I am the CEO and co-founder of SiVEC Biotechnologies, a company based in Fort Collins, CO, an R&D company with a tissue specific nucleic acid delivery platform for therapeutic and vaccine development. I have a PhD in Infectious Disease Epidemiology and a Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering from Colorado State University. SiVEC Biotechnologies’ R&D efforts are centered on developing a delivery platform for nucleic acid therapeutics, mRNA vaccines and gene-editing therapies. Safe, robust, targeted delivery is essential for nucleic acid drugs and genome editors, yet delivery remains the primary obstacle to realizing their potential in human and animal medicine. SiVEC has a platform that can overcome these delivery hurdles. We are using a bacterial delivery platform and are aggressively expanding our IP to use this platform for a wide range of therapeutic pipelines (RNAi, mRNA, CRISPR/Cas9). This platform is a delivery breakthrough in the field of nucleic acid therapeutics. SiVEC's lead indication is an siRNA therapeutic for influenza, SiVEC-IAV™, for fast-acting, cost-effective, universal protection against seasonal and pandemic flu. In preclinical efficacy studies, SiVEC-IAV provided significant protection against influenza in several animal models and the company has been awarded $3.3 million from NIH/NIAID to begin IND-enabling studies. SiVEC is also developing an antiviral technology to be rapidly applied on-farm as a sprayed aerosol to treat and prevent all types of avian flu viruses in poultry. With over 15 years’ R&D experience related to novel therapeutics, antivirals, and diagnostic tests, I have secured over $4M in grants & sponsored research and am the lead inventor on over 10 issued and pending patents. I represent the next generation of highly-motivated CEOs, aimed at applying cutting edge tools for solving current and future challenges in human and animal medicine. I thrive in a fast-paced environment that values innovation and out-of-the-box approaches. I'm interested in nucleic acid therapeutics, mRNA delivery, CRISPR and gene editing, RNA interference, and antiviral research and development. For fun, I love to backpack and fly fish in the great outdoors of Colorado, spending time with my quirky malamute, June, competitive swimming (former Olympic Trials qualifier), and traveling to some incredibly beautiful destinations (favorite is New Zealand) with my wonderful husband.