Oligonucleotide therapeutics hold great promise, but extrahepatic delivery remains a challenge. Antibody–oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) are emerging as a powerful solution – provided you can master conjugation chemistry, DAR control, analytical characterization, and functional assessment.
In this recorded webinar, our experts from Medicilon cover:
- How conjugation chemistry impacts AOC consistency and developability
- Why DAR control is critical for quality, stability, and characterization
- Practical integration of AEX, SEC, and MS for purification & structural verification
- In vitro platforms to evaluate target knockdown, cellular uptake, off-target effects
- Key differences between AOCs and ADCs – and cross-learning opportunities
Moderator: Dr. Qingcong Lin
President of Medicilon USA Corp.
Dr. Qingcong Lin holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. He has conducted molecular genetics research in Raju Kucherlapati’s laboratory at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. He has served as the Director of the Gene Modification Laboratory at Harvard-Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics (HPCGG). He has also published 24 papers in prestigious international journals such as MCB, JBC and holds multiple invention patents.
Having worked in the pharmaceutical R&D field for nearly 40 years, Dr. Lin has not only made significant impacts in academics but also contributed remarkably to the global pharmaceutical industry. Before joining Medicilon, Dr. Lin held positions such as Senior Scientist II, Principal Research Scientist I & II, and Director of Molecular Genetics Laboratory at Wyeth Research; Principal Research Scientist II and Group Leader at Pfizer Research; Senior VP of Biology and Antibody R&D at Shenogen Pharma Group; and SVP of Beijing Biocytogen, CEO of Biocytogen Boston Corp.
Dr. Lin has established subsidiary companies for multinational corporations, built multiple scientific teams, and has excellent drug R&D experience gained in more than 100 projects. Dr. Lin has accumulated rich experience in project development and management in antibody drug development, establishment of hybridoma cell antibodies and human phage antibody libraries, antibody gene engineering, antibody humanization, affinity maturation, and mammalian cell antibody drug production.
Topic: Practical Applications of Antibody-Oligonucleotide Conjugates: Conjugation Chemistry, DAR Control, and Characterization Analysis
Speaker: Dr. Ao Huang
Head of Medicilon Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Platform
Dr. Ao Huang has been engaged in the R&D and translation of nucleic acid drugs, with comprehensive R&D experience covering the entire industrial chain from target screening, sequence design, nucleoside modification and delivery system construction to preclinical evaluation.
Dr. Huang Ao earned his Ph.D. from Tongji University, with a research focus on chemical biology. During his doctoral studies, he specialized in the immunoanalysis of Tau protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease. During doctoral studies, focused on the research of Alzheimer’s disease-related targets and immunodiagnostics. Later, dedicated to the development of various nucleic acid platforms in the industry, including siRNA, mRNA and self-replicating RNA, and presided over the development of a variety of novel modified nucleosides and delivery vectors such as GalNAc and extrahepatic targeting liposomes.
He has successfully advanced multiple nucleic acid drugs into IIT clinical trials, and led the development of liposome injection and in vivo CAR-T projects, with strong project management and technology translation capabilities. Has published a number of international academic papers and holds several invention patents, with systematic accumulation and practical achievements in the R&D and industrialization of nucleic acid drugs.
Topic: In vitro assessment platforms for oligonucleotide-based therapeutics at Medicilon
Speaker: Dr. Amy (Zichun) Wang
Executive Director of Biology, Medicilon
Dr. Amy (Zichun) Wang joined Shanghai Medicilon in May 2025 as Executive Director of Biology Division. In this role, she leads the team in providing in vitro technology support for global clients. Previously, she served as Senior Director of Biology and Pharmacology at ChemPartner (2023–2025), overseeing daily operations of the Cell Biology and Immuno-Inflammation Groups.
Dr. Wang earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Virology from the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine. Following her doctorate, she conducted postdoctoral research in Molecular and Cellular Immunology at the NIH and Harvard Medical School in the US, publishing multiple papers in internationally renowned journals and delivering oral/poster presentations at leading academic conferences.
After transitioning to industry in 2006, Dr. Wang dedicated 17 years to early-stage drug development in oncology, immuno-oncology, autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, and Alzheimer’s disease therapeutics. She held key positions at MGI Pharma, Eisai Inc., and FogPharma, leading or contributing to the R&D of eleven novel drug candidates. Among these, two first-in-class small-molecule and peptide drugs advanced to clinical trials, demonstrating potential benefits for cancer patients.
