Jonathan Jacobs | Senior Director, Bioinformatics & Genomics
ATCC

Dr. Jonathan L. Jacobs is Senior Director of Bioinformatics at ATCC, where he leads the organization’s digital biology strategy, oversees the Sequencing & Bioinformatics Center, and directs development of authenticated reference genomes and high‑quality ’omics datasets through the ATCC Genome Portal. With more than two decades of experience spanning molecular genetics, pathogen genomics, biosurveillance, and bioinformatics, he has previously led global bioinformatics software portfolios at QIAGEN Digital Insights and directed biodefense genomics programs at MRIGlobal, including the first OCONUS deployment of a validated metagenomics platform for emerging pathogen detection. His research has contributed to over 30 peer‑reviewed publications across microbial genomics, host–pathogen interactions, and infectious disease surveillance, and he leads ATCC’s role under the DARPA‑funded SWITCH program. Dr. Jacobs serves as an Editor for ASM’s Microbiology Spectrum and holds a joint faculty appointment at Syracuse University’s Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute. He earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from the University of Maryland and completed postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute.

Appearances:

Pre-Congress Workshops - Monday 30th March @ 10:00

BIODEFENSE & BIOSECURITY WORKSHOP

10:00 – 10:05 Opening RemarksWorkshop Co-Chairs: Taylor Sexton, Executive Director, Medical Countermeasures CoalitionDr Matthew Hepburn, Partner, Avinora Health

10:05– 10:30 Opening keynote TBC

10:30 – 11.30am Securing the Nation: Aligning U.S. Strategic Priorities, Investment, and Technology in Biodefense

Strategic Priorities: Outlining the specific threats (e.g., emerging pathogens, select agents, or novel delivery systems) that are driving current policy and planning.
Investment Areas: Identifying critical funding priorities for the next generation of medical countermeasures, platform technologies, and supply chain resilience.
Technological Frontiers: Discussing promising new technologies, such as on-demand manufacturing, continuous fermentation for therapeutics, and advanced modeling/diagnostics, that are essential to achieving rapid response capabilities.Moderator: Vic Suarez, Founder and Principal Growth Partner, Blu Zone BioDr Mike Stebbins, Senior Vice President, ATI COL John Nuckols, PhD, JPM CPE-CBRN Medical *TBCMaj Gen(ret) Paul Friedrichs, MD, Senior Adviser, CSIS Global Health Policy CenterDr Kara Schmid, Director, Center for Military Psychiatry & Neuroscience, WRAIRDr Jean-Hu Primmer, Senior Director, Global Regulatory Strategy, Infectious Diseases, Moderna

11.30 – 12.30pm Panel: Redefining Preclinical Development: Non-clinical models to support development and licensure
Transition from animal models
Organ-on-a-Chip, In Silico Models & Regulatory Pathways
Integration of new models into FDA submissions
Implications for accelerated approvalModerator: Dr Bassam Hallis, Deputy Director, Head of Vaccine Development & Evaluation Centre, UKHSADr Girija Goyal, Principal Scientist, Advanced Technology Team, Wyss Institute Dr Ruth Cheng, CEO, ATCCDr Tom King, VP of Nonclinical R&D, Sabin Vaccine InstituteDr Javier Castillo-Olivares, Preclinical Lead – Coronavirus / Disease X, CEPI

BIODEFENSE & BIOSECURITY (PM)Room 2012pm Afternoon co-chair’s opening remarks: Taylor Sexton, Executive Director, Medical Countermeasures CoalitionDr Matthew Hepburn, Partner, Avinora Health

2:10 – 2.30pm Emerging tools and partnerships supporting outbreak response and biodefense *Title TBCDr Nahid Bhadelia, Founding Director, CEID; Founding Director, BEACON; Associate Professor, Infectious Diseases, Boston University Medical School

2:30 – 2:50pm Ensuring Assay Integrity: The Role of Authenticated Reference Data in BiodefenseJonathan Jacobs, Senior Director of Bioinformatics, ATCC

2:50 – 3:10pm Presentation TBC

3:10- 4:10pm Panel: Biosecurity & Bots: Setting the Guardrails for AI in Vaccine R&D
Identifying and mitigating the risks of AI "hallucination" and erroneous data in vaccine research and development.
Establishing oversight and accountability to safeguard AI tools, especially concerning drug safety and efficacy.
The need for "AI police" or quality assurance to check code and validate AI outputs before they impact clinical trials.
Discussing the challenge of moving away from manual expertise and the potential loss of human validation in pharmacovigilance and research.
Examining the biosecurity implications of unregulated AI tools in creating novel molecules and designing preclinical models for vaccines.
Forecasting Future Biothreats: Integrating AI and Global Surveillance.
Exploring predictive analytics, AI-driven bio-surveillance, and early warning systems. Hansilla Alaigh, CEO & Founder, Global Action AllianceNikki Romanik, Co-Founder, BioRadar Public Benefit CompanyPatrick Boyle , Interim CSO, ATCC Dr Anne Cheever, Founder, Vela Scientific LLC

4:10pm End of Workshop