Connect with key
biotech players from
across Central Europe

Philipp Kukura is Professor of Chemistry at the Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery and the Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory at the University of Oxford. His research focuses on the development and application of novel optical technologies for the life sciences. He has pioneered mass photometry, a novel way to study biomolecules by mass, and founded Refeyn Ltd, where he served as CEO from 2018 – 2020.

Hannah leads the bioscience team and works with university inventors to commercialize their research. With the help of programs developed by Venture Partners, The University of Colorado Boulder has seen a record of 35 new startups in 2024, the second most by any U.S. university ever. Hannah has over a decade of experience in strategic licensing and IP management in life sciences from various U.S. institutions and holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from The University of Texas at Austin.

Wojciech is an expert in healthcare systems, global healthcare policies and international business. He serves as Chairman of the Healthcare Council, Executive Committee and Board of Directors Member, EuropaBio; and also acts as Global Executive Director & Head of Public Affairs, Southern & Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Novartis. His passion is to deliver access and best healthcare outcomes to patients around the World.

Paweł is a physicist and business manager by training, as well as a driven and successful entrepreneur. He has raised over $20M from business angels, venture capital, and charitable organizations. He founded the oncology-focused university spin-off Onco-NX Ltd., which was sold in 2014. Currently, he serves as CEO of iQure Pharma, a clinical-stage biotech company advancing a novel therapeutic approach for CNS disorders by restoring glutamate homeostasis.

Ingrid Kelly is a Partner and member of the investment team at xista science ventures, an Austrian VC fund that invests in early-stage European deeptech and life science academic spinoffs and startups. Ingrid holds a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Cambridge, is a qualified European Patent Attorney with experience in the pharma industry, and has been active since 2012 in technology transfer, spinoff creation and investments in life sciences startups.

Michael is a co-founder and CEO of HeartBeat.bio, a startup developing the first high-throughput human organoid screening platform for cardiac drug discovery. He has more than 20 years of experience as a founder, startup manager and executive board member at several fast-growing life science organizations in Germany and Austria. Prior to that, Michael worked for 8 years in auditing, corporate finance and management consulting. He also has a degree in Business Administration from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt and an Executive MBA in Mergers & Acquisitions from University of Muenster.

David has devoted more than 30 years to developing business intelligence services for biopharma executives and investors. He is the architect of BioCentury’s global platform of analysis, data and executive conferences.

In 2024, BayHelix, the association of life science business leaders in the U.S. and China, honored David with its Lifetime Achievement Award for his efforts championing cross-boarder collaboration and global drug development.
In 1996, David and BioCentury Co-Founder & Chairman Karen Bernstein were honored with the Special Recognition Award given by the annual gathering of biotechnology chief executive officers in Laguna Niguel, Calif., citing BioCentury’s contributions to the industry.

David has served as a member of the Advisory Board of the Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO) at Northwestern University and served for many years on the Advisory Council of the Keck Graduate Institute of the Applied Life Sciences. He also has served as a member of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Management Board.
David is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and holds an MBA from Stanford University.

Marek currently serves as the Business Development Manager for Europe within Eppendorf’s Corporate Development team, overseeing strategy, venture capital investments, and mergers and acquisitions. He joined Eppendorf’s Corporate Venture Capital arm in September 2023. Prior to this, he was a Scientific Advisor and Innovation Hub Lead at Takeda Pharmaceuticals in London, where he was involved in innovation scouting, incl. digital health solutions. Before his tenure at Takeda, he founded and led the Global Innovation Forum, a global network and startup accelerator connecting innovative companies, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and policymakers across multiple innovation clusters in Europe, Asia, and North America.

Additionally, as Founder and Managing Director of Cambridge Squared, a UK-based boutique consulting firm, he specialized in sourcing and due diligence of investment opportunities in therapeutics and medical devices for leading multinational pharmaceutical clients. Marek earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge, focusing on structural aspects of chromatin assembly under the supervision of Professor Ernest Laue. Following this, he completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Imperial College London, working on the biochemical characterization of novel chromatin-associated factors and their role in cancer.

Vaclav is a CEO and co-founder of DIANA Biotechnologies, one of the most promising Czech biotech startups. Their method – DNA-linked Inhibitor Antibody Assay – can precisely detect a variety of diseases. Since 2018 DIANA Biotechnologies has raised €3.5 million in private investment and became the largest producer of COVID-19 tests in Czechia, delivering over 6 million PCR tests to date. Vaclav plays a key role in leading the company’s research and development efforts. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Charles University and has over a decade of independent scientific experience in biochemical and molecular biology research, primarily at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences. He is also a co-author of several international patent applications, including the proprietary DIANA technology. Given his experience there will definitely be a lot to speak about.

Marian is the Co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Sensible Biotechnologies, a biotech startup pioneering the design and manufacturing of mRNA therapeutics using living cells. With a background in biochemistry, Marian earned his undergraduate degree in Bratislava, Slovakia, followed by research internships at the Vienna Biocenter and the University of Gothenburg. He later completed a DPhil in Biochemistry at the University of Oxford, where he studied DNA repair and genomic stability in human cells. In 2024 he was selected into Forbes 30 under 30 list in Slovakia.

Antima Gupta, PhD. is an Application Scientist in the technical support team at Collaborative Drug Discovery based in the UK. With a decade of experience at the intersection of biological research and data science, she is dedicated to advancing the scientific community through the implementation of best practices in data management and the development of intuitive, streamlined workflows. Her dynamic, client-focused approach is underscored by a proven ability to tackle complex technical challenges with precision and clarity. She holds a PhD in Molecular Microbiology, where her research centered on high-throughput drug discovery for neglected diseases.

Edita is a Czech lawyer specializing in corporate governance, IP, and legal support for startups. She supports innovative companies in navigating regulatory challenges and protecting their business interests, with a focus on growth and strategic development.

Pavlina Koutecka is a senior scientific analyst at i&i Bio, a biotech VC fund, where she leads evaluations of AI-driven life science startups. Trained as a computer scientist with a focus on AI and bioinformatics, she previously conducted research at the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics. She now brings deep domain expertise to venture decisions by sourcing startups, tracking trends, and supporting portfolio growth.

With more than 18 years of experience in drug discovery, Chris has worked at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and computation, developing both clinical candidates and innovative technologies aimed at treating unmet medical needs. At GSK, Chris was part of the pioneering team behind targeted protein degradation. Later, at BenevolentAI, he played a key role in developing the first biologically-aware knowledge graphs, which led to the identification of novel disease targets, including for Ulcerative Colitis, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, and MASH.

In late 2024, he founded Ternary Therapeutics, a company focused on building a computational platform for designing molecular glues — a cutting-edge approach in small molecule drug development. Chris brings a rare blend of deep scientific expertise and visionary thinking, making him the ideal person to lead this timely and important discussion on the role of AI in next-generation drug discovery.

Magdalena brings over a decade of experience across healthcare, biotech, and FMCG, with deep expertise in business development, commercialization, and building strategic partnerships. Her strong background in project management, team leadership, and operational excellence makes her the perfect guide for this high-level panel.
Currently a PhD candidate in project management at the Cracow University of Economics, Magdalena is also a published author, guest lecturer, and an independent consultant.

CEO and co-founder of QurieGen, and Entrepreneur in Residence at Scope Discovery. Kinga is a biotechnologist and doctor of physical chemistry with over 15 years of multidisciplinary research experience and deep expertise in single-cell multi omics. As a former oncology patient, she is passionate about bridging the gap between scientific innovation and real patient impact.

Marek is enthusiastic immunologist by background. He was working on anti-cancer and immunosuppressive drugs during his 12 year academic career under the leadership of prof. Blanka Rihova. He co-developed and tested in vitro and in vivo several antibody-drug conjugates and led the projects with molecules blocking multidrug resistance in cancer cells. In 2007, when phase I. immunotherapy trials with checkpoint inhibitors started, he moved to Bristol-Myers Squibb as a Scientific Advisor working on immuno-oncology approaches in melanoma, renal cancer, lung cancer and Hodgkin Lymphoma. In 2022, he started to work also as a Local Liaison for Business Development & Molecule Scouting in the Czech Republic. In this position he is trying to identify interesting scientific projects and molecules developed in the Czech Republic within the areas of interest for Bristol-Myers Squibb.

During the Covid pandemic, he was giving the lectures and educated both public as well as scientific community on SARS-CoV-2 and new vaccines being developed to reduce fear from the virus and increase vaccination rate in the country. He is interested in all areas related to immunotherapy of cancer, from checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T cells up to bispecific antibodies and rational combinations of immunotherapies with other modalities like radiotherapy, TKI´s and chemotherapy. Biomarkers of response to immunotherapy represent his favorite topic in real life clinical practice. He is also co-author of the book for with prof. Blanka Říhová named “How immunity works?”. In recent years, he is interested in AI applications in oncology, where he is working with Czech start-up Carebot on pilot project to improve early diagnosis of lung cancer, which is mostly fatal if diagnosed in advanced stage.

Stepanka is a lawyer specializing on AI, intellectual property, software, licensing, and data privacy. Štěpánka regularly advises providers of AI models and banks and other companies implementing AI systems. She is also a PhD Candidate at the Institute of Law and Technology at MUNI with research dedicated to web scraping for gen AI training. Stepanka is endorsed as a Rising Star for TMT in CZ by Legal500.

Jakub Lombersky is leading MSD’s main initiative for Generative AI that allows fast adoption and safe utilization of AI technologies in all divisions across the globe. He is a SW Engineering expert with 10+ years of experience in emerging technologies, including Big Data, IoT, and AI.

Diana is a Czech attorney specializing primarily in biotech spin-offs, licensing, and technology transfer. She supports innovation by drafting various agreements and advising on intellectual property, corporate governance, and legal aspects of company formation and growth within research and biotech sectors.

John Murray leverages his profound experience within the drug development sphere across multiple disciplines, from clinical operations, supply chain, sourcing and risk mitigation co-investment. John is brokering new strategic partnerships and developing existing collaborations between SanaClis and top 10 Pharma through to single asset biotechs. He currently heads high-priority alliances with various global governmental institutions.

Barbora is a biotechnology expert, attorney, and the founder of dubanska & co., a boutique law firm focused on life sciences, pharmaceutical law, and digital health. With 20+ years of experience in the legal and regulatory fields, she advises universities, research centers, and biotech firms on tech transfer, licensing, and commercialization. She has worked for leading international law firms in Prague, Vienna, Munich, and London. She gained direct industry experience as Legal Counsel at Novartis Oncology, where she managed complex legal, compliance, market access, and commercial matters. A strong advocate for innovation, she is actively involved in mentoring start-ups and organizing hackathons and seminars.

Daniel Kvak is the CEO and co-founder of Carebot, a biotechnology startup focusing on developing artificial intelligence systems for analyzing X-ray images. He has authored several scientific studies and serves as a reviewer for the prestigious journal European Radiology. His goal is to make innovative biotechnology solutions accessible to the general public and enhance diagnostics through AI.

Daniel has received numerous prestigious awards, including Innovators of the Year 2022 by Hospodářské noviny, Deloitte #Fast 50, Roche@DigiMed Award, Pfizer Healthcare Lab, AI Awards 2023, and Vodafone Idea of the Year 2022. In 2022, he was listed in the esteemed Forbes 30 under 30 ranking.

He holds a degree in Interactive Media Theory from Masaryk University, where he is currently pursuing a PhD at the Faculty of Medicine, focusing on the application of artificial intelligence in medicine. In his free time, Daniel enjoys spending time with his two children.

Senior Business Development at SGS VITROLOGY with 30 years experience within the R&D and Life Sciences Industry. I am developing a knowledge in the R&D, Industrialisation, manufacturing of biologics with CRO & CTO services exp. for biopharmaceutical, vaccine, gene & cell therapy clinical trials with safety testing and production services and specialisation into microbiological (bacteria, fungi, mycoplasma, viruses) testing.

Dominique graduated from the University of Nice with a Master 2 in International Sales and development strategy. He currently oversees business in Europe, India & Middle East

Specialisation Sector: CRO CTO & Safety Testing and GMP production services: sales, negotiation, government liaison, branding and identity.