Sittichoke (Sieang) Dechanun is a researcher and bioengineer dedicated to advancing gene delivery technologies to overcome critical bottlenecks in gene editing. He is also a licensed pharmacist in Thailand, with interdisciplinary training that bridges pharmaceutical sciences and genetic engineering.
 
His research journey began in 2018 with a project addressing leptospirosis, a significant public health concern in Thailand. He contributed to the development of monoclonal antibodies targeting a highly prevalent protein in virulent Leptospira strains, with the goal of enabling early diagnostic detection. In the same year, he was inspired by the transformative potential of CRISPR-Cas9 technology following the Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna, which catalyzed his transition into gene editing research.
 
Driven by this vision, Sieang pursued a Master’s degree in Bioengineering at Rice University as a Fulbright Program scholar, a binational scholarship supported by the U.S. and Thai governments. His master’s research focused on engineering adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors for CRISPR-Cas9 delivery targeting BCL11A as a therapeutic strategy for sickle cell disease.
 
Following graduation, he was appointed as a Research Technician at Rice University, where he investigated strategies to mitigate off-target effects associated with gene delivery, one of the principal limitations in current gene therapy platforms. His continued commitment to improving the precision and efficiency of gene editing led him to pursue doctoral studies at Adelaide University, sponsored by the Adelaide University Research Scholarship (AURS). His Ph.D. research focuses on advancing next-generation gene delivery systems to enable efficient and precise genome editing, with particular application to Duchenne muscular dystrophy.