Future:Trials at the AIDS-Tage – Ethical and Structural Challenges in Clinical Research
16/03/2026
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Photo of Derk Arts, MD, PhD - iduneo

Dr. Ole Dammann

Co-Founder and Managing Director of iduneo

 

Ole is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of iduneo, a company dedicated to helping patients across Europe access clinical trials while supporting pharmaceutical companies with data- and AI-driven recruitment solutions.

Ole brings extensive experience in clinical research. Before founding iduneo, he served as CEO of a network of research sites, which was successfully acquired by a pan-European organization. He has played a key role in the digital transformation of clinical research and has been actively involved in several prominent industry initiatives.

Earlier in his career, Ole held various leadership roles in the chemical and healthcare industries, with a focus on finance. He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Ph.D. in Organization from the University of Mannheim, which included research conducted at Stanford University.

 

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iduneo Logo

At iduneo, we leverage artificial intelligence to simplify access to suitable clinical trials for cancer patients - while accelerating patient recruitment for the pharmaceutical industry. Our goal is to reduce the operational burden of trial matching and help bridge the gap between standard care and clinical research.

 

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Derk Arts, MD, PhD

Founder and CEO of Castor

 

Derk Arts, MD, PhD, is a physician-entrepreneur and a global leader in clinical research technology innovation. As the founder and CEO of Castor, Derk has spearheaded a revolution in clinical trial technology, transforming how data is collected, managed, and leveraged to accelerate medical research. With a mission to make clinical trials more efficient, inclusive, and patient-centric, Derk has led Castor’s growth from a single-use case in an ICU in the Netherlands to supporting over 15,000 studies across 90+ countries.

A medical doctor with a PhD in clinical trial methodology, Derk’s expertise spans healthcare, technology, and business. He is passionate about addressing inefficiencies in the research ecosystem and empowering researchers with tools to generate high-quality evidence faster. Derk is also a seasoned public speaker, having contributed to prominent conferences and panels on decentralized clinical trials, artificial intelligence in healthcare, and the future of patient engagement.

 

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Castor is designed to help researchers collect, manage, and analyze data for clinical trials and research studies. It offers features like building electronic case report forms (eCRFs), integrating data from various sources (EHRs, wearables, ePROs), real-time reporting, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.

Castor was founded to democratize access to clinical research technology, to improve health equity across the globe and extend the human healthspan.

 

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Dr. Eva Wolf

CEO and Head of Clinical Research at Eurofins MUC Research

 

Eva Wolf is a dedicated clinical researcher bringing over 20 years of expertise in study planning, conduct and analysis. After graduating in physics at the Technical University Munich (TUM), she completed a Master’s degree in Public Health and Epidemiology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, followed by her doctoral studies in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) at the UMIT (University of Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology) in Hall/Tyrol, Austria.

As CEO and Head of Clinical Research at Eurofins MUC Research, she ensures rigorous study design, precise statistical analyses, and comprehensive medical writing. She emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach by fostering collaboration between health care providers, scientists and IT experts to improve study outcomes and drive innovation.

 

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Eurofins MUC Research is operating as an ISO-certified CRO with extensive experience in the planning, conduct and analysis of observational and clinical studies with a focus on post-authorisation studies and implementation of real-world data into clinical research.

Eurofins MUC Research supports its clients throughout their research projects including protocol writing, site feasibility, regulatory affairs, and design of electronic, web-based CSV-validated study platforms/eCRFs. Services encompass reliable and comprehensive data management, sound planning and execution of statistical analyses, as well as medical writing of scientific manuscripts and clinical study reports.

Eurofins MUC Research has extensive expertise in facilitating data collection using multiple data sources, structures and coding systems to generate real-world evidence. All aspects of data security, quality control, and quality assurance are rigorously implemented and consistently maintained.

With the help of highly qualified and experienced staff, Eurofins MUC Research is able to implement research projects in an efficient and client-focused timely manner.

 

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Photo of Zina Sarif - Yendou

Zina Sarif

Founder and CEO of Yendou

 

A scientist turned founder, Zina spent a decade in cancer drug discovery before leading clinical research at Parexel and PhIII oncology trials at AstraZeneca. Driven by the vision of a cancer-free world, she built Yendou to accelerate research, streamline operations, to deliver life-saving treatments faster.

 

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Yendou is the first AI-powered Site Engagement CRM built for the clinical research workforce—without burdening sites with new technology. Designed to turn site engagement into operational performance, Yendou helps scale late-stage clinical pipelines faster than ever. Finally, ClinOps gets a smarter way to work.

 

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Photo of Maria del Pilar Garzón Riveros - FastTrack MedTech

Maria del Pilar Garzón Riveros

FastTrack MedTech

 

Maria is a certified Clinical Research Associate with six years of experience in clinical trials. Over the course of her career, she has collaborated with a range of universities and companies across the fields of clinical nutrition, pharmaceuticals, and medical products. These collaborations have included the planning and execution of various types of clinical studies. Currently, Maria leads the clinical trials department for medical products at FastTrack MedTech GmbH.

One of her greatest passions lies in exploring new technologies and treatment strategies in the medical field to improve the management and prevention of both communicable and non-communicable diseases. With a strong foundation in clinical research and a commitment to innovation, Maria aims to support startups in transforming their ideas into reality – ensuring efficiency, high quality, and safety throughout the development process.

 

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FastTrack MedTech (FTMT) is an industry-in-clinic platform that connects medical device and healthtech developers with real-world clinical environments and expert insights. By providing direct access to practicing medical professionals and realistic testing settings, FTMT helps bring innovative ideas closer to clinical reality. The platform also facilitates access to clinical trials, streamlining the path from concept to implementation.

Our approach is simpler, more accurate, and highly efficient. We aim to:

  • Facilitate knowledge transfer between clinicians and developers

  • Support the development of focused, need-driven medical products

  • Accelerate the translation of research into clinical applications

  • Enhance the accuracy and reliability of clinical data

  • Continuously improve product quality

  • Achieve cost savings through operational efficiency

Our services are designed to bridge the gap between innovation and clinical practice, helping to bring better healthcare solutions to market faster. These services include:

  • Study monitoring

  • Support in creating essential documentation for clinical studies

  • User research and analysis

  • Clinical study coordination

 

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Kayleigh Rogers

Head of Business Development at Siteworks GmbH

 

For nearly a decade, I've been building partnerships in clinical research and drug development, always passionate about interdisciplinary communication and systemic, human-focused continuous improvement. 

 

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Siteworks Clinical Research is a professionalized Site Network of 8 clinical study sites based in Germany performing Phase Ib - IV clinical trials in a variety of clinical settings including medical practices, clinics, and independent research centers, and supporting a variety of therapeutic areas including Neurology, Inner Medicine, Sleep, Pain, Cardiology, Dermatology, Pulmonology, and more.

 

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Prof. Dr. med. Johannes Bogner

Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Downtown Campus of the University Hospital of Munich, Germany

 

Prof. Dr. med. Johannes Bogner, born 1960, is head of the ID department since 2006. He attended Medical School at Munich and started his training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases in 1986. He was active in building up and expanding the Division of Infectious Diseases since 1986, which comprises now an ID Consult Service for inpatients, a Clinic for acute and chronic infectious disorders as well as an ID ward. He was trained in Internal Medicine, Endoscopy and Pulmonary Medicine. He completed his expertise as an Infectious Disease Specialist with a fellowship at the Albert Einstein Medical School, Bronx, New York. In 1994 he was appointed assistant Professor and attending physician. 2001 he was appointed Professor of Medicine. He is active as a teacher at Medical School in various forms including lectures, seminars and teaching rounds. He is Board- approved instructor for Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases and has numerous lectures and talks at international and national conferences. In 2012 he was appointed Editor in Chief of the Springer-Nature Journal INFECTION. His scientific core aereas are immunology and treatment of HIV infection, development of new anti-infective medication in clinical trials (antivirals, antimycotic compounds and antibiotics), and antibiotic treatment of infections due to multi-resistant organisms.

 

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Sandra Kreuzaler

Senior Scientific Advisor Research at ViiV Healthcare

 

Sandra Kreuzaler is a Scientific Advisor Research at ViiV Healthcare, Germany, since October 2020.

She develops and collaborates with research sites in Germany to contribute to R&D efforts across the ViiV pipeline as well as for approved treatments for HIV, and serves as the German contact for investigator-sponsored studies. Sandra holds a degree in Biochemistry from Freie Universität Berlin. Her prior roles included Senior Pharmacovigilance Manager at a large global CRO (PPD), and Clinical Studies Lead at a small local CRO, both in Cambridge, UK. She has extensive experience in medical affairs, clinical trials, and drug safety management.

 

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Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Christoph Schindler

CMO & Managing Director
Center for Clinical Trials (ZKS)
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH)

 

Prof. Dr. med. Christoph Schindler is Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at Hannover Medical School (MHH), where he leads the Center for Clinical Studies (ZKS) and the Early Clinical Trial Unit (ECTU). He is also a member of the managing board (Vorstand) of the KKS-network.

He studied medicine at the Universities of Ulm and Toronto and completed his clinical and research training in Dresden, where he became a specialist in Clinical Pharmacology. After leading the translational clinical trials unit at TU Dresden, he was appointed W2 Professor at MHH in 2012 and has since built one of Germany’s leading infrastructures for early clinical research.

Prof. Schindler’s research focuses on early-phase drug development (Phase I–IIa), biomarker-guided trials, and translational pharmacology. He has pioneered the use of electronic health records and digital platforms to improve the design and conduct of clinical studies, accelerating the translation of novel therapies into patient care.

He is an experienced academic teacher and mentor, directing accredited Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training courses, lecturing at the TRAIN Academy, and leading the Clinical Trials module in the MHH Master’s program in Biomedical Data Science.

With an H-Index of 21, Prof. Schindler has published widely on innovative therapeutic approaches. Recent highlights include randomized controlled trials in Tourette syndrome, a Phase 3 study on COVID-19 prophylaxis in elderly patients, a Phase 2 trial on Emicizumab in haemophilia, and a Phase 1 gene therapy study in diabetic foot ulcers, with results published in Lancet Haematology, Clinical Infectious Diseases, and other leading journals.

He is a member of the American College of Clinical Pharmacology (ACCP) and the German Society for Clinical Pharmacology (DGKliPha/DGPT), and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Therapeutic Advances in Endocrinology and Metabolism. Through his leadership, research, and teaching, Prof. Schindler has become a driving force in advancing clinical pharmacology and early-phase clinical research in Germany and beyond.

 

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Dr. med. Tobias D. Gantner,
MBA, LL. M.

CEO of HealthCare Futurists GmbH

 

Tobias Gantner is a physician with additional degrees in health economics, medical law, and philosophy. He is Professor for Digital Health and Innovation and founder of HealthCare Futurists GmbH, where he has spent more than a decade pioneering the digital transformation of healthcare – from democratizing access to care through mobile and telemedical solutions (Ohnearztpraxis, Digitale Residenzpraxis, HealthCare MakerMobil) to building AI-driven platforms such as Lebenswerk.ai, which brings biography work into elderly care.

Dubbed the “Q of Medicine” by Stern Magazine, Dr. Gantner is recognized for turning visionary ideas into tangible innovations. He is a strong advocate of emergence-based medicine and the use of AI in new fields of clinical research – particularly through synthetic data and narrative data. His work focuses on future skills: how healthcare professionals and organizations can thrive in a world shaped by disruptive technologies and new paradigms of evidence.

 

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Alexander van der Mey

CEO at Healex

Healex is dedicated to automating the billing process for clinical trials from the clinic’s perspective.With our TrialFinance Manager, we ensure that clinics receive proper compensation for all services rendered.

Our solution is distributed through our OEM partner, Deutsche Telekom Healthcare / T-Systems.

 

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Prof. Dr. Bianca Wittig

Medical Head Sanofi Specialty Care Germany, Switzerland, Austria & Country Medical Lead Germany

 

Bianca Wittig is a senior executive physician with over two decades of leadership experience in both pharmaceutical industry and academic medicine. Before joining industry, she became a Professor of Internal Medicine with board certifications in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology/Hepatology. Her scientific contributions include over 60 peer-reviewed publications in high-ranking journals, complemented by research at prestigious institutions like the German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg, Basel Institue for Immunology and Charité Berlin. Her pharmaceutical career spans more than 15 years across Sanofi, AbbVie, and Morphosys, where she led teams of up to 200 medical professionals in national and global settings. At Morphosys, Bianca Wittig was leading R&D Strategic Evaluation in Business Development and early clinical development and successfully launched Tafasitamab for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, while at AbbVie she built extensive matrix teams across 19 countries as Area Medical Lead for Oncology/Hematology. Her leadership was instrumental in multiple product launches including Venetoclax in CLL, Viekirax in Hepatitis C, and Humira in various indications including pediatric applications. In her current role at Sanofi, she is heading Medical Affairs Specialty care in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and Country Medical Lead Germany cross indications in immunology, neurology and oncology as well as rare diseases.

 

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Ronald Boumans

Munich Medtech

 

Ronald Boumans has been working with medical devices in many different roles since 1987: R&D, distribution, standardization, quality of life research, market surveillance for a competent authority, high-end regulatory consulting, and work as a PRRC. In 2022 he started Boumans Regulatory Consulting, which specializes in strategic regulatory consulting and in PRRC services. In 2023 he was a co-founder of Munich Medtech Regulatory Consulting, a consultancy specializing in working with startups. Thanks to having worked with devices from all these different perspectives, he can see easy solutions in complex situations.

Ronald compares Regulatory work with flying a plane: a good pilot can land his plane in a storm; an excellent pilot knows how to avoid bad weather.

 

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Daniela Karl

1st Chairwoman at Buveba e. V.

 

Daniela Karl is a highly experienced clinical research professional with more than 30 years of experience in nursing, cinical trials and study coordination. After beginning her career as a registered nurse, she moved into clinical research in 2008 and has since worked as Study Coordinator and Team Lead in oncology and neurology at leading German university hospitals, a CRO, and currently coordinates clinical studies at a neurological practice in Munich.

Since 2021, she has served as Chairwoman of the Bundesverband des nicht-ärztlichen Studienpersonals in der Klinischen Forschung e.V. (BUVEBA e.V.), where she is a strong advocate for increasing the visibility and professional recognition of study coordination and for the establishment of a mandatory, standardized training program in this field.

 

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Steffen Ruschinski

Munich Medtech

 

Steffen is a trusted Medical and Technical Writer supporting Medtech companies in all aspects around Clinical Evaluation and Post Market activities for medical devices risk classes I – III.  As Shareholder, Advisor and Board Member for various Medical Device companies around the globe he has deep insights into medical devices business and an entrepreneurial mindset. Since 2025 he also serves as Reviewer and Judge for Medtech Innovator Los Angeles. As partner of Medtech Munich he will help you to achieve your goals.

 

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Camille Chouan

Head of Innovation at EIT Health

 

Camille Chouan is Head of Innovation at EIT Health, where she leads funding programmes to support breakthrough technologies and solutions that are transforming healthcare in Europe, from wearables to digital therapeutics, AI-driven diagnostics, telehealth and advanced medical technologies. A former Design Director at IDEO, she has spent her career advising organizations on innovation and digital transformation, building user-centric solutions, and mobilizing investments towards impactful ventures.

 

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EIT Health is a vast, vibrant community of world-leading health innovators backed by the European Union. We collaborate across borders to connect and enable the brightest minds from business, research, education and healthcare delivery, creating a productive environment in which innovation can flourish. Together, we address the biggest health challenges Europe faces.

 

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Pedro Coelho

Founder & CEO, Biorce

 

Pedro Coelho is the Founder and CEO of Biorce, a health AI company redefining how life-changing treatments reach patients faster and more efficiently. A visionary in the intersection of life sciences and technology, Pedro founded Biorce in 2024 to tackle the deep-rooted inefficiencies he witnessed throughout his career in life sciences consulting. The name Biorce, born from the fusion of Biology and Force, reflects his mission to drive transformation across clinical development through intelligent automation.

Prior to founding Biorce, Pedro was Senior Vice President at Talentmark, where he created and led TMFS, a specialized CRO focused on Oncology and Cell & Gene Therapy. He also held executive roles in business development and commercial strategy, including as Chief Commercial Officer at Konspol Holding.

Pedro’s academic background spans executive education from Harvard Medical School and the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated Summa Cum Laude in Business Administration from EU Business School and ranked in the top 2% globally in the International Baccalaureate in Sciences.

 

LinkedIn

At Biorce, we help pharma and biotech companies run faster, smarter, and more cost-effective clinical trials using advanced AI.

Our flagship platform, is the first AI Clinical Trial Assistant built to accelerate protocol development, feasibility, and study startup. It reduces amendments, improves patient matching, and supports more confident decision-making – leading to faster timelines and lower risk.

Designed with input from leading clinical experts, Biorce’s platform transforms regulatory data and medical literature into actionable insights that streamline planning and execution. Whether you’re a global biopharma, an agile biotech or a CRO, Biorce helps your teams design better trials and bring treatments to market sooner.

We bring together expertise in AI, clinical operations, and healthcare to solve today’s biggest R&D challenges, without compromising quality, compliance, or patient safety. Learn more at www.biorce.com

 

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Rebecca Zeising, MSc, MBA

Head of Business Development at PharmaTrail

 

Rebecca is a clinical research leader who bridges MedTech/Pharma, CROs, and startups with a people-first mindset. Over more than 15 years—from her start as a clinical research associate to leading international trial operations—she has seen that studies advance not only through technology and process, but mainly through trust and respect for participants’ time and for sites’ workload. Since 2021, she has worked on the vendor side, applying blockchain to build secure, transparent, and intuitively user-friendly electronic data capture (EDC) solutions that enable inclusive practices whilst ensuring highest level of data integrity. She currently heads Business Development at PharmaTrail, where she forges strategic partnerships and scales the company’s business. Passionate about advancing digital health and improving patient access, Rebecca also contributes to sector-wide progress through the European Forum for Good Clinical Practice (EFGCP) eConsent initiative.

 

LinkedIn

PharmaTrail is a Swiss health-tech company delivering blockchain-secured EDC, eConsent, and ePRO—giving clinical trials tamper-proof audit trails, strong compliance, and trusted data by design. Our mission is shaping a new clinical trial industry standard for data integrity that ensures trust, delivers value and elevates patient care.

 

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Vasily Kalakutskiy

Connectivity & Products Tech
EMC & Product Safety
Business Development Manager Medical Product Certification
SGS Germany GmbH

 

SGS Germany GmbH, Munich, Germany
Business Development Manager Medical Product Certification
MDR Lead Auditor and Product assessor (CE0598)
Background and education: Biomedical Engineer, MBA in Medical Devices and Healthcare Management

 

LinkedIn

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Borislava Peric

Therapeutic Area Head, Director, Global Clinical Trial Operations, MSD Sharp & Dohme GmbH

 

Borislava Peric is Therapeutic Area Head Non-Oncology and Director of Global Clinical Trial Operations (GCTO) Germany at MSD Sharp & Dohme GmbH, one of the world’s largest research-driven biopharmaceutical companies. With over 14 years of experience in clinical research, Borislava has a proven track record in clinical trial management, trial oversight, and people development across global, cross-functional teams.

Since joining MSD in 2020, Borislava has worked in different positions with increasing responsibility and is currently overseeing the non-oncology clinical trial operations in Germany, playing a key role in shaping efficient processes and high-quality standards. Her expertise spans CRO and vendor management, trial oversight, and establishing operational frameworks that ensure compliance, performance, and patient safety.

Borislava’s career reflects a deep commitment to operational excellence and collaborative leadership. She began her journey in on-site monitoring and has since grown into a respected leader with the ability to influence across all levels of a matrix organization. Her focus on empowering teams and ensuring timely, high-quality deliverables has positioned her as a strategic force in the success of MSD’s clinical research programs.

 

LinkedIn

MSD (Merck Sharp & Dohme) has stood for medical innovation for over 130 years, developing life-saving medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. Driven by the mission to improve human and animal health, MSD is shaping the future of healthcare through science, dedication, and global collaboration.

 

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Alain Volny-Anne

European AIDS Treatment Group

 

Alain Volny-Anne is a long-standing HIV/AIDS treatment activist who has been engaged in the fight against HIV since the early 1990s, with a strong focus on research into HIV and related conditions. He played a key role in the creation of the French HIV Community Advisory Board, helping to ensure that the voices and perspectives of people living with HIV were represented in scientific discussions.

For over three decades, Alain has contributed to numerous French and international expert groups and scientific committees, consistently advocating for greater community involvement in research. Since 1997, he has been a member of the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG), supporting its mission to improve scientific knowledge and empower people living with HIV. This work has led him to represent the EATG in various scientific fora, including the RESPOND Consortium, the CASCADE HIV Cohort, the EACS Guidelines group, and the Glasgow HIV Drug Therapy Congress.

Until recently, Alain also reported on HIV conferences for several community groups in France and the UK.

Alain is deeply committed to promoting patient engagement as a cornerstone of ethical and effective clinical research.

 

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Bogdan Adrian Trandafir

ADVOCACY PATIENTS 
Representative of people with HIV/AIDS (Romania)
The National Union of Organizations of People Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNOPA)

 

Bogdan-Adrian Trandafir is a long-standing advocate for people living with HIV in Romania, with over 11 years of experience in advancing their rights and access to care. He is a member of the National Union of Organisations of People Affected by HIV/AIDS (UNOPA) and represents the Romanian HIV community as an Advocacy Patients leader, and part of the HIV Outcomes Romania's Steering Committee.

At the international level, Bogdan serves as a member of the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG) and the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS).His mission is to ensure that every person living with HIV in Romania can enjoy a dignified life, full social inclusion, and access to quality healthcare. Outside his advocacy work, Bogdan is also a passionate photographer, capturing stories and moments that inspire change.

 

LinkedIn

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Nikolay Vasev, PhD

Chief Executive Officer at Epix AI

 

Nikolay Vasev has long experience with European healthcare. His PhD from the University of Copenhagen focused on Court of Justice of the European Union adjudication in patients' rights cases and on the application of the Cross-border Patients' Rights Directive in Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, the Netherlands and Denmark.

He also worked at DG SANTE at the European Commission on several health-related dossiers and published a report on Antimicrobial Resistance in Europe. As a policy officer at the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Nikolay was in charge of enhancing the measures for stable iodine distribution in case of nuclear emergency.

Since returning to Bulgaria in 2018, Nikolay has worked at Sopharma Trading as a Project Manager for the strategic projects in both Bulgaria and Serbia. Since February 2023, Nikolay has been Chief Operating Officer at Epix AI getting the company ready for its market launch.

 

LinkedIn

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Olga Törringer

Enterprise Sales & Partnerships Manager at Curewiki

 

Olga is a digital innovation leader with over 13 years of experience in scaling technology solutions across global market. She leads engagement with top pharmaceutical sponsors and ecosystem partners, helping to shape enterprise adoption of patient-centric technology. At Curewiki, Olga advances the mission of making medical research more accessible by empowering patients to discover and join research opportunities that fit their needs.

 

LinkedIn

Curewiki is building a pan-European digital infrastructure that makes clinical research more accessible for patients. Through partnerships with hospitals, patient organizations, and other trusted healthcare platforms, we empower individuals to discover and pre-screen for relevant studies in real time. Our AI-powered eligibility flows simplify complex criteria, breaking down barriers to participation and addressing one of the biggest challenges in research: recruitment delays. By moving from fragmented campaigns to a continuous, patient-first model, Curewiki accelerates trial timelines, reduces screen failures, and broadens inclusion, ensuring that no patient misses a potentially life-saving opportunity.

 

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Manfred Taschner

CEO at LifeTaq-Analytics GmbH

 

Manfred is co-founder and CEO of LifeTaq. He studied Biotechnology at BOKU Vienna, at Griffith University Brisbane (Australia),and at Harvard Medical School in Boston (USA). His experience in drug research at AFFiRiS AG give him an excellent understanding of the market and its requirements. In 2017 he founded LifeTaq to implement his vision of sustainable as well as scalable drug development using human in vitro models instead of animal testing.

 

LinkedIn

LifeTaq is TechBio company from Klosterneuburg, near Vienna, Austria, that provides solutions for automated mass tissue production. We accelerate preclinical research by fully automating the production of standardized human in vitro tissue models. This reduces numerous animal trials, lowers time and costs by up to 80%, and improves reliability - enabling pharma and biotech to deliver safer treatments to patients faster.

The Tissura platform is LifeTaq’s main product. It is a modular machine for the high throughput production of in vitro models with its first application in respiratory research. Tissura combines technologies from the biotech, automation and digitalization field and acts as an all-in-one solution for reproducible, scalable and sustainable pre-clinical drug testing according to new regulatory frameworks.

 

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Dr. Anthony Harris

Director of Business Development at Linical

 

Tony is Director of Business Development at Linical. He has his PhD in Biomedical Engineering. After spending several years at the LMU he made the switch to industry. He has worked for multiple medical device and pharmaceutical companies, to help them to grow their business.

 

LinkedIn

Linical is a public, mid-sized Contract Research Organization headquartered in Japan with a significant presence across all major markets including North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Linical provides the full spectrum of drug development services from early stage to large-scale, multinational studies. Our areas of focus include Phase I-IV studies in oncology, neurology & psychiatry, immunology & vaccine, and endocrinology & metabolic diseases. Rather than be all things to the market, this intentional design allows us to provide our clients the right size, right reach, and right team.

 

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Kaloyan Ratchev

Founder Vangavis / Onco:Innovate

 

Kaloyan Ratchev is a passionate ecosystem builder, entrepreneur, investor and startup mentor. He is the founder and CEO of Vangavis, a leading innovation company operating at the intersection of ecosystems and networks across the DACH and CEE regions. Kaloyan is the founder and organiser of Onco:Innovate, the European oncology innovation network, which is a health innovation initiative at the crossroads of traditional oncological networks and modern startup & innovation organisations. In addition, Kaloyan is an executive board member of the Brussels based “European AI Forum” (EAIF), the largest AI umbrella organisation in Europe, representing more than 3000 European AI startups and companies from 13 countries.

Kaloyan holds a master's degree in Sociology and Economics from the University of Economics in Vienna and has been working in the field of ecosystem development, innovation and entrepreneurship for the last 20 years. His current fields of interest are AI & deep tech, health & life sciences, technology transfer and science based innovation.

 

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Maria Veleva

Founder and Principal Consultant at Velev Consulting Ltd.

 

An open-minded, courageous, and detail-oriented scientist, Maria Veleva brings almost 25 years of clinical research experience and is recognised for delivering effective, fit-for-purpose quality solutions in the life sciences industry.

As the Founder and Principal Consultant at Velev Consulting Ltd., she partners with the life sciences sector to optimise procedures and processes, reduce risks, and drive efficiency in clinical trials, ensuring they are conducted to high-quality standards that support regulatory approval while safeguarding patient safety. Maria’s expertise has made her a trusted advisor in the industry.

Maria is a sought-after trainer and speaker who has presented at numerous international conferences. She serves in leadership roles with professional organisations like RQA, EF GCP and others.

 

LinkedIn

Velev Consulting Ltd. offers a bespoke Quality Cultivator Program built around three core pillars: Quality Craft, Quality Culture, and Quality Control.

We support small biotech start-ups in embedding quality from the ground up, help Sponsors, CROs, and Investigator Sites foster a strong and compliant quality culture and enable clinical trial Sponsors of all sizes to stay in control through audits, inspection readiness, and risk management.

 

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Maya Zlatanova

Healthtech Entrepreneur and Clinical Research Expert at TrialHub

 

Maya Zlatanova is a healthtech entrepreneur and clinical research expert on a mission to bring research closer to patients. With 15 years of global experience spanning clinical research regulations, patient recruitment, and trial feasibility, Maya has witnessed firsthand how 45% of clinical trial amendments can be avoided simply by understanding patients better from the start.

She believes the industry's biggest breakthrough will come from combining AI-powered data intelligence with deep understanding of patient journeys—aligning trials with real-world treatment pathways before recruitment even begins. Maya's work focuses on connecting the dots between where patients naturally seek care and where clinical trials are conducted. Through her leadership in developing TrialHub, she's helped pharmaceutical companies design smarter protocols and avoid the trial design mistakes that lead to enrollment failures.

Her driving belief: Every delayed trial means patients waiting longer for life-changing treatments.

 

LinkedIn

TrialHub brings research closer to patients by transforming how clinical trials are planned and executed. By automating Standard of Care research across 70+ countries, we help sponsors design patient-aligned protocols, optimize site selection, and accelerate recruitment while reducing costly amendments. TrialHub's Dynamic Patient Journey Mapping provides real-time, country-specific insights into treatment pathways, helping sponsors understand how patients move through care and when they might become eligible for clinical trials. Because when trials align with real patient realities, everyone wins faster.

 

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Fabian Huber

Attorney at Law at Preu Bohlig & Partner

 

Fabian Huber advises and represents national and international clients comprehensively in the field of pharmaceutical and medical devices law, including regulatory, compliance, liability and competition law. Fabian Huber acts as an advisor and litigator. Fabian Huber joined Preu Bohlig & Partner’s Munich office as a lawyer in 2024, having previously worked in major international law firms and the biotech industry.

 

LinkedIn

Preu Bohlig & Partner is one of the leading law firms in Germany in the fields, of intellectual property and life sciences with offices in Munich, Düsseldorf and Berlin. For over 65 years, the firm has been advising companies in all areas of intellectual property law and on regulatory issues in the life sciences industry. Around 30 lawyers work in multidisciplinary teams to take care of your needs.

A focus of Preu Bohlig & Partner is advisory in the life sciences industry, where the advice covers the entire product life cycle from R&D, approval or certification to product launch, marketing, advertising and market surveillance. With more than 30 years‘ experience Preu Bohlig & Partner has invaluable practical knowledge including litigation on third-party oppositions related to drug approvals, competition and governmental issues.

 

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Dr. rer. nat. Marc Dohmen, MBA

Coordinating Managing Director
Center for Translational & Clinical Research Aachen (CTC-A)

 

Dr. Marc Dohmen (MBA) is Coordinating Managing Director at the Center for Translational & Clinical Research Aachen (CTC-A) at the University Hospital RWTH Aachen, an academic Clinical Trials Unit providing full-service support for clinical drug and medical device studies. With a scientific background in translational research and several years of experience in clinical research management, he combines strategic, operational, and scientific expertise in the field of clinical trials. His current work focuses particularly on investigator-initiated trials, therapy optimization studies, and rare disease research. In addition to understanding the sponsor perspective in IIT-driven clinical research, Marc Dohmen also brings hands-on insight into the operational realities and challenges faced by clinical trial sites and academic study centres.

 

LinkedIn

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Charlotta Norgaard

CEO and Founder of Patient in Research

 

Charlotta Norgaard is a Patient Expert, clinical trial advocate, and founder of Patient in Research, specializing in patient-centered innovation across clinical development, digital health, medtech, and pharmaceutical research. Combining extensive professional expertise with lived experience as a clinical trial participant, she helps organizations transform patient engagement from a compliance activity into a strategic advantage.

Charlotta's work spans research and development and across the entire lifecycle, supporting startups, researchers, technology companies and sponsors in designing solutions that align with real patient needs, improve adoption, strengthen clinical trial participation, and generate meaningful outcomes. Charlotta has contributed to the development of combination therapies integrating medicines and digital technologies, including mobile health applications, patient-facing platforms, user validation, and beta testing.

As a mentor and trainer for EIT Health startup programs and innovation bootcamps, she has guided health and technology entrepreneurs in validating concepts, reducing development risk, refining value propositions, and embedding patient insight into both product strategy and business growth. Her expertise helps innovators avoid costly assumptions and build solutions that are not only technically feasible but also relevant, trusted, and usable by the people they are intended to serve.

A recognized international speaker and advisor, Charlotta works at the intersection of clinical research, technology, and patient engagement, helping organizations create more effective clinical trials, accelerate innovation, and develop healthcare solutions that deliver measurable value for patients, healthcare systems, and industry alike.

 

LinkedIn

Patient in Research is a patient-centered consultancy specializing in clinical research, healthcare innovation, digital health, and patient engagement across the full research and development lifecycle. Founded by Patient Expert and clinical trial advocate Charlotta Nørgaard, the company helps pharmaceutical, biotech, medtech, and technology organizations integrate meaningful patient insight into the development of therapies, clinical trials, digital solutions, and healthcare services.

Working at the intersection of science, technology, and lived experience, Patient in Research supports sponsors, CROs, startups, research institutions, and innovation teams in designing more effective, inclusive, and patient-centered research. The company provides strategic guidance on patient engagement, clinical trial design, participant experience, recruitment and retention strategies, decentralized and hybrid trial models, digital health innovation, patient-facing technologies, user validation, and beta testing.

Patient in Research has contributed to initiatives involving combination therapies, digital therapeutics, mobile health applications, and technology-enabled care models, helping organizations align innovation with real-world patient needs while strengthening adoption, trust, and long-term impact.

Through advisory services, workshops, startup mentoring, and international speaking engagements, including innovation programs within EIT Health, Patient in Research helps organizations reduce development risk, improve relevance, and create solutions that are both scientifically robust and meaningful to the people they are intended to serve.

As clinical research continues to evolve through decentralized trials, digital technologies, AI-supported solutions, and patient-centered innovation, Patient in Research enables organizations to move beyond assumptions and build research and healthcare solutions grounded in patient experience, usability, and real-world value.

 

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Ekaterina Zaharieva

European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation

 

EKATERINA ZAHARIEVA is the European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation. She is a Bulgarian lawyer with a long political career. She held various posts including Deputy Prime Minister for Judicial Reform, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Policy, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Justice, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Head of Cabinet of the President, member of parliament.

She specialized at ENA School of Administration, Paris, at the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) - Council of Europe, and at the Institute of Public Administration, Dublin, Ireland.

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Dr. MMag. Agnes Bugajska-Schretter

(PhD, Master in Economics)

Business Development at Medical University of Vienna

 

Agnes holds a PhD in Genetics and a Master’s degree in Economics and brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in the international biotech and pharmaceutical industry. Her expertise spans the entire innovation continuum—from discovery and development, to medical and marketing, strategic partnerships, funding, and commercialization in several therapeutic areas. She has supported and mentored numerous life science start-ups, taught master students and served as an evaluator at international innovation biotech competitions.

At the Medical University of Vienna, she works at the interface of science, medicine, and industry, translating innovative research into clinical development opportunities and strategic collaborations.

The Medical University of Vienna is one of Europe’s leading academic medical institutions, combining excellence in biomedical research, education, and patient care. With more than 6,500 employees, 32 departments and clinical institutes, and 12 medical theory centres, it represents one of the largest and most research-intensive medical campuses in Europe (https://www.meduniwien.ac.at/web/)

The Department of Clinical Pharmacology, chaired by Prof. Markus Zeitlinger, scientific advisor to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), has over 30 years of experience in clinical drug development and has contributed to more than 1,000 clinical trials, spanning first-in-human, early-phase, pivotal registration, and real-world studies. Its multidisciplinary team provides integrated expertise across the entire translational and clinical development pathway (https://klinische-pharmakologie.meduniwien.ac.at/en/about-us/department-of-clinical-pharmacology/).

In 2026, the Medical University of Vienna will open the new Center for Translational Medicine (CTM), a state-of-the-art research facility directly connected to Vienna General Hospital (AKH Wien), ranked among the world’s leading hospitals. The CTM will offer a unique ecosystem for Phase I/II clinical research, including GMP facilities for cell and gene therapies, radiopharmacy, preclinical infrastructure, and dedicated translational research laboratories, further strengthening Vienna’s position as a premier European hub for clinical and translational medicine (https://bauprojekte.meduniwien.ac.at/en/stories/perspectives-with-markus-zeitlinger-and-anselm-jorda/).

 

LinkedIn - Medical University Vienna

LinkedIn - Department of Clinical Pharmacology

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Armin Goetzenich

MPIRIQ

Armin Goetzenich served for over 30 years as executive director of the associations (DAGNÄ and BNHO) representing private-practice specialists in infectious diseases and oncology throughout Germany. He has a great deal of experience as an expert in clinical trials and healthcare delivery systems and currently serves as a key liaison between private-practice physicians, clinical practice, and data-driven research. He also supports the further development of AI-based solutions.

MPIRIQ is a German health technology company that connects routine patient care with clinical research. Our infrastructure allows physicians to take part in clinical trials without changing their daily workflow. By making existing routine data usable in a secure, de-identified way, MPIRIQ helps researchers reach more patients while practices gain access to research without additional effort. The goal is simple: connect care and research in a way that saves time, reduces complexity, and brings more patients closer to clinical innovation.

 

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Harald Wagner

Head Clinical Operations at AMS Advanced Medical Services

 

Harald has 30+ years of experience in drug development in CRO and biotech with a strong focus on clinical research including global, large-scale, long-term safety and efficacy programs, trial design, site selection, clinical conduct, follow-up of patients in long-term observations, selection, qualification and management of vendors, quality assurance and quality control as well as medical writing.

Harald has extensive experience in the set-up and maintenance of training plans, including implementation of various clinical systems, e.g. document management systems, e-learning tools, ePRO, eTMF, CTMS, capacity planning tools and project management tools. Harald is a member of the AMS GenAI Team and implemented AI-supported software tools in production for more than 5 years under a comprehensive compliance framework.

28 years in business, AMS is a full service CRO offering 360° customer support from clinical development, non-interventional studies and market access strategies right into sales. We organize and manage all aspects of clinical development projects for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies according to applicable guidelines and to applicable international standards. With more than 300 permanent employees in our Competence Centers (Clinical Research, Medical Science and Marketing & Sales), our interdisciplinary teams include medical and natural scientists as well as economists. We offer services across all Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia and Asia and apply specialized information technology to consistently optimize process and information management. AMS’ focus on quality and flexibility is the keystone of the experience of working with the right partner. AMS supplies a high level of service and commitment, regardless whether you require a single task or full service – you will receive personal attention throughout your project. Your AMS team proactively anticipates and solves problems through in-depth expertise in all of our competence areas and provides a comprehensive approach aimed at delivering the most successful outcome.

 

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Martin Krauss

Managing Director at FGK Clinical Research GmbH

 

Martin Krauss began his career as a statistician in epidemiology, including a formative year at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon. Early on, he discovered a strong interest in building teams and structures that enable high-quality clinical research. In 2002, he co-founded FGK Clinical Research GmbH, driven by the ambition to create a scientifically rigorous and client-focused CRO. As Managing Director, he grew FGK into a European full-service organization with around 250 employees. Alongside his entrepreneurial work and collaborative leadership, he has long been engaged in shaping the clinical research landscape and has served as President of the German CRO Association (BVMA) since 2017.

FGK Clinical Research is a leading European full-service CRO providing end-to-end clinical development services to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies worldwide. With about 250 highly qualified experts and a strong European footprint, FGK combines scientific excellence, regulatory expertise, and operational excellence to successfully deliver clinical trials across all phases and major therapeutic areas. As an owner-managed company, FGK offers stable teams, exceptional flexibility, and a highly sponsor-focused approach, ensuring high-quality and efficient execution of every project.

 

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Hermann Moser, MA MA

Co-Founder & CEO at arterioscope FlexCo

 

Hermann Moser is Co-Founder and CEO of arterioscope, an Austrian TechBio company developing AI-powered cardiac intelligence for clinical research and connected health. With a background in sociology, executive management and entrepreneurship, he leads the company’s commercial strategy, partnerships and international expansion. His work focuses on translating ECG, Holter and wearable biosignal data into actionable evidence for biopharma clinical development. Hermann is particularly interested in how AI can make cardiovascular research faster, more precise and more economically efficient.

arterioscope is an Austrian TechBio spin-off from TU Graz developing a cardiac intelligence platform for biopharma and connected-device partners. Its research-use-only platform, arterioscope.RUO, analyzes existing ECG, Holter and wearable biosignal data to identify cardiac phenotypes, longitudinal treatment effects, responder patterns and safety-relevant trends across clinical-trial cohorts. The company helps sponsors generate deeper cardiovascular evidence from data they already collect, supporting better dose decisions, patient stratification and trial-design choices. arterioscope is also developing technology for future wearable and digital-health applications.

 

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Sandhia Krueger

Associate Director, Clinical Site Partnership at Gilead Sciences

 

Sandhia Krueger is a clinical operations leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, with extensive experience in the execution and management of global clinical trials. She has held roles in clinical trial management within major pharmaceutical companies as well as start-up companies, contributing to the delivery of innovative therapies across therapeutic areas. Her expertise spans site engagement, study operations, and cross-functional collaboration to drive trial performance and patient access. Based in the Frankfurt area, she brings a strong focus on operational excellence and advancing clinical research outcomes.

Gilead Sciences is a global biopharmaceutical company, initially focused on antiviral research for serious unmet medical needs.  Its mission is to discover, develop, and deliver innovative therapies for people with life‑threatening diseases, with the broader vision of creating a healthier world for all.  Over time, Gilead has become a leader in treatments for HIV, hepatitis, and emerging diseases, while expanding into oncology and inflammation.  Today, the company is recognized for its scientific innovation and global impact, including transformative therapies that have significantly improved patient outcomes worldwide.

 

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Ina Burgstaller

Founder & CEO, Bionabu® | Vera Clinical Trial Integrity Platform

 

Ina Burgstaller is the Founder and CEO of Bionabu® and leads the design, development, and validation of the Vera platform, including Vera Deviate™ (protocol deviation governance) and Vera Simulate™ (clinical trial simulation). Her work spans product strategy, AI-assisted software development in regulated environments, governance design, Risk-Based Quality Management (RBQM), Quality by Design (QbD), behavioural science, clinical workflow validation, and stakeholder engagement with sponsors and CROs, with a particular focus on pediatric and rare disease clinical trials. She works closely with clinical operations experts to develop practical tools that improve trial quality, reduce operational risk, and enable teams to test reality before reality tests them.

Bionabu® develops AI-powered software that helps sponsors and CROs improve clinical trial quality before and during study execution. Its flagship platform, Vera, combines protocol deviation governance (Vera Deviate™) with clinical trial simulation (Vera Simulate™), enabling teams to identify operational risks, rehearse study execution, and strengthen protocol design before First Patient In (FPI). Inspired by aviation's control towers and flight simulators, Vera introduces a proactive approach to clinical trial integrity by transforming operational experience into actionable intelligence.

 

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Atanas Kamburov

VP of Solutions and Platform Delivery, Owkin

 

Atanas Kamburov, Ph.D., is VP of Solutions and Platform Delivery at Owkin, where he leads teams jointly responsible for the deployment and customization of the company's AI Scientist, K Pro, to address customer needs. A computational biologist by training, he has extensive experience in cancer genomics, computational biology, and AI-driven drug discovery. Prior to joining Owkin in 2022 to lead the Computational Biology team, he oversaw computational oncology target discovery at Bayer and built a team focused on predicting and understanding drug resistance in cancer patients.

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Anita Kienesberger

Chairperson of the Alliance of Oncology Patient Organizations

 

Anita Kienesberger has been dedicated to patient involvement and advocacy for many years. She currently represents patient organizations at the European level, including CCI Europe and WECAN, and nationally as the chairperson of the Alliance of Oncology Patient Organizations in Austria (Die Allianz). In her role, she is focused on developing the young organization and making patient participation a reality across all levels – from health policy to research and industry.

The members of the Alliance of Oncology Patient Organizations are oncology patient organizations, including associations, self-help groups, and individuals. The organisation consolidates their concerns so that each organization does not need to address them individually. In areas that are independent of specific diagnoses, Die Allianz represents all cancer patients, such as in matters of labor law. Its main goals are to ensure patient involvement in health policy decisions, raise awareness about the indispensable expertise of patients for better healthcare, and ensure that patient interests are considered in research. The association works closely with key stakeholders from politics, the pharmaceutical industry, and healthcare professions.

 

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Doris Neuhauser

Country Manager PSI CRO Austria
Executive Board Member, EUCROF (European CRO Federation)

 

Doris Neuhauser is a senior clinical research executive with more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and CRO sectors across Europe. Her expertise spans clinical research operations across multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology, neuroscience, immunology, infectious diseases, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and rare diseases.

After 20 years at Eli Lilly in leadership roles across the DACH region and Italy, she became Country Head of PSI CRO Austria, where she leads the Austrian affiliate and is responsible for operational excellence, clinical trial delivery, regulatory compliance, and strategic growth.

As Executive Board Member of EUCROF and Chair of the IMPACT Working Group (Improving and Acting for a Stronger European Clinical Trials Environment), Doris works with European institutions, national associations, regulators, and industry stakeholders to strengthen Europe's clinical research environment and advance initiatives such as the EU Biotech Act and ACT EU.

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Christian zu Jeddeloh

Chief of Staff – Commercial at Biorce

 

In his role as Chief of Staff at Biorce, Christian works across commercial strategy, go-to-market operations, and industry partnerships. Before joining Biorce, he was an Investment Manager at Norrsken VC, one of Europe's leading impact investors and an early backer of the company. He started his career at AtaiBeckley, a publicly-listed clinical-stage biotech company focused on mental health, where he saw the challenges of clinical development first-hand.

Biorce is a global healthTech company, building defensible AI solutions for clinical trial development. Its end-to-end platform Aika is built on a foundation of 1 million clinical trials, 390,000+ protocols, and extensive scientific and regulatory datasets. The platform is aligned with leading governance standards, global legal frameworks and regulatory authorities. Biorce enables the design of smarter studies, reduces costly amendments, and accelerates timelines significantly.

 

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Marek Wasiluk

Clinmark Sp. z o.o.

 

Dr. Marek Wasiluk is a medically qualified and ISO 9000:2001 trained clinical research professional with over 25 years of experience, including 20 years in GxP auditing and quality consultancy. An expert in ICH GCP, QMS implementation, and global clinical regulations, he has conducted over 250 audits and consulting projects across 50 countries. His experience spans all clinical trial phases, FDA/EMA mock inspections, and risk-based global audit programs. Dr. Wasiluk specializes in vendor qualification, due diligence, and process optimization. He is also an ICH GCP trainer and business coach for senior management in pharma, biotech, and CRO organizations.

Clinmark is an experienced, full-service Contract Research Organization supporting pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies. Since 2001, we have successfully delivered over 450 research and consulting projects across 75+ countries. We are proud to have earned the trust of clients of all sizes – including several of the world’s top 10 pharmaceutical companies – by consistently delivering tailored, cost-effective, and high-quality solutions.

Operating across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, we offer truly global capabilities strengthened by strong regional expertise. With 25,000+ subjects enrolled globally and deep operational know-how across Central and Eastern Europe, we combine local insight with strategic global oversight to ensure smooth, compliant, and efficient study execution.

Our team brings extensive therapeutic experience, flexible operational models, and a proactive, partnership-driven approach. Whether supporting early-stage development, complex multinational studies, or post-marketing initiatives, Clinmark is committed to accelerating clinical research through reliability, transparency, and scientific excellence.

 

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Meelis Lootus

Founder and CEO of Tehistark

 

Meelis is the founder and CEO/CTO of Tehistark, where he develops AI systems for drug development documentation. He has a PhD in Computer Vision to automate spinal imaging from Oxford University, and has spent a decade since then developing machine learning systems to solve problems in healthcare and quantitative finance.

 

LinkedIn

Tehistark was founded to help drug developers understand and meet regulatory requirements faster, with higher efficiency and effectiveness. Tehistark build products that let biotech and pharma companies use AI models in their evidence synthesis and dossier assembly workflows.

 

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Christian Weigand

Head of Mobile Health Lab at Fraunhofer IIS
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS

 

Christian leads the Mobile Health Lab at Fraunhofer IIS, where he is product and platform owner of the Digital Trial Manager (DTM) –  an FHIR-based, GCP- and GDPR-compliant EDC/eCRF platform purpose-built for fully digital, decentralized clinical trials. His work bridges applied research and technology transfer, connecting academia, healthcare providers and industry to bring emerging technologies into everyday clinical research practice. Most recently, he has led the development of an AI expansion strategy for the platform, including agent-based tools for study setup and patient support built on self-hosted, EU-based open-source language models. He regularly advises on integrating AI into regulated clinical trial environments, balancing innovation with GCP, ISO 14155 and data protection requirements.

 

Institute profile - Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS

As the largest Fraunhofer Institute, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, headquartered in Erlangen, is a global leader in applied research, driving innovation for transformative products and services that shape the digital future.

Across seven research divisions, the institute develops pioneering solutions that advance technological progress, enhance economic competitiveness, and promote a sustainable society. Its strong performance is built on four core areas of expertise: artificial intelligence, microelectronics, data acquisition and analysis, and signal processing and data transmission. These competencies are combined strategically to meet the specific needs of its clients.

 

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Cameron Knott

Director of Clinical Solutions
Biorce

 

Cameron Knott holds a BSc in Human Biology and is Director of Clinical Solutions & Business Development (EU) at Biorce, where he partners with pharma, biotech, and CRO teams to bring AI-driven solutions into clinical trial design and delivery. With close to eight years in clinical research, his path started in hands-on clinical trial management before moving into commercial partnerships, giving him a grounded, practical view of what genuinely helps sites, sponsors, and patients. He's driven by making clinical research more efficient while keeping patients at the centre of every decision, and he's always keen to connect with people across the industry tackling similar challenges.

Biorce is a global healthTech company, building defensible AI solutions for clinical trial development. Its end-to-end platform Aika is built on a foundation of 1 million clinical trials, 390,000+ protocols, and extensive scientific and regulatory datasets. The platform is aligned with leading governance standards, global legal frameworks and regulatory authorities. Biorce enables the design of smarter studies, reduces costly amendments, and accelerates timelines significantly.

 

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Marios Nicolettis

Partner at Moondust Ventures

 

Marios Nicolettis is co-Founder and Partner at Moondust Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in digital health, MedTech, and biotech startups. He partners with founders developing innovative technologies that advance patient care, clinical research, and healthcare delivery across Europe, with a particular focus on Central and Eastern Europe.

Moondust Ventures is an early‑stage venture capital firm investing in breakthrough healthcare, biotech, AI, and deep‑tech startups, with a strong focus on digital transformation. It backs visionary founders across Europe – especially CEE – providing not just capital but strategic expertise to scale life‑changing medical and technological innovation.

 

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Tiantom (Dom) Jarutat, MD

Chief Medical Officer
iOmx Therapeutics AG

 

Tiantom („Dom“) currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer and brings a deep and long-standing expertise in biomarker-driven, clinical drug development (small molecules and biologics) in oncology, hemato-oncology and immunology.

Tiantom joined iOmx in 2024, from Ridgeline Discovery, a Versant Ventures Discovery Engine, where he was the VP of Translational Medicine leading and supporting early-stage development efforts for their portfolio companies.

Prior to that, he held several leadership positions in big pharma and biotech companies. 

We are developing next-generation cancer immunotherapies designed to overcome the limitations of current treatments and become future backbone therapies for the most prominent solid tumor indications.

 

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Prof. Dr. Stephan Schmitz

Speaker of the German Oncology Network (DON), senior medical adviser
Omnicare/Römerklinik

 

1997 – 2016 Hematologist and Medical Oncologist in outpatient practice in Cologne

2000-2018 Chairman of the society of outpatient practices for Hematology and medical Oncology in Germany (BNHO e.V.)

Board mender of the Kompetenznetzwerk Maligne Lymphome (KML)

Speaker and senior medical adviser for the German Oncology Network Germany

Omnicare is an integrated health care company comprise of a network of Oncologists, Pharmacists and diagnostic partners.

 

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Dr. David Elvira 

Chief Data & Product Officer, ADLIN Science

 

David Elvira holds a PhD in Fundamental Physics and has over 15 years of experience driving innovation across healthcare, digital technologies, and data science. He has worked in both AI-focused startups and the pharmaceutical industry, leading transformation initiatives to accelerate clinical research and unlock the value of health data. At Adlin Science, he leads Product and Data, building next-generation solutions for trusted and AI-ready biomedical data.

ADLIN Science enables pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and healthcare organizations to transform complex clinical and multi-omics data into actionable insights. Through advanced data integration, quality management, and biomarker analytics, ADLIN supports more efficient, patient-centric clinical development and precision medicine strategies.

 

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Dr. Florent Brun

Chief Business Officer, ADLIN Science

 

Florent Brun holds a PhD in Molecular Biology and has more than 20 years of experience supporting innovation across the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and healthcare sectors,  leading strategic business development initiatives in genomics, bioinformatics, and biopharma services across Europe. He is currently contributing to the advancement of patient-centric clinical research and decentralized trial solutions at Adlin Science.

ADLIN Science enables pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and healthcare organizations to transform complex clinical and multi-omics data into actionable insights. Through advanced data integration, quality management, and biomarker analytics, ADLIN supports more efficient, patient-centric clinical development and precision medicine strategies.

 

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Daniela Proaño Miranda

Senior Research Professional
Camovis GmbH

 

I have been working in clinical research for the past five years supporting clinical trial execution directly at study sites. Today, my role combines business development and client relationships with continued involvement in study operations, including supporting Camovis’s expansion into Spain. Working across both the operational and strategic sides of clinical research has shaped my interest in how we support, develop and empower the professionals responsible for making clinical trials work in practice.

Camovis supports sponsors, CROs and study sites with qualified Research Professionals for successful clinical trial execution. Our services include operational site support, project training, data handling, patient recruitment, and consulting. By providing flexible expertise where additional resources or specialised support are needed, Camovis helps bridge the gap between study planning and day-to-day execution at the site level.

 

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Lisbeth Snede

President & Strategic Lead, PiCC United
EU-X-CT (Cross-Border Access to Clinical Trials) Representative

 

Lisbeth Snede is President & Strategic Lead of PiCC United, an international patient-led non-profit foundation, and represents the EU-X-CT initiative through PiCC United. She works to advance meaningful patient involvement across clinical research, healthcare, regulatory science and policy, with a particular focus on translating the patient perspective into practical solutions. Within EU-X-CT, she contributes to the development of recommendations aimed at making cross-border participation in clinical trials more accessible and workable for patients across Europe.

PiCC United is an independent, international patient-led non-profit foundation dedicated to advancing meaningful patient and public involvement across healthcare, clinical research, regulatory science and policy. PiCC United is an active member of EU-X-CT (Cross-Border Access to Clinical Trials), a pan-European multi-stakeholder initiative working to identify and address practical barriers that prevent patients from accessing suitable clinical trials in another European country. EU-X-CT brings together patient organisations, academia, research networks, healthcare professionals, CROs and industry to develop practical and implementable solutions for cross-border clinical trial participation.

 

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Richard Holborow BSc (Hons) MSCST RCCP

Global Head of Clinical Compliance for BSI Notified Body (NL) & BSI Approved Body (UK) 

 

Richard Holborow is the Head of Clinical Compliance at BSI. Prior to his role at BSI, Richard worked as a clinical physiologist for 16 years within the National Health Service (NHS) specialising in implantable cardiac devices and electrophysiology. Richard joined BSI in 2018 bringing his clinical expertise and passion for clinical data to the organisation. Richard is also involved with the working groups of the Medical Device Co-ordination Group (MDCG) for the EU.

The BSI group is your independent market-leading Notified Body. We enable effective market access for medical technologies ensuring patient safety. We empower Medical Device and IVD companies to navigate the regulatory landscape through our long-term public commitment to integrity, clarity, and credibility. We guide on your journey to meet global standards, promote safety, and enhance trust with your clients.  As the world’s first national standards body, our unrivalled global expertise and long-standing commitment to public benefit and innovation sets the benchmark for regulatory excellence.

 

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Ing. Michaela Vančová, MPH

Director of Business Development
Global Clinical Trials

 

I am a chemical engineer by education, with an additional Master’s degree in Public Health. I bring over 20 years of experience in clinical research, having held roles including CRA, Senior CRA, Project Manager, Study Coordinator and Site Network Director, across sponsor companies, CROs, site networks, and vendors.

My experience spans all aspects of clinical trials, giving me a deep understanding of the expectations, requirements, and challenges faced by sponsors, vendors, and clinical research sites – and what defines a high-performing CRO.

I currently serve as Business Development Director at Global Clinical Trials (GCT), a Contract Research Organization with 25 years of experience providing clinical trial support and solutions across a broad range of therapeutic areas. GCT operates in the USA, Central and Eastern Europe, and India.

Global Clinical Trials (GCT) is a full-service premium Contract Research Organization (CRO) supporting Phase I-IV clinical, medical device studies and post-marketing activities for Big Pharma, small and medium-sized biotech enterprises, groups and funds, as well as large universities and institutions.

Our mission is to provide a tailored approach for every project, whether managing the entire study or assisting with a standalone service as a functional service provider. Our priority is to provide our clients with the highest quality of clinical data in the shortest period of time while making the most of the opportunities offered by the regions we cover: loyal and interested patient population, motivated investigators, local legislation aligned with international standards, and competitive pricing.

 

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Dr. Michael Thormann

VP Drug Discovery
OncoBone Therapeutics Ltd.

 

Dr. Michael Thormann is a drug hunter with more than 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical research and drug development, with a track record of advancing innovative therapeutic candidates from discovery into clinical development. He has co-founded and led several biotechnology companies and is currently Co-Founder and CEO of TOGAPHARMA.

Michael currently serves as VP Drug Discovery at OncoBone Therapeutics Ltd, developing novel therapies for bone-metastasizing cancers across multiple modalities, including small molecules, antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, and radiopharmaceuticals.

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Dr. Gergana Galabova

VP Translational Research
OncoBone Therapeutics Ltd.

 

Dr. Gergana Galabova is a veterinary doctor and translational scientist with more than 25 years of experience in biomedical research and drug development. Her expertise spans the preclinical and clinical development of small-molecule therapeutics and immunotherapies across oncology, neurodegenerative and infectious diseases, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. She is Co-Founder and CSO of TOGAPHARMA.

Gergana currently serves as VP Translational Research at OncoBone Therapeutics, advancing innovative therapies for bone-metastasizing cancers and bridging preclinical research with clinical development.

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Dr. med. Michael Hopp

Head of the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Trials (IZKS) of the University Medical Center Mainz

 

Michael Hopp holds a Medical Degree (State Examination in Human Medicine) and Ph.D. in Medical Sciences form Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt. Good Clinical Practice (GCP) certified with profound knowledge of global regulatory requirements, EU Regulation 536/2014, MDR, and IVDR. He is a dynamic and visionary medical professional with over 25 years of senior management experience in medical science, global clinical research and product development.

Since 2018 Head of the Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Trials (IZKS) of the University Medical Center Mainz. Academic Trainer in Epidemiology (MSE) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, educating and mentoring graduate students in advanced epidemiological and clinical research methods as well as leading certification courses on clinical trial regulations (AMG and MPG) within the curricular investigator training programmes.

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Jan Krikava

Managing Director
Docuply

 

Jan Krikava is a former life science consultant who founded Docuply on the back of his own consulting experience with 14 years of experience in quality management and prior work experience at SAP.

The electronic quality management system with a fully integrated eTMF – for clinical biotech companies and their CROs. Pre-validated, immediately ready for use and with secure hosting in the EU cloud. The result: no more stress over audits and inspections.

 

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Prof. Dr. Bjoern Eskofier

Institute for AI in Medicine, LMU & LMU Hospital

 

Bjoern M. Eskofier currently directs the Institute for AI in Medicine at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (LMU). Bjoern also served as founding spokesperson of FAU’s Department Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering (AIBE). Since April 2023, he is an associate principal investigator and leader of the research group “Translational Digital Health” at the Helmholtz Zentrum Munich.

Bjoern Eskofier has defined his research and entrepreneurial agenda to revolve around contributions to a “Digital Health Ecosystem”, where patients are connected to other stakeholders within the Healthcare system using digital support tools. His digital health research philosophy is that only multidisciplinary teams of engineers, medical experts, industry representatives and entrepreneurs will have the tools to actually implement changes in healthcare.

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Nika Mendelev

CEO and Co-Founder of Munich MedTech

 

Nika Mendelev is CEO and Co-Founder of Munich MedTech, where she guides medical device and HealthTech innovators through regulatory, clinical, and go-to-market strategy for the European market. With over 20 years in medical device R&D and regulatory affairs, including as an auditor for a Notified Body, she has worked on both sides of the conformity assessment process, building technical documentation and evaluating it. She serves on the board of the DIN "AI in Healthcare" committee, contributing to the standards that determine how AI-enabled and computational methods are assessed in Europe. Her work focuses on the point where regulatory requirements, clinical evidence, and commercial viability meet, and on how new forms of evidence, including simulation and in silico methods, can be made credible to regulators and notified bodies.

 

Munich MedTech guides HealthTech companies from concept through CE marking to go-to-market in Europe. Services cover MDR/IVDR strategy, clinical evidence planning, market entry, and investor readiness, supported by a network of hospitals, clinical experts, and Notified Bodies across Europe. The focus is on software-based and AI-enabled devices, where regulatory pathways are still taking shape.

 

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Jessica Cordes

Senior Consultant
Clinical Excellence GmbH

 

Jessica Cordes is a Clinical Operations expert, trainer, and consultant with more than 15 years of experience supporting biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the planning, execution, and optimization of clinical trials with a particular focus on oncology and advanced therapies, including cell and gene therapies. Her expertise spans Clinical Operations, GCP compliance, sponsor oversight, process optimization, outsourcing strategies, and organizational development. I am dedicated to empowering Clinical Operations professionals with the skills, knowledge, and frameworks needed to deliver efficient, inspection-ready clinical trials while advancing their careers. In addition, she is a Certified Manager for Applied AI Transformation (TÜV Rheinland) and a Certified AI Officer (TÜV Süd), supporting the identification and implementation of practical artificial intelligence use cases within clinical trials, and business processes, ensuring that innovation is aligned with regulatory expectations, governance requirements, and measurable business value.

What sets her apart is her deep understanding of the operational challenges faced by sponsors and service providers, combined with the ability to translate complex regulatory, operational, and technological requirements into practical, scalable solutions tailored to each organization's specific needs.

 

Clinical Excellence GmbH provides consulting, operational support, and training services that help biotech companies plan, manage, and execute complex clinical trials. The company supports sponsors in achieving recruitment goals, generating robust clinical trial data, and meeting regulatory requirements through practical Clinical Operations expertise and GCP compliant processes. In addition, Clinical Excellence GmbH helps organizations identify and implement artificial intelligence use cases in clinical trials and business operations through expertise in AI transformation, governance, and compliance. By combining deep industry knowledge with hands on execution support, Clinical Excellence GmbH enables clients to accelerate development programs and bring innovative therapies to patients efficiently and ethically.

 

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Lena Rogovin 

Investment Officer, 3L 

 

Lena Rogovin is a healthtech investor and strategic adviser with more than 15 years of experience across investment banking, equity research, venture capital, and innovation. As Investment Officer at 3L | LiveLong.Life, she evaluates emerging healthcare technologies and supports companies as they move from promising concepts toward clinical validation, commercial adoption, and measurable impact. Previously, she led the healthtech sector at Start-Up Nation Central, working across the ecosystem with startups, investors, healthcare organisations, and multinational industry partners. She brings an investor’s perspective on what makes healthcare innovation credible, scalable, and capable of improving real-world patient outcomes. 

3L | LiveLong.Life is an investment and advisory firm focused on preventative health and longevity. The firm invests in healthtech companies across Israel and the United States, with particular emphasis on prevention, diagnostics, and chronic-care management. 3L also supports startups with commercial strategy, business development, and access to healthcare industry expertise. Its goal is to help transformative technologies move from promising innovation to scalable real-world adoption. 

 

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Ralf Huss, MD, PhD

Managing Director of BioM Biotech Cluster Development GmbH

 

Ralf Huss, MD, PhD is currently managing director of the BioM Biotech Cluster Development GmbH in Planegg near Munich. Until the end of 2022, he was the founding Director of the Institute of Digital Medicine (IDM) and Professor of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics at the University Hospital in Augsburg, Germany. Dr. Huss spent many years in the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industry at Roche andAstraZeneca, also developing image-based algorithms to predict therapy response based on the application of machine intelligence.   

BioM acts as the central network organization for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector in Munich and Bavaria. The non-profit organization connects relevant stakeholders from science, industry, and politics to foster innovation and sustainable growth. Additionally, BioM supports aspiring entrepreneurs and start-ups by providing tailor-made consulting, specialized incubator programs, networking events and more recently with its own incubator MAxL, the Munich accelerator for Life Science and Medicine.

 

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Frédérick Martinez

Policy Officer
Cancer Patients Europe (CPE)

 

Frédérick is a Policy Officer at Cancer Patients Europe, working at the intersection of EU health policy, patient advocacy and access to innovation. His work aims to ensure that the patient perspective is meaningfully reflected in policies shaping access to new treatments and technologies, including the EU Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Regulation and cross-border clinical trials. 

Cancer Patients Europe (CPE) is a pan-European organisation representing the voices of people affected by cancer. It works to ensure that patients’ needs and perspectives are reflected in European cancer policy and care. CPE brings together patient organisations and stakeholders to improve outcomes and quality of life for people living with cancer.

 

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Anna Tidstam

Founder
Aileen Health

 

Dr. Anna Tidstam holds a PhD in AI from Chalmers University of Technology and combines expertise in AI, safety-critical systems, and clinical software. Her career spans safety and quality in autonomous driving at BMW and leadership in clinical radiology software. As Founder of Aileen Health, she is pioneering Class III digital twin technology for personalised oncology, with a focus on translating AI into clinically relevant tools and evidence. 

Aileen Health is supported by a European Innovation Council (EIC) Pathfinder project developing digital twins for end-to-end cancer care. Initially focusing on neoadjuvant systemic therapy in early breast cancer, the company is advancing clinical deployments, retrospective validation, and platform expansion. A key focus is using digital twins to enable patient stratification and enrichment of clinical trials, including Phase III studies.

 

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Michael Gorray, PhD

Strategic Consultant, OUS Provider Engagement (Germany)
Massive Bio

 

Dynamic Pharmaceutical Business Leader with 20+ years of experience in Oncology, driving commercial and medical success, pre- and post-launch scenarios, solutions for unmet needs and the innovation thereof, and strategic growth across the Pharma and Biotech industry. Proven track record in budget leadership, market development, portfolio launches, and cross‑functional execution in complex matrix and in-country organizations. Strong business orientation with deep scientific expertise in challenging settings, composed of multimodal architectures, all of which across multiple indications. 

Massive Bio is a patient recruitment company helping the cancer patients by providing them matching results with the most suitable clinical trials and by facilitating concierge services, please see attached the 1-pager which summarizes our company overview.

 

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Dr. Vladislav Rosov

AI leader

 

Dr. Vladislav Rosov is an AI leader and an engineer by training, working where simulation and AI meet. For his PhD at the Technical University of Munich he built data-driven models to replace costly physics simulations. In the automotive industry he has since taken AI systems from prototype to production in a highly regulated setting.