Vesa T.

Vesa T. has a diverse and extensive work experience in the field of gene and cell therapy. They currently hold the position of Head of Viral Vector at NecstGen, where they are responsible for overseeing the development and production of viral vectors. Prior to this role, Vesa served as the Associate Head and Lead Scientist of Viral Vector.

Before joining NecstGen, Vesa worked at the Kuopio Center for Gene and Cell Therapy (KCT) as the Head of Analytical Core. In this role, they provided leadership and technical expertise in the development and routine use of analytical assays for gene and cell therapy products. They also served as a member of the company's operational board.

Vesa's previous experience includes working as a Senior Scientist at FinVector Oy, where they were involved in project management and scientific issues related to upstream process development in the manufacturing of recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) using bioreactors. They also worked as a Project Manager and Senior Scientist at FinVector Oy, where they coordinated oncolytic adenovirus GMP manufacturing and participated in cleanroom manufacturing operations.

Additionally, Vesa has research experience as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on retroviral biology and antiretroviral drug research. They were involved in study planning, guiding PhD students, and hands-on work including live HIV studies, crystallization experiments, and electron microscopy.

Early in their career, Vesa worked at Ark Therapeutics, where they held multiple roles including Scientist and IATOD biosafety officer, Research Scientist, Junior Research Scientist, and Research Graduate. Their responsibilities included the development, scale-up, optimization, and support of manufacturing processes and analytical assays for gene therapy products, as well as lentiviral vector research and production.

Before their career in gene and cell therapy, Vesa worked as an Intelligence Officer at KFOR.

Vesa T. completed a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Molecular Medicine at the University of Eastern Finland from 2007 to 2013. Prior to that, from 2002 to 2007, Vesa earned a Master of Science (MSc.) degree in Biochemistry from the same institution. In 2014 to 2016, Vesa attended the Wine School of Philadelphia, although no degree or field of study is specified for this period.