WHO WE ARE

Our passion for science and dedication to support innovative drug development has brought us together to found SCITARIS, a consulting firm focused on R&D strategy support for pharma and biotech companies. Our team combines scientific expertise from different disciplines, ranging from chemistry over biology to pharmacology, with long-standing experience in strategic consulting for the healthcare industry. Our unifying conviction is that in the complex world of biopharma R&D, deep scientific and clinical understanding drive all viable business strategies and are crucial to successfully bring value to patients, drug developers and society.

At SCITARIS we believe an open and non-hierarchical culture, which fosters individual and collective brilliance, is absolutely critical to facilitate the integration of novel ideas with our profound expertise to promote true innovation in biopharma strategy. Our offices are located in Berlin and Boston, which offer a stimulating environment for our team and visiting clients.

Our name, SCITARIS, is a conjugation of the Latin scītor translating as “you seek to know; ask, inquire”, which in addition to the link with SCIence, is a precise reflection of our expertise, services and culture.

Graham Scholefield, PhD

Managing Partner + explore biography

⊕ In the world of biopharma R&D, an industry where clinical failure is often terminal, every strategic challenge is fundamentally underpinned by a technical understanding of probability of success. Be it determining the ‘best’ clinical development strategy of a single asset or anticipating the drugability of diseases in the future through developments in basic science today. Therefore, scientific & clinical understanding drives the viable business strategies most likely to bring value to patients, drug developers and society.

⊕ Graham has been enamoured with these complex problems throughout the entirety of his career leading to him constantly innovate tailored solutions for his clients unique situations and, more recently with the other founding partners of Scitaris, bring together a group of highly talented and experienced individuals who deliver unparalleled depth of insight leading to accurate and robust strategic conclusions.

⊕ During his time in biopharma R&D strategy Graham has led a wide range projects both at a corporate and asset-level. Examples include the strategic prioritisation of drug modalities to maximise both mid- & long-term value, the development of a science-led BD&L / M&A search, introducing ‘gold-standard’ due-diligence and evaluation processes as well as the identification of high-value targets for various pre-C assets.

⊕ Before this he gained his PhD in Newcastle, UK where he was the first to show that DnaA, the master initiator of DNA replication in prokaryotes, formed a helical structure in vivo that is likely the driver of its fundamental activity and the key regulated rate-limiting step in initiation.

Sarah Oelsner, PhD

Managing Partner + explore biography

⊕ Translating exciting science into viable business strategies and thereby enabling drug developers to bring new therapeutic options to patients around the globe has been the key driver of Sarah’s career. As a strategy consultant she has successfully led a broad variety of international projects ranging from early preclinical strategies to broad M&A screens. Today she is supporting Scitaris’ clients across a range of strategic questions in her core areas of expertise Oncology, Immunology and Rare Diseases, as well as Cell & Gene Therapy.

⊕ Sarah started her career with studying Pharmacy at the University of Heidelberg, and Molecular Genetics in Zaragoza, Spain. As she has always been curious to understand the biopharma industry from different perspectives, she worked for several years as a hospital and community pharmacist and later moved on to join the department of Immunology & Respiratory Diseases at the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research (NIBR), Basel.

⊕ Driven by her passion for translational research, Sarah dedicated her PhD and further research career to Immuno-Oncology where she developed various novel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified lymphocytes. This also provided her hand-on insights into regulatory and manufacturing aspects of cell therapies, which she has been actively bringing to multiple clients across the globe ever since.

Jonathan Vonnemann, PhD

Managing Partner + explore biography

⊕ With the highest proportion of operating expenses spent on R&D, drug development is, without doubt, a science-driven industry. Coupled with unique market dynamics, shifting regulatory standards and fierce global competition, it is one of the most demanding industries existing. 

⊕ Nevertheless, there are very few things as rewarding as contributing to a drug that helps patients to manage their disease. Jonathan has led a wide variety of projects across the globe on achieving this goal by working with the teams to drive solutions at the root. His scientific and biopharma consulting background provides him hereby with the necessary capabilities for holistic problem-solving.

⊕ Jonathan completed his M.Sc. and Ph.D. with summa cum laude in a program spanning five universities, including Cambridge UK, where he focused on complex biological interactions. Among other things, Jonathan was the first to extend the Cheng-Prusoff equation, a formula used every day by scientists across the globe for determining IC50 values, to multivalent interactions between biological surfaces like viruses or cells.

Daniela Perschke

Operations Manager + explore biography

⊕ Every successful business needs strong and efficient communication as well as organization within the company. Driven by this idea, Daniela came to Scitaris to become a primary point of contact for internal and external concerns, to handle administrative work, recruitment duties and all kinds of organizational matters. Dedicated to the Hotel Industry in the past decade, Daniela loves to multitask, and work under time pressure while keeping strong interpersonal communication skills.

⊕ By working in several European countries during the past 15 years she could acquire a wide range of experiences in high-class hotel businesses such as Marriott International, Accor Hotels, Hilton Hotels and many individual restaurants. Daniela obtained her B.A. by studying International Hospitality Management in Paris at CMH and is fluent in English, German and French. After having had her own business, she now found new inspiration to spread welcoming hospitality throughout the Scitaris team.

Jonas Hanske, PhD

Engagement Manager + explore biography

⊕ How does life work in its most basic molecular processes, how are these orchestrated, and how can we translate them to help to cure people? Driven by the passion to answer these questions Jonas became a scientist and has been working in biopharma consulting for the past years.

⊕ Leveraging his strong analytical skills and scientific background Jonas has been supporting his clients in a variety of projects including broad M&A screens, asset valuation, R&D productivity assessments, and market segment analyses with a strong focus on oncology. Besides immuno-oncology, Jonas worked on neurodegenerative disease with focus on Alzheimer’s and ALS  with focus on novel approaches and new mode-of-actions.

⊕ Jonas is a trained biochemist from Freie Universität Berlin where he also obtained his PhD  conducting research at a Max Planck Institute. His thesis, set at the interface of glycobiology, innate immunity and biophysics, aimed to understand how cancer cells are recognized by the immune system. During his postdoc at EMBL in Heidelberg, he explored the molecular mechanisms of DNA transciption that is often up-regulated in cancer.

Nick Groenewoud, PhD

Engagement Manager + explore biography

⊕ Nick started his scientific career at the University of Leiden where he obtained his BSc and MSc in Bio-Pharmaceutical Sciences. Here he was part of various pharmacology projects that would lead him to pursue a PhD in molecular Pharmacology and Modern Drug Discovery at the University of Nottingham. His PhD was dedicated to understanding the influence of GPCR dimerization on ligand binding kinetics.

⊕ Wanting to combine his research interests with more practical applications, Nick continued to work with GPCRs as a Senior Scientist at Excellerate Bioscience, a CRO specializing in GPCR pharmacology and kinetics. Here he worked in the pre-clinical stages of the drug discovery process on various oncology projects. Now at Scitaris, Nick is keen to use his analytical expertise to help clients make the right choices that bring maximum benefit to patients.

Kai-Hsin Cathie Chan, PhD

Senior Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Cathie‘s scientific journey began at National Taiwan University, and took her to the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, Germany, where her PhD research was in the field of ribosome function and dynamics. She gained expertise in biochemistry, biophysics, and enzyme kinetics while constructing a full kinetic mechanism of alternative ribosome-rescue in bacteria. During her time as a basic research scientist, she became deeply interested in the process of transforming scientific research into real-life solutions that improve people’s health and quality of life.

⊕ Cathie has a strong analytical background, a track record of managing interdisciplinary projects, and is skilled in intercultural communication from many years of international experience and teamwork. At Scitaris, she leverages these strengths to build strong collaborative relationships with her clients and contribute to innovative and scientific decision-making in the pharmaceutical industry.

Josephine Choo, PhD

Senior Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Josephine has always been intrigued by how science can be used to impact and improve the lives of people. This drove her to pursue her scientific career, where she first did her bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology/Biochemistry, followed by a masters in research in cancer biology at Imperial College London. She then completed her PhD in Molecular Oncology at the University Medical Center Göttingen in Germany where she focused primarily on DNA damage and DNA replication in cancer. During her doctoral studies, she developed and optimized multiple techniques. Combined with her ability to meticulously pick up details and critically evaluate them, she discovered the novel role of the integrated stress response on DNA replication.

⊕ At Scitaris, she is particularly excited to use her scientific background, problem-solving and data analysis skills to develop entrepreneurial solutions for biopharma companies, thus being at the forefront of clinical impact. She advocates the value of building meaningful relationships with people and believes it is the key to successful collaborations. With nearly 10 years of international experience working with multi-national teams, Josephine has gained considerable interpersonal skills and is a strong team player, which she will utilize to effectively support her clients.

Michal Flak, PhD

Senior Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Michal’s scientific path has been far from straightforward – from studying Genetics and Biochemistry at undergraduate level, through a Master’s degree in Green Biotechnology and Innovation Management, both at Aberystwyth University, followed by a PhD in Microbiology at Friedrich Schiller University in Jena. During his doctoral research at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – HKI, he focused on microbial communication, elucidating fungal-bacterial interaction chemistries and mechanisms first in soil, and later in a laboratory model closely mimicking the cystic fibrosis lung environment.

⊕ To complement his scientific background with a creative discipline, he completed advanced certified training in Design Thinking at the Hasso Plattner Institute School of Design Thinking, where he co-developed an outcome-based learning and communication tool in collaboration with a global pharmaceutical company. At Scitaris, Michal leverages his knowledge of multiple fields of biology, research training and analytical rigor, and lateral thinking to provide clients with valuable insights and support them with problem solving and informed decision making.

Wignand Mühlhäuser, PhD

Senior Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Wignand conducted his Bachelor studies at the Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf, where he became intrigued by the potential of translational research and applied biology. He obtained his B.Sc. degree working on the elucidation of RNAi mechanisms. Afterwards, he moved on to deepen his knowledge of translational biology at the Albert-Ludwigs University Freiburg. He began working in the field of synthetic biology, developing his first optogenetic tools during his Master Thesis.

⊕ During his subsequent PhD Thesis he further optimized, characterized and expanded optogenetic toolkits, for which he was awarded the GBM young innovators award. His research focused on the optogenetic control of signaling proteins involved in oncogenic signaling processes.

⊕ The application of high-throughput techniques made him appreciate the power of large numbers. He further delved into the realm of data science, successfully completing a Nanodegree in machine learning. After his PhD he worked as a Data Scientist in a proteomic lab. His work included consultation on experimental design, as well as statistical modelling and interpretation of large data sets to further guide research for various projects.

⊕ Now, at Scitaris, Wignand benefits from his strong analytical thinking and problem solving skills to deliver tailored solutions for the customers.

Matteo Ugolini, PhD

Senior Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Matteo’s scientific career always had a focus on immunology combined with a strong desire to translate its core findings both in clinical therapy and vaccine development. During his Bachelor and Master studies in Molecular Biotechnology he worked on the development of oncolytic viruses and their combination with cancer immunotherapy, first at the University of Bologna and then at the University of Helsinki. After a brief hiatus to study evolutionary immunology in marine invertebrates, he then returned to medical oriented research and, during his PhD at the Charité Medical University in Berlin, he successfully elucidated the mechanism employed by innate immune cells to sense microbial viability and instruct the adaptive immune responses upon which vaccine efficacy is based.

⊕ Most recently he joined the team of Nobel Prize laureate Emmanuelle Charpentier at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin where he took advantage of gene editing tools to investigate immune responses to bacterial and viral pathogens. Now, at Scitaris, he is keen on using his accumulated scientific background and acquired analytical skills to fuel crucial dictions making in biopharma and, ultimately, have an impact on patient’s wellbeing.

Sofya Polyanskaya, PhD

Senior Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Sofya got her undergraduate degree with honors in biochemistry from Moscow State University, Russia. During these formative years, she became interested in the mechanistic understanding of how life worked at the molecular level. This focus led her to a brief immersion into the world of structural biology during a summer internship in the group of Nobel Prize laureate Dr. Venkatraman Ramakrishnan at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK.

⊕ For her Doctorate studies, Sofya went to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, USA, – a world-renowned institution for genetics and one of the central hubs for science communication. It holds over 50 meetings and courses annually that attract prominent researchers from various life sciences disciplines. This exposure to cutting-edge discoveries and questions in the different fields of biological research allowed Sofya to develop broad scientific expertise and learn to familiarize herself quickly with new ideas and methodological frameworks.

⊕ Sofya’s PhD research was centered around the paradoxical quality of cancer cells to become dependent on certain cell signaling pathways largely dispensable for the healthy cells. This fact allows scientists to identify novel potentially druggable targets in human cancers. Through designing and performing CRISPR-based genome editing screens, Sofya identified a new role for a poorly studied human signaling protein in leukemia and proceeded with its characterization in the context of this malignancy. As a member of Scitaris team, Sofya hopes to put her curiosity and analytical rigor to support science-based innovation in the biotech space, ultimately benefiting the patients.

Dennis Kwiatkowski, PhD

Consultant + explore biography

⊕ How do you efficiently translate scientific discoveries into effective treatments that improve the lives of people? Intrigued by this question Dennis started his own scientific journey.

⊕ After first stops in a diagnostic company and the pharmaceutical industry, it took him to the University of Greifswald for his Bachelor studies in Biochemistry. Here and in multiple stays at the Robert Koch Institute he gathered experience in infectious biology, microbiology and genomics. Dennis then gained his MSc in Biochemistry at the Freie Universität Berlin while expanding his knowledge in areas such as virology, molecular medicine and biotechnology.

⊕ During a year at Bayer Healthcare he was part of both the Structural Biology and Protein Technologies department and contributed to the understanding of inhibitor kinetics as part of the innovative medicine initiative – Kinetics for Drug Discovery. He went on to complete his doctoral degree in Biochemistry at the Charité medical university, where he worked on the understanding of GPCR G-protein specificity and as part of the several collaboration among them one with Nobel prize laureate Brian Kobilka. Dennis is also part of the European biotech Incubator SPARK Finland that supports life science startups to turn their discoveries into practical solutions and businesses.

⊕ Now at Scitaris, Dennis is keen to use his accumulated expertise and leverage his analytical skills to help clients gain valuable insights and take the right decisions and to translate their own scientific discoveries into meaningful solutions for their patients.

Leonie Kohlhammer, PhD

Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Driven by the desire to understand biology at its core while always keeping patients in mind, Leonie completed her undergraduate training in Biochemistry at the University of Edinburgh, with a year abroad at the University of California Santa Cruz, before pursuing an MRes in Personalised Healthcare at Imperial College London. Throughout this time, she gathered experience in structural biology, regenerative medicine, and metabolomics. During her PhD, which was split between the Barts Cancer Institute and King’s College London, she investigated the transcriptional dependencies of metastatic melanoma cells and mechano-cytoskeletal signalling pathways using a breadth of approaches ranging from phosphoproteomics and molecular biology, to analysis of patient tissues and 3D models.

⊕ During her time in London, Leonie took advantage of the large scientific community in the city through collaborations and was involved in public engagement activities via Pint of Science as well as setting up the London Cancer PhD student network.

⊕ At Scitaris, she is keen to use her scientific and social competence to support insightful pharma strategy to improve health outcomes and benefit patients.

Sheng Yang Lee, PhD

Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Sheng’s scientific career began at King’s College London, where he undertook a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences and gained a broad understanding of all aspects related to human biology. Of all subjects, he found himself most interested in pharmacology and the use of drugs to improve human health. This led to a summer internship at Monash University, followed by a year at the Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research (NIBR) where he worked in the bacteriology department to develop a novel screening assay. Sheng then pursued a PhD at the University of Cambridge, where he worked on dissecting the immune microenvironment of pancreatic cancer and characterizing the effects of novel chemo/immunotherapy combinations using mouse models of pancreatic cancer. Through his doctoral studies, he was able to build expertise in the subject areas of immunology and oncology, especially in the use of mouse models in preclinical research.

⊕ During his PhD, Sheng took advantage of the rich biotech start-up culture in Cambridge and gained hands-on experience in taking novel scientific concepts from idea to commercialization. He worked with a team of scientists to develop a target product profile (TPP) for a novel diagnostic tool, and later helped lay the groundwork for a pre-existing biotech startup to expand the use of their drug discovery platform into the oncology market. These experiences provided insights into the entrepreneurial journey of a biotech startup and the arduous process of bringing a new healthcare product to market.

⊕ At Scitaris, he is excited to work collaboratively with his clients to tackle challenging problems and provide valuable insights that effectively support decision-making.

Marina Pekmezovic, PhD

Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Marina’s first scientific steps started in clinical microbiology laboratory, where she was actively involved in research, routine diagnostics, teaching and clinical studies. Seeing how an early discovery of the infection can impact the disease outcome, she decided to pursue her PhD in infection biology and host-pathogen interactions at Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena and Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – HKI. Using transcriptomic approach, she investigated the mechanisms of microbial pathogenicity and host immune defenses. She identified key players in epithelial immunity and used those findings as a basis for her postdoctoral research, where she further explored the potential of immunotherapy on mucosal surfaces. After doing research in clinical and academical settings, her scientific path continued in industry, where she joined CureVac as a scientist, with the task to develop the assays for potency assessment of novel mRNA therapeutics.

⊕ At Scitaris, Marina helps clients to make innovative strategic decisions by combining her curiosity and analytical thinking with scientific knowledge and intersectoral experience.

Michael Gropp, PhD

Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in both Chemistry and Biochemistry, along with a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich. His research endeavors took him to prestigious institutions such as the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Sorbonne Université Pierre et Marie Curie, and Harvard University, where he conducted his Master’s thesis. Combining his passion for fundamental research and human disease, Michael pursued his doctoral studies at the Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry where he developed a light-activatable tool to study toxic protein aggregation in neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington’s disease.

⊕ Driven by a passion for scientific discovery as well as a deep understanding of chemistry, biochemistry, neurodegenerative diseases, and advanced laboratory techniques, Michael brings his expertise and an extensive research background to the field of biopharma strategy consulting. At Scitaris, Michael aims to combine his scientific acumen with his keen analytical and problem-solving skills to help clients navigate the complex landscape of the biopharmaceutical industry.

Alev Bilgin

Office Apprentice + explore biography

⊕ Alev is a dedicated apprentice in the field of Office Management at Scitaris. With a successful completion of her education at the esteemed Hildegard Wegscheider Gymnasium, she brings a solid foundation of knowledge and competence.

⊕ Her particular passion lies in organizing tasks and processes. She excels in bringing structure to complex situations and designing efficient workflows. This ability allows her to ensure a seamless office environment while meeting set objectives.

Alberto Lazari, PhD

Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Alberto is interested in translating scientific findings into real-life applications. He has a BSc in Neuroscience from University College London, and a PhD from the University of Oxford. His doctoral research focussed on myelin plasticity, a recently discovered non-synaptic form of brain plasticity; he demonstrated for the first time that activity-dependent myelin plasticity can be induced non-invasively and studied in humans. He has since worked on brain imaging across preclinical and clinical research settings, on topics ranging from stroke recovery to psychedelics.

⊕ Outside of academic research, Alberto has worked in science policy, started a neurotechnology start-up, and has taken courses on management as a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University in Beijing. At Scitaris, he is excited to use his scientific background, passion for interdisciplinary collaboration and skills in data analysis to provide meaningful support to clients across the biopharma sector.

Janna Leiz, PhD

Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Seeking to understand life’s fundamental molecular processes and their role in human health and disease, Janna began her scientific journey at the Martin-Luther-University, Halle (Saale), where she obtained her BSc and MSc in Biochemistry. For her doctorate studies, Janna went to the prestigious Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine and the internationally renowned Charité in Berlin. Here, she employed genetic models and single cell transcriptomics to uncover molecular pathways and their contribution to genetic kidney disease. During this time and her subsequent postdoc phase, she further expanded her expertise in molecular biology and biomedical research and became interested in the challenges of transforming fundamental scientific research into clinical solutions.

⊕ At Scitaris, Janna seeks to implement her analytical, interpersonal and project management skills to develop strategic approaches to address complex scientific problems and provide innovative solutions.

Karan Bali, PhD

Consultant + explore biography

⊕ Karan holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford, where his Master’s thesis centred around uncovering the mechanism of action of nerve agent antidotes using molecular dynamics simulations. After spending time as a research assistant at Imperial College, where he worked on de novo protein engineering for a range of applications, Karan pursued a PhD in Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge. Driven by his interest in integrating scientific disciplines, his thesis focused on creating a bioelectronic screening platform for the development of next generation antibiotics. His research assimilated aspects of materials science, electrical engineering and molecular biology to investigate the interactions of structures, ranging from small-molecule antibiotics to bacteriophage, with bacterial cell membranes using a combined electrical and microscopic readout. Whilst at Cambridge, Karan became involved in the thriving biopharma eco-system in the city, working closely with an early-stage start-up aiming to create wearable metabolite biosensors.

⊕ At Scitaris, Karan is eager to combine his interdisciplinary research background with his passion for translating research into innovative technologies, and thus provide key insights for clients in the biopharmaceutical industry with the goal of improving patient health more generally.

Onjuli Datta

Office Manager + explore biography
⊕ Onjuli is Office Manager at Scitaris. With seven years' experience in office management and administration, Onjuli brings a diverse skillset to our day-to-day operations. She takes delight in streamlining processes and working on multiple projects concurrently, and she particularly enjoys the versatility and variety of her role. ⊕ Onjuli completed her bachelor’s degree in German and politics at the University of Bristol before moving to Berlin. She is fluent in German and English.

Announcing Soon!

Consultant + explore biography

Announcing Soon!

Consultant + explore biography

OUR OFFICES

Office Berlin

SCITARIS GmbH & Co. KG
Lennéstraße 9
10785 Berlin
Germany

e-mail: [email protected]

Office Boston

Scitaris GmbH & Co. KG
177 Huntington Avenue
17th Floor Suite 1785
Boston, MA 02115, USA

e-mail: [email protected]

SCITARIS GmbH
Lennéstrasse 9
10785 Berlin
Germany

e-mail: [email protected]

Scitaris GmbH
177 Huntington Avenue; 17th Floor
Boston, MA 02115
USA

e-mail: [email protected]

Copyright © 2023 Scitaris, All rights reserved. SCITARIS GmbH & Co. KG

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