matthias steger, phd mba
ceo and co-founder
Matthias Steger’s long career in pharma and biotech began with F. Hoffmann-La Roche
in 1999, when he worked in the design and synthesis of active molecules for a
variety of therapeutic indications - next, he joined Axovan (later acquired by
Actelion), where he built and implemented a new platform for orphan GPCR drug
discovery - Matthias then branched out into investment banking at Kepler Equities
before returning to Roche in 2007 - he became the firm’s global head of research and
technology partnering, a role in which he investigated and managed more than 50
collaborations - in 2015 he followed his strong entrepreneurial instincts, first
establishing SequelBlu, an independent advisory firm aimed at assisting companies
with sustainable innovation, and then endogena.
Matthias earned his MSc in organic chemistry and biochemistry at the University of
Zurich, and his PhD in medicinal chemistry at the University of Sussex. In 2005 he
completed an MBA at the University of St Gallen, where he was awarded Dean’s Honors.
micha drukker, phd
vp stem cell biology
Micha Drukker is a principle investigator and the head of the human induced
pluripotent stem cell core at the Helmholtz Institute in Munich. Micha is involved
in basic and translational research in the stem cell field, and his achievements
include the first analysis of the immunological properties of differentiated human
embryonic stem (ES) cells, which has promoted the development of strategies to
overcome the immunogenicity of human ES cells including by derivation of
patient-matched pluripotent stem cells through therapeutic cloning and induction of
pluripotency in somatic cells by reprogramming. More recently, Micha discovered cell
surface markers enabling purification and monitoring of some of the earliest
developmental progenitors from human ES cells mutually exclusively sorted from
teratoma-initiating cells, and his most recent work focuses on the regulation of
early pluripotent stem cell differentiation. Micha also leads projects aiming to
produce and genetically engineer induced pluripotent stem cells for tissue
restoration under clinical standards.
Micha earned his BSc and PhD at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and did
postdoctoral work at Stanford University.
daphna mokady, phd
vp discovery biology
Daphna Mokady is a highly experienced researcher with 15+ years of proven track
record in leading projects in a broad spectrum of bio-medical research.
After completing her PhD at Tel Aviv University, Daphna’s first post-doc was
directed at the development of a novel zebrafish model for Alzheimer's disease,
enabling exciting imaging-based monitoring of whole brain neural activity. In her
second post-doc at UHN, Toronto, Daphna has identified a signal transduction pathway
involved in the resistance of ovarian cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents, and
has performed drug screens targeted at re-sensitizing the cancer cells to the
currently used first-line treatment.
Throughout her work, Daphna has established successful collaborations with leading
pharmaceutical companies, top researchers, and key opinion leaders in various
fields. Daphna’s broad experience has allowed her to promote innovative ideas and lead
pioneering research projects with demonstrated results.
alex mueller, phd
chemoinformatics
Alex is an expert in applying the latest machine learning tools to the field of drug
discovery. He was among the first to employ generative artificial intelligence and
active learning for small molecule, as well as peptide de novo design.
Thereby, Alex
discovered novel molecular entities and revealed structural patterns important for
their activity. By merging chemoinformatics with recent biological discoveries, such
as stem cell pathways, he’s exploring the chemical space to design and select small
molecules that specifically regulate stem / progenitor cell fate.
His pharmaceutical training further allows him to validate computationally designed
compounds in wet lab experiments and assess computer-generated hypotheses for their
validity.
Alex earned his MSc in medicinal and industrial pharmaceutical sciences, as well as
his PhD in computer-assisted drug design at ETH Zürich in the group of Prof. Dr.
Gisbert Schneider.