Learning objectives

1. Understand the design principles behind ionizable lipids used in LNP-based mRNA delivery, including combinatorial and machine-learning-guided design strategies.
2. Learn how four-component reactions enable rapid, combinatorial generation of ionizable lipid libraries.
3. Explore barcoded in vivo screening approaches for identifying organ- and cell-targeted LNP formulations (e.g., lung, T cells, tumor).
4. See how AI-guided LNP platforms are applied to mRNA therapeutics.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Bowen Li is a tenured Associate Professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, and an Affiliate Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. He holds the Canada Research Chair in RNA Vaccines and Therapeutics, and the GSK Chair in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery. His lab works at the interface of artificial intelligence, molecular bioengineering, and biomaterials to develop nucleic acid therapeutics and nonviral delivery systems with predictive control across molecular, cellular, and in vivo scales. Dr. Li has authored more than 70 publications in leading journals, including Cell, Science, Nature Biotechnology, Nature Materials, and Nature Biomedical Engineering. He has received numerous honors, including the Breakthrough T1D Innovative Award, Terry Fox New Investigator Award, Gairdner Early Career Award, Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Scholar Award, University of Toronto Innovator of the Year Award, AAPS Emerging Leader Award, Marsha Morton Early Career Investigator Award, Moderna Fellowship, and Ontario Early Researcher Award.