the community, she is a co-founder and former president of the Canadian Society for Virology, serving as its president until Dec. 2020. She also co-founded and co-directed the Quebec COVID -Pandemic Network and was Deputy of the Antiviral Strategies and Antiviral Therapeutics pillar of the CoVaRR-Net network.
A sought-after voice in the scientific community, Dr. Grandvaux frequently engages with the media, advocating for evidence-based science and promoting public understanding of key biomedical topics.
​
​