Connect with key
biotech players from
across Central Europe

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.

In his talk, Wojciech will focus on Global – EU Biotech Competitiveness, Biotech Act and related measures to support biotech industry in the European Union.

Representatives from VC funds and investment vehicles of major companies actively investing in Life Sciences in the CEE region will discuss current trends and share their recommendations for early-stage companies.

The panelists are:

• David Flores, CEO, BioCentury
• Ingrid Kelly, Partner, xista science ventures
• Marek Tyl, Business Development Manager Europe, Eppendorf SE
• John Murray, VP Global Business Development, SanaClis

Panel moderator: Magdalena Marciniak, Advisor, i&i Biotech Fund 

For whole profiles see the „Our speakers“ section.

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.

Title of the talk: Hannah will share how the team grew its inventor-founder friendly resources that enabled many university inventors to embrace the entrepreneurial path.

The Pitch session is an essential part of Prague.bio Conference. Twelve top-tier startups and scientific projects will compete for the title of Best Presentation, and also, thanks to the IOCB Tech Foundation, €6,000 in prize money. The first 6 participants are:

• Biopolycore – SignaCell: Signaling biopolymers with active structure and surface architecture

• DIANA Biotechnologies – Ultra-Sensitive PCR Platform for Sepsis Pathogen Detection from Whole Blood

• HeartBeat.bio – Unique human-centric and AI-driven TechBio platform for unlocking innovation in heart failure drug discovery

• Molecule 46 – Unique Kits for Separation and Diagnostics of Undamaged Sperm

• RIANA Therapeutics – Targeting the undruggable – first-in-class transcription factor inhibitors for cancer treatment 

• Tuari Therapeutics – Developing New GTPases Inhibitors for KRAS-addicted Cancer

WORKSHOP ROOM (1st Floor)

Workshop unpack key legal principles around employee inventions, disclosure procedures, and rights of universities versus researchers.

Diana Urbaskova 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.

Edita Bobcikova 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.

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WORKSHOP ROOM (1st Floor)

The future lies in integrating advanced data management platforms that simplify collaboration, ensure data integrity, and support faster decision-making. This is exactly where platforms like CDD Vault come in—streamlining workflows and enabling scientists to focus on discovery rather than data wrangling.

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. 

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Lung cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, when treatment options are limited. Chest X-ray remains the most widely used imaging examination worldwide — and a critical opportunity for earlier detection, provided that subtle signs are recognized in time.

In January 2025, Bristol Myers Squibb and Carebot launched a pilot program across nine Czech hospitals (including two University centers), integrating AI-powered chest X-ray analysis directly into routine workflows. In its first six months, the system analyzed over 100,000 examinations, flagging potential abnormalities for rapid multidisciplinary review and fast track diagnostic follow-up.

Data after 3-months will be shown together with the most interesting case reports where AI-support clearly demonstrated its added value for identification of early stages of lung cancer where benefit of possible subsequent therapies seems to be the most significant.

The next six projects in the Prague.bio Conference 2025 Pitch session:

• Institute of Experimental Medicine CAS – Antiepileptic effect of novel N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors antagonist

• IOCB Prague – STING-ADC for Cancer Treatment

• LipidEra Therapeutics – Pioneering Breakthrough Therapies for Lipid-Related Conditions

• Masaryk University – RNAutrix: Accelerating Drug Discovery – A Platform for RNA-based Drug Screening and Beyond

• Technical University of Liberec – Nanoflexion: Advanced Nanofiber Technology to Improve Postoperative Outcomes

• UCT Prague – KidneyGuard – enzymatic biosensor platform

WORKSHOP ROOM (1st Floor)

How to Structure Deals, Protect IP, and Navigate the Full Commercialization Lifecycle

Target Audience:

Spin-offs, start-ups, academic teams, tech transfer offices, investors, and companies in pharma & biotech preparing for or engaged in technology transfer.

Your innovation has the potential to change the world, but the path from discovery to market is a minefield of legal complexities. While understanding initial IP ownership is critical, it’s only the first step. This workshop provides a playbook for every stage.

In this practical workshop, you will find out how to:

Secure your IP: Know the key issues surrounding intellectual property and how to protect it.

Navigate the regulatory maze: Identify and mitigate the regulatory risks that can derail development.

Architect the Deal: Learn to structure the relationships between universities, inventors, and commercial partners.

Manage conflicts of interest: Draw clear lines between academic roles and entrepreneurial pursuits.

Avoid critical pitfalls: Identify and resolve the hidden legal issues that can block investment or partnerships.

Goal:

To equip you with the practical legal tools and foresight needed to avoid costly errors, streamline commercialization, and build lasting value from your innovative intellectual property.

Who could give you better advice than those who have been in your shoes? Executives from emerging companies in the region will share their experiences from the early days of their start-up journey and offer insights on how to survive and thrive.

The panelist are:

• Michael Krebs, CEO, HeartBeat.bio
• Marian Kupculak, CSO, Sensible Biotechnologies
• Pawel Zolnierczyk, CEO, iQure Pharma
• Vaclav Navratil, CEO, DIANA Biotechnologies

Panel moderator: Liliana Unachukwu, Deep tech VC Builder & Advisor

For whole profiles see the „Our speakers“ section.

WORKSHOP ROOM (1st Floor)

Introductory workshop on the activities and cooperation opportunities at the Centre of Excellence CREATIC.

The Centre of Excellence CREATIC has been established under Masaryk University as a mission-driven hub to accelerate the development and equitable access to Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) for rare and paediatric diseases in Central and Eastern Europe.

With a unique blend of autonomy and multidisciplinary expertise, CoE CREATIC integrates:

• Cutting-edge research and innovation in advanced therapies
• GMP/CDMO services for manufacturing and development
• Clinical trial management and regulatory foresight
• Health Technology Assessment (HTA) modelling and innovation valorisation
• Patient and societal engagement to ensure relevance and acceptance

CREATIC operates as a translational and collaborative platform, designed to deliver tailored value to its stakeholders:

• Scientific partners benefit from structured product development pipelines, scientific validation, and clinical translation.
• Industry partners gain access to GMP/CDMO services, regulatory expertise, IP and valorisation support, and market foresight.
• Society and patients receive accelerated, sustainable access to innovative therapies for unmet medical needs.

By combining scientific excellence with regulatory, societal, and business insight, CREATIC aims to become the leading Central European centre advancing ATMPs in rare diseases, ensuring both innovation impact and healthcare system integration.

Workshop will be led by: Jiri Deml, Head of Business & Development of CoE CREATIC LF MU in Brno

Adalid Sciences – Lipid Nanoparticles for Gene Delivery
CasInvent Pharma – Fighting resistant tumors with best-in-class inhibitors of casein kinase 1
Deep MedChem – CHEESE, the ultra-fast platform for early drug discovery
DIANA Biotechnologies – Novel platform for single-cell monoclonal antibody Discovery and AI powered optimization
DIANA Biotechnologies – DIANA Panel for Kinase Inhibitor Selectivity Profiling: Key Tool for Early Drug Discovery
Enamine – Integrated platform for rapid PROTACs discovery: Case Study Targeting BRD4
EPIK Care – Postbiotic nanoencapsulation for microbiome-friendly care
ICPF CAS – Selective Galectin-1 Inhibitors RuTDG and BuRuTDG for Targeted Treatment of Triple Negative Breast Cancer
IOCB Prague – Quantum Mechanical Scoring (SQM) for Accurate and Efficient Structure-
Based Drug Design
IOCB Prague – Selective and potent small-inhibitors of cGAS for treatment of autoinflammatory diseases
Institute of Physics CAS – FunBRUSH
J. Heyrovsky Institute CAS – A novel long-term photostable nanocluster fluorophore for highly bleach-resistant fluorescence
LifeTaq-Analytics – Oli-MAT 3D cell cultivation unit
Lightly Technologies – Catcher: Real-time field detection of counterfeit and fentanyl-laced drugs using AI-powered fingerprinting
Living Networks – Vascularized Tissue microArrays (VTμA) for High-Throughput Drug Screening
Masaryk University – Preclinical Centre of Masaryk University (Preclin) – cutting-edge academic and research centre
MedicMee – MedicMee – an expert system for interpretation and complex management of medical records
MiCo Scientific – Lipobiomix™: Advanced Nutritional Shots Supporting Oncology Therapy and Patient Recovery
Nencki – Synthetic peptide I49 acting as a immunomodulator for brain tumor therapy
P4P Technology – Substitute for Human Blood Plasma and Method of Its Production
sThesis Mid-IR Opto-Acoustic Sensing: The Future of Non-Invasive Glucose Monitoring
UCT Prague – The therapeutic potential of mitochondrial dynamics modulation
UCT Prague – Robo-Pharmacist: Automating Personalized Drug Compounding
UHKT/Medirekt Partner – Innovative microfluidic device designed for the separation of immiscible liquids
UniteLabs – The Automation OS for Ambitious Labs
VR-W MedTech – VR-based platform for assessment, rehabilitation and prevention of CNS and balance disorders

The third panel discussion will explore the timely and evolving impact of AI in drug discovery. The panel will feature diverse perspectives from leaders across the ecosystem – including a major pharmaceutical company, an early-stage biotech, or a venture investor.

The following experts will participate:

• Kinga Matula, CEO, QurieGen
• Pavlina Koutecka, Senior scientific analyst, i&i Biotech Fund
• Jakub Lombersky, Director, ML Engineering, Intelligent Automation Engineering, MSD
• Stepanka Havlikova, Senior Associate, Dentons

Panel moderator: Chris Tame, Founder and CEO, Ternary Therapeutics

For whole profiles see the „Our speakers“ section.