Annabelle Biscans, PhD

Associate Principal Scientist - Oligonucleotide Chemistry at AstraZeneca

Annabelle Biscans is an Associate Principal Scientist in the Oligonucleotide Chemistry team at AstraZeneca R&D, Sweden. She has a robust expertise in designing and developing novel chemical modalities to improve oligonucleotide therapeutic delivery. Before joining AstraZeneca, she was a postdoctoral associate at the RNA Therapeutics Institute, USA in Anastasia Khvorova’s lab, one of the pioneers in oligonucleotide therapeutics research. There, she made major contributions to the development of novel chemical platforms for enhancing the delivery and uptake of siRNA therapeutics. She was able to design and identify novel conjugated siRNAs that enable safe, sustainable and robust silencing in various extra-hepatic tissues including muscle, heart, and lung. This crucial discovery allows for the targeting of several new targets for therapeutic intervention and advance the oligonucleotide therapeutics field.