Speakers & Hosts

Carlo Stresemann is a specialist on pharmacology, target validation and chemical biology in cancer. Prior to joining NUVISAN in 2020, he gathered his experience working for 12 years within research pharmacology at BAYER AG, where he started as a lab head leading drug discovery programs from early target validation until clinical development. He pioneered the field of epigenetic research at BAYER but also led projects targeting different other cancer pathways including survival signalling, metabolism, apoptosis, and cancer stem cells. Carlo is a Biologist by training and graduated from Heidelberg University. He holds a PhD since 2008 for studying DNA methylation changes and DNA methyltransferase inhibitors as therapeutic approach in cancer at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. At Nuvisan, Carlo leads the Therapeutic Oncology Research group.

Zuzanna Makowska is a scientist at the Functional Genomics Research department of the NUVISAN Innovation Campus in Berlin. She is a molecular biologist by training and performed her Ph.D. at the University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland, studying innate immune responses in viral hepatitis. After a postdoc at Max Delbrück Centre in Berlin, Germany, she joined Bayer as a scientist in the Target Discovery Technologies department. Zuzanna has been working for over ten years at the interface between functional genomics and big data analysis. Her current focus is on single cell sequencing and high content analysis of Crispr screens. 

Heidi Greulich received her undergraduate degree in molecular biology from Princeton University and her PhD in molecular oncology from The Rockefeller University and embarked upon a career in cancer research spanning academia, industry, and collaborations between the two.  At the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Broad Institute, Dr. Greulich studied oncogenic mutations in protein kinase genes, including EGFR, ERBB2, FGFR2, and ARAF.  More recently, as a Senior Group Leader at the Broad Institute, she has been focusing on the discovery and development of a new class of small molecules, called velcrins, that kill cancer cells by a completely new mechanism: induction of complex formation between PDE3A and SLFN12.  Testing of this therapeutic hypothesis in clinical trials is now underway in collaboration with Bayer.  Dr. Greulich is on the editorial board of Cancer Research and has been a keynote speaker for the annual Lung Cancer Research Foundation Cancer Awareness Luncheon in New York.

Sabine is a pharmacist by training and has more than 15 years experiences in Oncology Drug Development in the areas of Cell Therapy, Bispecific Antibodies, Checkpoint Inhibitors, ADCs, Targeted Therapies with a focus on Translational Medicine, Early Clinical Development and Clinical Pharmacology (including PK/PD and Model-informed Drug Development). She received her PhD in Pharmaceutical Science from the University of Bonn and the University of Florida in 2003 and then started her professional career at Merck KGaA Darmstadt at a Clinical Pharmacologist. She has been responsible for leading the Clinical Pharmacology strategy for Cetuximab as well as the Early Clinical strategy for several Oncology projects. In 2009 Sabine joined Bayer AG as a Director Early Clinical Lead Immuno-Oncology. In this role she was accountable and responsible for the planning, content, execution, and delivery of early clinical development strategies from Research to Proof of Concept (PoC) for several Oncology exploratory development candidates in alignment with the overall therapeutic area strategy. She moved four compounds successfully into Phase 1 and prepared early clinical development strategies for a number of projects still at the preclinical stage. In 2018 Sabine became the VP, Head of Clinical Pharmacology, Oncology and joined the Oncology extended leadership team responsible for delivering increased numbers of high value potential medicines that work through better selection and validation of targets and innovative clinical programs. In her role she is leading a team of 20 MDs and PhDs. With her team she ensures the adequate implementation of all aspects of Clinical Pharmacology and PK/PD including model-based development approaches from translational to LCM across the Oncology portfolio (Oncogenic Signaling, Immuno-Oncology incl. Cell Therapies, Targeted alpha Therapies). In addition to her current role at the beginning of 2021 Sabine became responsible for the clinical development strategy of Bayer’s Oncology Cell Therapy portfolio.

Sebastian Dieter studied medicine in Freiburg, Heidelberg, Strasbourg and Boston. As a medical PhD student in the group of professor Hanno Glimm at the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, he characterized the clonal composition of colorectal cancer stem cells. In a first postdoc phase, he continued working on gastrointestinal cancers with a more translational focus, identifying novel vulnerabilities and treatment approaches including drug development projects with colleagues from Bayer/Nuvisan. After his board certification in internal medicine and hematology/oncology, he joined the group of professor Reuven Agami at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) in Amsterdam for a second postdoc, working on genetic screens and systematic approaches for overcoming drug resistance. Since 2021, he works as a physician scientist at the NCT and DKFZ Heidelberg with combined translational research and clinical activities.

Andreas has more than 20 years of experience in Drug Discovery DMPK. He is VP and currently heads DMPK M&S, prior he headed Research PK which was responsible for the complete DMPK support of all drug discovery projects across diverse therapeutic areas from lead generation until preclinical candidate selection & profiling. Andreas holds a PhD in Cell Biology from Leipzig University. During his PostDoc at King’s College London, funded by several pharmaceutical companies, he worked on in vitro models and in silico approaches to assess and predict the CNS penetration of drugs. Andreas then joined Discovery DMPK at Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, where he expanded his area of expertise to intestinal and hepatic transport processes and their relevance for drug absorption, drug disposition and drug-induced liver injury. Having a passion for scientific innovations he has been supervising >10 Master and PhD students. His latest research interests are in the fields of PK/PD of new modalities, microphysiological systems, oral absorption modelling and drug delivery technologies.

Dr. Charlotte Kopitz is Biologist by training with a passion for applied research. She started academic research in the field of natural pest control/Zoology at the FU Berlin in 1997, followed by basic research on the autoimmune disease sprue, a PhD in the field of metastasis research at the Technical University Munich followed by a PostDoc in Experimental Oncology and Therapeutic Research at the Klinikum Rechts der Isar. In 2008 she took over the lead of an in vivo Laboratory in Oncology Research at Bayer, with increasing repertoire and responsibilities, incl. project leadership along the value chain, membership of the Global Bayer Animal Welfare Committee and Inclusion and the role as Inclusion & Diversity Advisor of the Bayer Pharma R&D organization. In 2019 she took over the responsibility for Pharmacology of the Innovation Campus Berlin at Bayer, preparing the transition to Nuvisan GmbH. At July 1st 2020 she became EVP and head of Therapeutic Research in the Innovation Campus Berlin as part of the Nuvisan family.

Olaf has more than 25 years of experience in drug discovery and development. He currently heads the department of Preclinical Compound Profiling within Nuvisan ICB, which encompasses ICB’s entire expertise in DMPK and toxicology as well as animal management and welfare. Prior to this position he headed Drug Metabolism Berlin within Bayer AG. Olaf holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the university in Münster, Germany, and worked afterwards as a post-doc in Vic Snieckus‘ lab in Canada, investigating ortho-lithiation and synthesis of highly subsituted aromatic derivaties before joining Schering AG late 1996 in the area of combinatorial chemistry and lab automation. He continued as a medicinal chemist and lead the large-scale resynthesis lab. In 2007 he moved into DMPK area and took over the drug metabolism group in Berlin in 2008, where he was also responsible for supporting all local drug discovery and selected development projects, from preclinical up to submission, including interaction with authorities. In 2019 he accepted the responsibility in his current position, where he was deeply involved in the transition of DMPK and toxicology functions and respective staff from Bayer to the Innovation Campus Berlin. From mid 2020 onwards he actively accompanied his team in the service-oriented world of the Nuvisan Science CRO. His more recent activities also include the set-up of a freshly accredited GLP organization within the ICB.