I teach Chemistry at McGill University, and I work with undergraduate, MSc, PhD and postdoctoral students pursuing studies in Nucleic Acid Chemistry & Biology. With them, I have been developing chemically modified oligonucleotides and methods for their synthesis. Through our work, we have discovered many of them have properties that render them adaptable for numerous biological applications. In some cases, these studies have been essential in deciphering structure-function relationships between our oligomers and enzymatic machinery associated with the antisense, CRISPR-Cas9, RNAi, and RNA splicing pathways. We start with chemistry to design and construct molecules, test them biochemically/biophysically in vitro and then, through collaborative work, we apply them in live-cells and animal disease models (Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, ALS, etc.). For more information about our work, students, and scientific publications, please visit our website: damha-group.mcgill.ca/

Nathan Luedtke was raised in Seattle, where he earned a B.Sc. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of Washington. He then completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, San Diego, in the laboratory of Yitzhak Tor. Supported by an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship, he joined the laboratory of Alanna Schepartz at Yale University, where he developed a novel method for studying protein folding in living cells based on thiol–arsenic exchange chemistry. In 2006, Nathan began his independent academic career at the University of Zurich, where he was promoted to Full Professor and Endowed Chair of Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Since 2019, he has been a Full Professor of Chemistry at McGill University. His research focuses on the development of innovative chemical reactions and fluorescent probes for monitoring the dynamics of nucleic acids in cells and living organisms. In 2022, he was awarded a James McGill Professorship, and from 2024-2025 he served as Scientific Co-Director of D2R: DNA to RNA, a national Canadian initiative advancing genomic-based RNA therapeutics.

Nazarii Sabat is a permanent CNRS Research Scientist at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. Originally from Ukraine, he received his Master’s degree in Chemistry from the National University of Lviv. In 2012, he moved to Prague for his PhD at IOCB Prague and Charles University under the supervision of Prof. Michal Hocek. He later continued his scientific career in France through several postdoctoral positions between 2018 and 2022, developing expertise in medicinal chemistry, enantioselective catalysis, and the bioorganic chemistry of nucleic acids. In 2022, he joined Marcel Hollenstein’s team at the Institut Pasteur to work on novel enzymatic approaches to oligonucleotide synthesis, and in 2024 he was appointed to his current CNRS position. His research focuses on the chemical and enzymatic synthesis of modified oligonucleotides and their applications in chemical biology, therapeutics, and biotechnology

Laura Sepp-Lorenzino, Ph.D. is a biotech executive with expertise in drug development, particularly in nucleic acid therapies. Laura is Principal of GNMmeds LLC, consulting on genomic medicine research and development. She currently serves on the board of directors of Taysha Gene Therapies, AskBio Biopharmaceutical, URSA Medicines, the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, and the American Association of Cell and Gene Therapy. Additionally, she chairs the scientific advisory board of Travin Bio and is an SAB member for Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inverna Therapeutics, MRC’s U.K. Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator, and Arsenal Capital Partners. Previously, Laura was Chief Scientific Officer at Intellia Therapeutics (2019–2025), where she played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s strategic direction, fostering a robust and diversified CRISPR platform, and driving groundbreaking advances in in vivo genome editing. Under her leadership, Intellia demonstrated the first successful in vivo genome editing in humans and advanced two candidates into pivotal trials. Before Intellia, she served as VP, Head of Nucleic Acid Therapies at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, as well as VP and entrepreneur-in-residence at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, and Executive Director of RNA Therapeutics at Merck & Co. Laura’s expertise extends beyond nucleic acid therapies, encompassing oncology drug discovery and development, honed through leadership roles at Merck West Point and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She holds a professional degree in Biochemistry from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from New York University. She also contributes to the scientific community as an editorial board member of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics and Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids.

Antonio A. W. L. Wong (He/Him) works at the intersection of medical radiochemistry and nucleic acid chemistry, and he strongly believes that these underexplored intersections bring the most interesting questions and solutions to the table. His research develops enzymatic methods to install medical radiometals at precise, sequence-defined positions along a DNA strand (Angewandte Chemie, cover story), building toward programmable, analytically verifiable radiopharmaceuticals for cancer imaging and therapy. The same interest in pairing isotopes and metals with nucleic acid and radiopharmaceutical design shows up in his work on DNA-based PET imaging probes and DNAzyme selection — early proof that this platform has considerably more to give.

Santhosh Kumar Thatikonda currently serves as a Senior Principal Scientist and Nucleic Acid Drug Discovery Group Leader at Genentech. He is a recognized leader in nucleic acid design, specializing in novel ASO/siRNA platforms, monomer development, and targeted oligonucleotide delivery. Previously, he advanced pharmaceutical R&D at Aligos Therapeutics, Johnson & Johnson, ChemGenes Corporation, and the National Institutes of Health. Core Expertise & Research Focus: Therapeutic Modalities: He has extensive experience working with various oligonucleotide chemistries, including siRNA, ASOs, and STOPs/NAPs, to develop novel classes of modified nucleic acids. Disease Areas: His therapeutic focus spans oncology, central nervous system (CNS) disorders, and infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and HBV. Targeted Delivery: He pioneers strategies to deliver nucleic acids to extrahepatic tissues, including the lung, tumors, and CNS, utilizing lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) and lipid-conjugated siRNAs. Nucleoside Chemistry: He demonstrates a proven ability to design and synthesize modified nucleosides for commercialization, with specific applications in antiviral treatments, oncology (targeting STING), and cardiovascular diseases (targeting GPCRs).