LIMMATECH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Principal at Novo Holdings
Camilla Petrycer Hansen currently serves as a principal at Novo Holdings, where she focuses on company creation and early-stage investments. She is also part of the investment team in the REPAIR Impact Fund. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Hoba Therapeutics and Centauri Therapeutics and also acts as an observer on the Boards of Directors for Muna and Hemab. Camilla previously worked in various business development roles spanning positions at early-stage to commercial-stage companies (e.g., Novozymes, Statens Serum Institute (SSI) and Wake Forest University Health Sciences in the United States). She holds a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry and a Master of Pharmacy from Copenhagen University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Partner at Adjuvant Capital
Kabeer Aziz is a Partner at Adjuvant Capital, a life sciences investment fund designed to accelerate the development of new technologies for the world's most pressing public health challenges. Prior to Adjuvant, Kabeer was with the Global Health Investment Fund (GHIF), where he led investments in biotech companies addressing unmet needs in infectious disease as well as maternal and child health. Before GHIF, Kabeer spent time at Metalmark Capital investing across the healthcare sector and at Greenhill & Co., where he advised on biopharmaceutical M&A transactions. Kabeer is based in New York and currently serves on the Board of Directors of AN2 Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ANTX), MinervaX, Quantoom Biosciences, Frontier Nutrition, and Pulmocide, while also previously supporting Adjuvant's engagement on the Board of Themis (acquired by MSD). He graduated with honors from the Stern School of Business at New York University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Scientific Officer
- Co - Founder
As Chief Scientific Officer, Michael is responsible for LimmaTech's scientific development, focusing on pipeline expansion and operational R&D performance. Michael has a PhD in Biochemistry from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich (ETH Zurich) and has developed broad experience in the biotech industry. After university, he joined GlycoVaxyn to develop the company's bioconjugation vaccine platform. As VP of Research and IP, he was responsible for platform science innovation and the collaboration with GSK that culminated in GlycoVaxyn's acquisition by GlaxoSmithKline in February 2015. After that, Michael became a co-founder of LimmaTech, and soon took the role of VP of Business Strategy and IP to drive LimmaTech's proprietary business, marking his journey into therapeutics. With the successful spin-out of the therapeutics assets into the newly formed company GlycoEra AG in January 2021, as CSO of the company, he moved back to his true scientific passion, developing innovative vaccines.
As Chief Operating Officer, Patricia is responsible for LimmaTech's vaccine clinical programs. She joined GlycoVaxyn in 2014 in the Clinical Department and became part of LimmaTech's Executive Management team in 2019 as Vice President of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs and later as Managing Director. Prior to GlycoVaxyn, Patricia held various roles in clinical research in several biotech companies and CROs. In her over 15 years of industrial experience, she has acquired significant expertise in diverse vaccine and therapeutic clinical indications and has overseen studies ranging from Phase I to Phase IV. Patricia has a degree in Biochemistry from the National University of Cordoba, Argentina. After relocating to Switzerland, she received her PhD in Natural Science from the University of Zürich.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Co - Founder
As Chief Financial Officer, Paul is responsible for finance, administration, IT and human resources at LimmaTech. Most recently, he was CFO of GlycoVaxyn at the time of its acquisition by GlaxoSmithKline in February 2015. Previously, Paul was the Chief Financial Officer of Source Capital, a FINMA-regulated algorithmic trading firm in Switzerland from 2012 to 2014. He was Managing Director of Investors Guaranty, a boutique private equity and venture capital firm, where he managed the financial and corporate development activities and served as a board member for the group's portfolio companies from 2001 to 2012. Prior to 2001, he worked for SEI Investments in the United States and Switzerland in various corporate finance positions focusing on the company's new ventures. Paul holds a B.S. in finance from LaSalle University and an MBA from Villanova University.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board of Directors
Philippe has 20 years of experience in the life science industry, including pharma, biotech and med-tech companies. Most recently, he was Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors of GlycoVaxyn for seven years. GlycoVaxyn was acquired by GSK in February 2015. From 2004 to 2007, he was chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EndoArt SA, a med-tech company developing telemetric-driven implants for cardiac diseases and obesity. Endoart was sold to Allergan, Inc. From 1999 to 2003, Dr. Dro was Chief Operating Officer and part of the founding team of Axovan AG. In this GPCR-focused drug discovery company, he helped to grow the company to become a clinical-stage entity, which was ultimately acquired by Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Prior to this, he held the position of Chief Operating Officer, and he was also a member of the Board of Directors of Antares Pharma, a drug delivery company formed by the merger of Permatec Group and Mediject. He also held Executive Director positions at SkyePharma PLC during its listing on the LSE and in finance at Sandoz Pharma AG (now Novartis AG). Philippe holds a PharmD from the University of Grenoble (France) and an MBA jointly from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Lyon (France) and Cranfield School of Management (UK).
Dr. Zina Affas Besse is a seasoned professional with a 25-year career in healthcare investments and operations. She joined AXA IM Alts, a global leader in alternative investments, in 2022 as Deputy Head of Healthcare Private Equity, having previously served in an advisory capacity since April 2020. In addition to her role at AXA IM Alts, Zina has held board positions in esteemed companies, such as Eyenuk, Biolinq, Axena Health, and Alydia Health (acquired by Organon, NYSE: OGN). Her strategic acumen has played a key role in driving growth and success within the healthcare sector. Prior to her tenure at AXA IM Alts, Zina held the position of Chief Business Officer at Novintum Bioscience, a company specializing in small-molecule cancer drug development. Her career has included significant contributions to various healthcare companies, particularly in fundraising and business development. In the field of venture capital, Zina co-founded Orion Healthcare Equity Partners, a life-sciences venture-capital startup, where she played a central role in fundraising, investment sourcing, and structuring. Her six-year term as a Principal at Atlas Venture, starting in 2002, was focused on biopharmaceutical and medical device sectors globally, covering deal-making activities. Zina began her career in law at Shook Hardy & Bacon, later transitioning to roles with Euromedica and eventually entering venture capital with Atlas Venture. She has a wealth of experience working closely with biotech startups, contributing her expertise to drug development across multiple therapeutic areas. Her educational background includes a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry and pharmacy degrees from The University of Nottingham.