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.
moreno menghini
md
cmo
Dr. med. Moreno Menghini is a vitreoretinal specialist with research background in medical retina and imaging. He studied medicine at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, where he gained his MD. Moreno’s clinical training was undertaken at the University Hospital of Zurich, and the Cantonal Hospital of Lucerne, Switzerland. In 2012 he was awarded the George and Rosalie Hearst Fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco, USA to undertake a clinical fellowship under the mentorship of Professor Jacque Duncan. Thereafter he worked for a Swiss private eye clinic before having been granted 2016 the position of vitreoretinal fellow at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Australia, where he trained under the supervision of Professor Ian Constable. In 2019, Dr. Menghini completed an academic fellowship with focus on retinal gene therapy at the University of Oxford, UK under the mentorship of Professor Robert MacLaren. As an honorary clinical research associate of the University of Oxford, he continues to be involved scientifically through various joint collaborations. Dr. Menghini currently works as a vitreoretinal consultant at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland.
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.
mauro marigo
phd
vp medicinal chemistry
Mauro Marigo is an experienced medicinal chemist. He is passionate about drug discovery and contributed to the delivery of a number of clinical candidates for CNS indications. During his 10+ years at H. Lundbeck A/S he worked on projects initiated from fragment hits HTS or based on a fast follower approach through the H2L and LO phases. Beside leading cross-functional teams in discovery projects Mauro was also in charge of Lundbeck´s Fragment Based Drug Discovery activities (FBDD) and he established Lundbeck’s external infrastructure (CROs) specialized in biophysical screening technologies. Mauro earned his PhD in organic chemistry at the University of Aarhus (Denmark).
susanne raab
phd
head in vivo pharmacology
Susanne Raab is an accomplished in vivo pharmacology leader in drug discovery
and
development research. She has a solid track record of successful contributions to
the R&D pipeline, advancing projects through development to clinical proof of
concept. Susanne has worked at Roche for over 17 years as in vivo
pharmacologist as
well as project leader in different therapeutic areas. Susanne was in charge of in
vivo pharmacology in the ophthalmology group at Roche, whereby she advanced
candidates to clinical proof of concept. 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 and a Diploma in Medicines Development Sciences. Her main research focus
lies on ophthalmological, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
manfred schneider
phd dabt
head toxicology
Manfred Schneider is a certified toxicologist and ADME/PK specialist with almost 25 years of broad-based experience in various fields of pharmaceutical R&D. Since 2013, he is a consultant for several large and small pharmaceutical companies with strong proven track record, in particular, five recent successful small molecule nonclinical safety packages and the subsequent bioanalytical and PK evaluation of the clinical trials up to Phase II. All projects are still ongoing and the most advanced projects (cancer immunotherapy and neurodegenerative diseases) alone resulted in several successful financing rounds (currently exceeding $100 Mio). He received his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Ulm in Germany and holds a US board certification as toxicologist (DABT). Following a molecular toxicology postdoc at UC Berkeley, Manfred worked at Tularik, Forest Laboratories, was head of early ADME at Merck Serono and head of DMPK & TOX at Addex.