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Officers 2026–2027
To email the Biotechnology Specialty Section Leadership, please send an email to SOTHQ@toxicology.org. Biographies Hervé Lebrec, PharmD, PhD, DABTDr. Hervé Lebrec is Vice President, Development Sciences, at Sonoma Biotherapeutics where he oversees nonclinical safety, pharmacokinetics, and clinical pharmacology functions. Sonoma Biotherapeutics is developing engineered regulatory T cells for autoimmune diseases. Prior to joining Sonoma Bio, he served as Executive Director of Translational Safety at Amgen Inc. where he was responsible for leading a team of toxicologists and laboratory-based scientists responsible for the nonclinical safety assessment of multiple types of products (small molecules, antibodies, oncolytic viruses, siRNAs, engineered T cells) from lead optimization through post-marketing phases. In that function, Dr. Lebrec also contributed to the preparation of first-in-human oncology clinical study protocols for proper integration of nonclinical data and translational safety information. Dr. Lebrec also supported oncology related business development efforts through fit-for-purpose evaluations. Prior to this, Dr. Lebrec was a Principal Scientist and Scientific Director in translational safety at Amgen where he served as Project Team toxicologist. Prior to joining Amgen, Dr. Lebrec served at 3M Pharmaceuticals, initially as Research Specialist, then as Pathology and Toxicology Department Manager, with a focus on the nonclinical safety assessment of small molecule Toll-like receptor agonists. Prior to joining industry, Dr. Lebrec served as Assistant Professor at the University Paris XI. Dr. Lebrec received his Doctorate in Pharmacy and his PhD in Toxicology from the same University Paris XI. Dr. Lebrec is a diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology. Dr. Lebrec’s research work and scientific interests have mainly focused on immune-related safety issues and he co-chairs the Immunosafety Technical Committee of the non-profit HESI (Health and Environmental Sciences Institute) and has been a member of the Society of Toxicology since 1998. Liz Mutter-Rottmayer, PhDDr. Liz Mutter-Rottmayer is a Senior Principal Scientist in the department of Translational Safety at Genentech and has been a member of SOT since 2015. Liz received her BS (UC, Davis) and later her PhD in Toxicology (UNC, Chapel Hill), where she studied mechanisms of DNA damage tolerance. She completed a drug development postdoc prior to joining the nonclinical team at Axovant, a clinical stage viral gene therapy company where she worked on developing novel treatments for neurological and neuromuscular diseases. Liz continued to support pharm/tox and nonclinical development strategies for AAV-delivered gene replacement, regulation and editing technologies for metabolic and CNS diseases at Sangamo Therapeutics. In late 2020, Liz joined Genentech's Translational Safety team where she has served as a project toxicologist for biologics, ADCs, small molecules, cell and gene therapies (SME for AAV) in ocular, neurological and oncological disease areas. She has served on the IQ-DruSafe New Modalities & Technologies working group since 2021. Lauren Lewis, PhDDr. Lauren Lewis is a Senior Scientist at Bristol Myers Squibb, where she serves as a project toxicologist on developmental phase programs. She is responsible for developing nonclinical toxicology strategies for therapeutics in the neuroscience, autoimmune, and oncology space. Previously, she was an investigative toxicologist in Drug Safety Research and Evaluation at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Her work focused on developing advanced in vitro models to support the drug development process. Dr. Lewis served as the Co-Chair for the Predictive Safety Testing Consortium Nephrotoxicity Working group. She also served as Chair of the 2022 Drug Safety Gordon Conference Seminar. Dr. Lewis received her doctorate in Toxicology from Texas A&M University in 2019. Her dissertation research focused on investigating inter-individual variability in epigenetic effects and DNA damage using in vivo and in vitro population-based models. She was recognized by Texas A&M with the Association of Former Students Distinguished Graduate Student Award in Research (2019) and the Association of Former Students’ 12 Under 12 Young Alumni Spotlight Award (2023). She is an author/co-author of 12 Publications and the recipient of several Society of Toxicology awards (e.g., 2017 Colgate-Palmolive Award for Student Research Training in Alternative Methods, 2018 Syngenta Fellowship Award in Human Health Applications of New Technologies, 2019 Women in Toxicology Celebrating Women in Toxicology Award, 2019 STEP award). She has been a member of the SOT since 2016 and has served the SOT in the following capacities: Stem Cell Specialty Section Secretary/Treasurer, Women In Toxicology Graduate Student Representative, Education and Career Development Committee Graduate Student Representative, and Graduate Student Leadership Committee. Within WIT, Dr. Lewis led organizing the 2019 WIT Mentoring Event at the annual meeting. She has served as a member of the WIT Awards Committee from 2020 to 2023. Currently Dr. Lewis is serving her last year as Councilor for the Drug Discovery and the In Vitro and Alternative Methods Specialty Sections. Dr. Lewis is very passionate about providing career development and mentoring opportunities for toxicologists at all career stages. Dr. Lewis hopes to be able to further contribute to BTSS as a Councilor. Leslie Valencia, PhD, DABTDr. Leslie Valencia is a Senior Scientist in the Translational Safety department at Genentech and a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT). She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in molecular biology from San Francisco State University and her doctorate in Developmental Biology from Stanford University in 2021. Following the completion of her PhD, Dr. Valencia joined Genentech’s Drug Development Training Program (2021–2024), where she received hands-on training and mentorship across preclinical and clinical drug development, with a particular emphasis on toxicology. This experience broadened her scientific expertise and positioned her to contribute effectively to multidisciplinary drug development teams. In her current role at Genentech, Dr. Valencia serves as a project toxicologist supporting the discovery and development of novel therapeutics, contributing to nonclinical safety and translational risk assessment strategies across programs. Her scientific interests include translational safety, integration of toxicology into early discovery decision-making, and cross-functional collaboration to enable efficient, science-driven drug development. Dr. Valencia is the author or co-author of seven peer-reviewed publications and has presented her work at various scientific meetings. She began attending the Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting in 2023, where she has presented posters and platform talks. In 2024, she was awarded the BTSS Best Paper Award. Dr. Valencia is excited about the opportunity to serve as Secretary-Treasurer of the Biotechnology Specialty Section and contribute to the organization, communication, and effective functioning of the section. Edward Dere, PhD, DABTDr. Dere is a Senior Principal Scientist in the Safety Assessment Department at Genentech and a diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT). He has over 10 years of experience as a toxicologist and in his current role at Genentech serves as a project toxicologist supporting the pipeline across different modalities from discovery through to late-stage development. Dr. Dere earned his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Michigan State University and was a postdoctoral associate at Brown University. Dr. Dere has authored 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and has been an active member of SOT since 2006 where he has held multiple leadership positions in the Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology Specialty Section. Satheesh Anand, PhD, DABTDr. Satheesh Anand is the Senior Principal Scientist at Boehringer Ingelheim where he serves as a project toxicologist providing nonclinical safety strategy for investigational drugs of different modalities and all stages of development. He also serves as Therapeutic Area Lead for cardio, metabolic and renal diseases. Prior to joining Boehringer, Satheesh led the Safety Assessment team at Battelle. Satheesh began his industry career in DuPont Haskell Laboratories as a GLP study director/study monitor, progressed to a product team lead for chemical and pesticide development, and then grew into leadership roles encompassing all aspects of safety assessment. Satheesh has bachelor’s in chemistry, Masters in Biochemistry and PhD in toxicology. He completed his post-doctoral fellowships at University of Louisiana at Monroe and University of Georgia. He obtained the Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology in 2008. He has been a member of SOT since 2002, and served in various committees within the Association of Scientists of Indian Origin SOT Special Interest Group. He is the author/co-author of 25 peer-review publications and presented at various meetings. He also serves on the Editorial Board of Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods and an ad hoc reviewer for multiple journals. Samantha Faber Wilcoxson, PhD, DABTDr. Samantha Faber (Wilcoxson) is a Project Toxicologist in Nonclinical Safety within Translational Safety and Risk Sciences at Amgen, Inc. She leads translational safety strategies across therapeutic modalities, with expertise in liver toxicology, new approach methodologies, and nonclinical-to-clinical safety assessment. A dedicated member of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) since 2008, Dr. Faber has held multiple leadership roles, including President, Vice President, and Councilor of the In Vitro and Alternative Methods Specialty Section (IVAMSS). In these roles, she advanced collaboration across disciplines and promoted innovative in vitro model systems in toxicology. She has also served as Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Representative for several Specialty Sections and Regional Chapters and as a Continuing Education Course Chair for sessions focused on novel modalities and in vitro to in vivo extrapolation. Dr. Faber’s achievements have been recognized through multiple SOT honors, including the Battelle Postdoctoral Award in Biotechnology and the Colgate-Palmolive Postdoctoral Fellowship in In Vitro Toxicology. Her leadership exemplifies commitment to advancing innovation, mentorship, and scientific excellence within the toxicology community. Ankit Laddha, PhDDr. Ankit Laddha has been a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Connecticut, USA, since 2022. He is working on transporter proteins and their roles in hepatic and adipose tissue physiology. He received a doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences from NMIMS University, Mumbai, India, in 2022 and a Master's degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Mumbai, India. Dr. Laddha has authored/co-authored 38 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, showcasing his research on the pathophysiology of diabetes and its complications, as well as mechanistic insights into transporter proteins and toxicological processes. He has been a member of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) since 2022 and has actively participated in multiple conferences and poster sessions, receiving recognition for his work at the recent Northeast Regional Chapter meeting held at Pfizer, Boston. Dr. Laddha’s research emphasizes mechanistic toxicology, focusing on addressing critical challenges in therapeutic development and toxicity assessment. Madhura More, MScMadhura More is a PhD candidate in Environmental Health Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, with a strong background in biotechnology and toxicology. Madhura has contributed to the field of toxicology through her first-author and co-authored publications in peer-reviewed journals. Her work has been recognized with the Renal Toxicology Endowment Award from the Society of Toxicology’s Mechanisms Specialty Section and travel awards from UCI’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. Madhura has presented her research at national conferences, including the Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting and ToxExpo, where she highlighted the toxicological implications of climate stressors on host-pathogen interactions and organ-specific damage. Beyond research, Madhura is passionate about mentorship and scientific communication. As a teaching assistant for both undergraduate and graduate courses at UCI’s School of Public Health and School of Biological Sciences, she has gained extensive experience in guiding students in environmental health and toxicology topics. She is also an active member of the Society of Toxicology and is eager to contribute to the Biotechnology Specialty Section by fostering collaboration, organizing professional development opportunities, and advocating for graduate student involvement. She is excited about the opportunity to serve as the Graduate Student Representative and help facilitate meaningful connections between biotechnology researchers in toxicology.
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