Oncology, Radiology and Cancer Treatment

Raphaël is a visionary biotech executive with over 27 years of experience in commercial strategy, drug development, and product lifecycle management. He has held senior leadership positions at leading pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis Oncology, Celgene, and Bristol Myers Squibb, building a distinguished 22-year career in oncology and hematology. Over the past decade, he has specialized in immuno-oncology and cell therapy, founding NKILT Therapeutics, Inc. in 2021 and previously establishing ANIM8 LLC to advise early-stage biotech companies. He holds advanced degrees in Physiology and Neurosciences from the University of Bordeaux I & II and an MBA from IAE Tours University. His work is dedicated to accelerating innovative cancer therapies and improving patient outcomes worldwide.

Dr. Joe Perez is a technology executive, international keynote speaker, bestselling author, and data analytics expert with over 40 years of professional experience in information technology, business intelligence, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation. He serves as Senior Systems Specialist at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) and Chief Technology Officer at CogniMind. Throughout his career, Dr. Perez has delivered keynote presentations at conferences across more than 20 countries, sharing practical insights on AI, data-driven decision-making, and innovation. He is the author of the bestselling book Igniting the Data Dance and is widely recognized for his engaging presentation style and ability to translate complex technical concepts into actionable strategies for diverse audiences.

Dr. Merve Yıldırım Canpolat is a genetic engineer and bioengineer specialising in plant-derived exosome technology. She completed her MSc and PhD in Biotechnology at Yeditepe University, with thesis work on the anticancer activity of garlic exosomes and on plant-derived exosomes for cartilage repair. She is co-founder of Cellestetix Biotechnology and of SickScience Labs, and chairs the scientific committee of the Cancer-Free Life Support Association (Türkiye). Her work covers exosome isolation and characterisation, CRISPR-Cas delivery systems, wound healing and oncology, supported by TUSEB and TUBITAK-funded projects, and she is named on three patents for plant-derived extracellular vesicle products.

María Bueno Álvez recently earned her PhD from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden. She conducted her doctoral research under the supervision of Professor Mathias Uhlén at SciLifeLab, where her work focused on plasma proteomics and the identification of circulating protein signatures associated with a broad spectrum of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular, metabolic, autoimmune, infectious, and pediatric conditions. Her research contributed to the Human Disease Blood Atlas, a comprehensive resource aimed at mapping the circulating proteome across diseases and throughout the human lifespan to support biomarker discovery and precision medicine. María holds a BSc in Genetics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and an MSc in Molecular Techniques in Life Science from KTH, Karolinska Institutet, and Stockholm University. Her interests include developing bioinformatics methods and interactive data resources to enable the exploration and interpretation of large-scale proteomics datasets, while fostering open science and collaborative research.

Mariano Votta is the Director of the Active Citizenship Network, the European branch of the Italian NGO Cittadinanzattiva, and is responsible for EU Affairs. With over 25 years of experience, he specializes in advocacy, stakeholder engagement, communication, European Public Affairs, and EU-funded projects, focusing particularly on health and consumer issues. He holds a degree in Political Science and postgraduate master's degrees in European Public Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility. A journalist and author of more than 50 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, Mariano is widely recognized for his contributions to patients’ rights. In 2015, he led the launch of the EU Parliament Interest Group on Patients’ Rights and Cross-Border Healthcare. He received the Efhre International University Excellence Award in 2016.