Detergent-Mediated Viral Inactivation for Multiple Modalities

Janice Tan heads the upstream, process materials and process consultancy team in Merck Asia Pacific excluding China. She and her team of scientists and engineers are responsible for providing technical consultation on upstream bioprocessing, bioprocess manufacturing optimization and troubleshooting. With over 23 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, she has led multiple successful projects starting from cell line development to bioreactor scale-up by presenting holistic and innovative solutions to customers producing biotherapeutics. Janice received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the National University of Singapore.

Kakolie G. Banerjee is the R&D Manager (Virology) in the Virology group within Process Solutions organization at Merck. She and her team support viral inactivation and clearance studies using model mammalian viruses and bacteriophage. They support product development, generate applications data for existing products, engage in post-launch and manufacturing support, along with capability and method development. Prior to this role, she worked as a Staff Scientist at Sample6 (now Corvium/Neogen) and helped developed an AOAC-Certified high-throughput phage-based foodborne pathogen detection assay. She did her B.Sc. in Life Science from Delhi University, an M.S. in Food Safety from North Dakota State University and her Ph.D. in Food Science from Pennsylvania State University.

Rain Lee is a Regional Strategy Execution Manager for Upstream in Asia Pacific excluding China (APeC) at Merck. She partners with biopharma customers to translate process development challenges into scalable solutions, with a focus on upstream bioprocessing innovations—including cell lines, cell culture media, and intensified processes—as well as regional manufacturing strategies. Rain leads upstream go-to-market initiatives across APeC, helping customers accelerate development, reduce risk, and confidently transit from early development to GMP production.