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Meet our team

Our team at NEOGAP consists of highly skilled and motivated professionals from diverse backgrounds, including academia and the pharmaceutical industry. With extensive experience and a track record of success, we are committed to advancing the field of cancer immunotherapy. We work together to develop innovative solutions that are at the forefront of cutting-edge cancer research, with a focus on personalised immunotherapy to combat cancer.

Hans Grönlund

CSO and founder
PhD,  Assoc Prof  Karolinska Institutet

With over 30 years of experience in academic research and the pharmaceutical industry, Hans is a seasoned expert in the field. He has previously served as Director of the Reagents Department at Pharmacia Diagnostics and founded Medi-Tec R&D. Hans is also an Associate Professor of Immunology and Research Group Leader at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet.

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Guro Gafvelin

CTO
PhD, Assoc Prof Karolinska Institutet

With a career spanning over 25 years, Guro is a renowned expert in immunological research, particularly in the area of T-cells. She has conducted research at Karolinska Institutet and served as the former Director of Immunology at Viscogel, where she managed an EU project that included a phase I/IIa clinical trial. Guro is also an Associate Professor of Molecular Immunology at Karolinska Institutet.

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Samuel Svensson

CEO
PhD, Prof Linköping University

Samuel brings over 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical development to NEOGAP. He has served as Head of Department and Project Leader at AstraZeneca R&D, where he successfully took three substances from development into phase I clinical trials. Samuel is also a Co-founder of Alzecure Foundation and serves as a Board Member for Biopercept Ltd, Celluminova, and Oxiant Discovery.

In addition to his industry experience, Samuel is an Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology and Chemistry at Linköping University, where he contributes to the education and training of the next generation of scientists.

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Andrea Salmén

COO
MSc Engineering Biology

Andrea is a highly experienced professional in the biopharmaceutical industry, having spent 15+ years in the field. Her career has included roles as a Project Manager at Cobra Biologics, as well as experience at AstraZeneca bioprocess R&D, Recipharm, and Scandinavian Development Services.

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Hanjing Xie

CMO
MD, PhD, Assoc Prof Karolinska Institutet

Hanjing has over 25 years of experience from both the pharmaceutical industry, at companies such as Idogen, Oncopeptides, and Bayer, and from university hospitals and institutes, such as the Karolinska University Hospital, the Karolinska Institute, and St. Göran's hospital. She is an associate professor and senior consultant in oncology, holds a PhD in clinical pharmacology, and has board certifications in clinical oncology, internal medicine, and hematology.

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Key Operational Team

Head of Neoantigen Production & Development

MSc, PhD

Ola leads the team for production and development of neoantigens, which are key components in NEOGAP’s personalised cancer therapies. He is an experienced scientist with an extensive background in immunology, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and oncology, making him ideally suited to lead the development and operation of PIOR® and EpiTCer® bead manufacturing.

Quality Manager

MSE, PhD

Andreas has established the NEOGAP quality management system (QMS) and promotes its continuous improvement. An important part of the QMS is to ensure that regulatory requirements are met in EpiTCer® bead manufacturing and in clinical sample analysis. Andreas has a central role in the development of the manufacturing process for EpiTCer® beads and the design of the production facility.

Principal Scientist and Scientific Lead Cell Therapy Development

MSc, PhD

As Scientific Lead for NEOGAP’s, Anne-Laure is responsible for cell product developments based on non-clinical and clinical results as well as transfer to GMP-compliant production. Anne-Laure is an experienced research scientist in molecular and cellular immunology with an emphasis on immunological tolerance. Anne-Laure’s dual interest in fundamental and clinical research makes her role pivotal to future applications.

Principal Scientist Clinical Development

MD, PhD

Sofia manages the translational aspects of the NEOGAP pipeline and links the pTTL product development team and the clinical team together. Much of her work is focused on clinical trial design and trial administration. Her background with a combination of clinical experience as a medical doctor and a PhD in preclinical T cell and adoptive cell therapy research provides her with a comprehensive understanding of both worlds.

Board of Directors

Chairman of the board

MD, PhD

Johan is an accomplished drug discovery and development leader with a proven track record of delivering candidate drugs and achieving clinical proof of concepts. He has held VP positions at AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Celgene, and is currently the CEO and Co-founder of Kynexis Medicine Development and founder of MBS Pharma. Johan also serves as a board member in Pelago Bioscience, Genagon Therapeutics, and Olink holding.

MSE

Anna is the founder and CEO of Complyit, a leading life science consulting company that she has developed from a start-up to a profitable business with over 100 consultants. Prior to this, she served as the VP QA and Validation at Pharmadule and worked as a Quality Engineer at AstraZeneca. She brings extensive experience in corporate governance and regulatory compliance within pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and medical technology.

MBA

Steve has extensive experience in business development, commercialisation, and biotechnological applications, including DNA sequencing in oncology. He has a vast international network of contacts in the field, which he has built through his work as the Owner of CG Biology, Vice President & General Manager at Celsee, Inc., Sales Executive at 10X Genomics, Clinical Account Manager at Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Head of NGS at the Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control.

CTO

PhD, Assoc Prof

With a career spanning over 25 years, Guro is a renowned expert in immunological research, particularly in the area of T-cells. She has conducted research at Karolinska Institutet and served as the former Director of Immunology at Viscogel, where she managed an EU project that included a phase I/IIa clinical trial. Guro is also an Associate Professor of Molecular Immunology at Karolinska Institutet.

Acting CFO

With extensive experience in senior positions at biotech and pharmaceutical start-ups, including Moberg Pharma and Medi-Tec Research & Development Stockholm AB, Lars-Erik is a seasoned professional in his field. Currently serving as CFO at Viscogel AB, he brings valuable financial expertise to the life sciences industry.

As an industrial leader with a background in senior management positions involving IT solutions, Thomas has a wealth of experience. He has served as the Technical Director at IBM, CEO of Bluegarden, and CEO of Telia Systems, and brings valuable expertise to the field.

The following four members have been appointed to constitute the nomination committee for the time until a new nomination committee is appointed:
 
  • Peter Svanlund, Victoria Bioventure Ltd
  • Hans Grönlund, founder
  • Olle Wahlqvist, AB-Ility
  • Mats Lind, Polynom Investment AB

Read the nomination committee’s statement for the Annual General Meeting on June 21, 2023 (in Swedish).

Scientific Advisory Board

MD

Medical doctor who serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards of several leading healthcare companies, including Novo Nordisk, Zealand Pharma, BioInvent International, and Hansa Medical.

MD, PhD  

Professor in experimental oncology at Karolinska Institutet and a senior consultant at the Oncology Clinic of Karolinska Hospital, known for his pioneering work in immunotherapy, particularly his discovery of natural killer (NK) cells.

PhD  

Life sciences professional who has held leadership positions at RegSmart Life Sciences, Swedish MPA, Sofus, Orexo, and AstraZeneca.

MD, PhD 

Professor in neurology at Karolinska Institutet and a former member of the Nobel Assembly.