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.
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
head chemoinformatics
Alex Müller 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.
susanne raab, phd
in vivo pharmacology
Susanne Raab is an accomplished senior principal scientist in drug discovery
research. She has a solid track record of successful contributions to the R&D
pipeline, advancing projects from early drug discovery until clinical proof of
concept. Susanne has worked at F. Hoffmann-La Roche for over 7 years, where she
gained experience as in vivo pharmacologist as well as project leader in different
therapeutic areas. She was further involved in the planning, leading and managing of
outsourcing activities with CROs and academic collaborators worldwide.
Susanne holds a MSc and PhD in Agricultural Biology from the University of Hohenheim
in Germany. Her main research focus lies on ophthalmological, cardiovascular and
metabolic diseases.