Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA, Purdue Institute for Cancer Research, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA;
Dr. Andrea Kasinski is a Full Professor in Biological Sciences at Purdue University, Deputy Director of the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research, and Co-Founder and CEO of LigamiR Therapeutics. She earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Emory University under the mentorship of Dr. Haian Fu before completing her postdoctoral training with Dr. Frank J. Slack at Yale University, where she focused on microRNA biology. In 2013, she joined Purdue University as a tenure-track faculty member in the Department of Biological Sciences. Dr. Kasinski’s research focuses on uncovering epigenetic mechanisms in cancer and translating these insights into novel therapeutics. She was among the first to demonstrate that therapeutic microRNAs can be effectively delivered without protective carriers, reducing the toxic side effects associated with traditional delivery vehicles. Additionally, she pioneered the development of a fully modified version of the tumor-suppressive microRNA, miR-34a—findings that have resulted in her establishing LigamiR Therapeutics, which she will highlight in her presentation.