OUR MANAGEMENT TEAM

Fiona Nielsen

Chief Executive Officer

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Fiona Nielsen

Chief Executive Officer

Fiona Nielsen is a serial entrepreneur with a background in computer science, bioinformatics and genomics. Her experience spans across research and industry applications related to bioinformatic analysis of large-scale genetic data. She worked at Illumina on the analysis, interpretation and development of analysis tools for next-generation sequencing data, interfacing with prospective customers of clinical genomic instruments and worked for Genomics England to establish their first analytical platform for genomics data. In 2013 Fiona founded the charity DNAdigest promoting best practices for efficient and ethical data sharing for genomics research for the benefit of patients. She next founded the startup Repositive, a company that focused on sharing of genetic data and patient-derived cancer models for preclinical research. Fiona led Repositive for 7 years as CEO, partnering with 25+ biopharma and preclinical CROs worldwide creating a global marketplace for patient-derived cancer models. In 2021 Fiona moved to become COO of o2h Technology and was shortly after promoted to CEO. In this role she has been leading the company developing customized software for startups in life science, health tech and greentech. She has extensive experience in venture fundraising, company building and leadership, as well as developing business strategies around data and cell models. Fiona Nielsen has accumulated several accolades, among them Highly Commended for CEO of the year by Cambridge Independent Science and Technology Awards as well as WISE100 – Women in Social Enterprise. Fiona is a highly sought after speaker and mentor for companies in life sciences and technology. Fiona joined Neurolentech on a part-time basis from December 2022 and full-time from April 2023.

Carsten Pfeffer, PhD

Co-Founder and CSO

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Carsten Pfeffer, PhD

Co-Founder and CSO

Carsten Pfeffer is a pharmacologist with experience in the pharmaceutical industry. After completing his PhD in molecular analysis of neurological disease models, he worked as an European Molecular Biology Organisation Fellow in the field of physiological and molecular neural circuit analysis. He has extensive experience in transcriptomic and functional analysis of single neurons, molecular cloning, and morphological and anatomical characterization of brain circuits. His work has been published in journals such as Nature Neuroscience, EMBO, Journal of Neuroscience, and Current Biology. With the start of this project, he enrolled in various entrepreneurship workshops and seminars, including the LBG Innovator's Road and the IECT Summer School on Entrepreneurship.

OUR CO-FOUNDERS

Gaia Novarino, PhD

Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor

Gaia Novarino, PhD

Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor

Christoph Bock, PhD

Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor

Christoph Bock, PhD

Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor

OUR TEAM

Eva Reinthaler, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

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Eva Reinthaler, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

Eva is a senior scientist at Neurolentech and is mainly involved in cellular reprogramming and management of NLT’s clinical collaborators. She has a strong background in stem cell and neuron culture, as well as organoids. Eva holds a PhD in Neuroscience with a focus on epilepsy genetics.

Melanie Pieraks, MSc

Senior Research Associate/Lab Manager

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Melanie Pieraks, MSc

Senior Research Associate/Lab Manager

Melanie is the Lab Manager at Neurolentech, she is part of the team since the beginning and is evolved with the company and a number of different challenges. Melanie is involved in the coordination of clinical data/cell lines from collaborators, administrative tasks, purchase and budget for reagents/consumables and accounting tasks. She organizes and coordinates the laboratory infrastructure and social outings with joy and is responsible for the management of Neurolentech´s cryobank. Melanie holds a Master of Science and is a Clinical Trial Specialist.

Karin Stecher, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

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Karin Stecher, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

Karin is a senior scientist at Neurolentech, working primarily on neuronal differentiation, automation and project management. She is a molecular biologist by training with a specialization in epigenetics. During her PhD, she developed a particular interest in neuroscience by uncovering the mechanism of a genetic disorder characterized by neurodevelopmental defects, including autism.

Federico Salaris, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

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Federico Salaris, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

Federico is a senior research scientist working as main responsible in the characterization of SLC13A5 epilepsy. During his PhD, he studied neurodevelopmental disorders combining induced pluripotent stem cell potential and gene editing technology. At Neurolentech, Federico is developing and characterizing cell culture models based on patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells to identify new biomarkers for pharmacological treatment in SLC13A5 epilepsy.

Camilla Bosone, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

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Camilla Bosone, PhD

Senior Research Scientist

Camilla is a senior scientist motivated to fill the gap between current top-notch research and precision medicine available to neurodevelopmental disease patients. With a MSc in developmental biology and a PhD in molecular biology focusing on 3D human brain organoids patterning, Camilla applies her background knowledge to Neurolentech's effort in disease modelling by engineering cell lines with CRISPR technology and generating iNeurons. Her research interests span from microelectrode array recording to bioinformatic analysis of RNA seq data, to characterize Neurolentech's phenotypically diverse collection of patient-derived cells

Maria Pires, MSc

Research Associate

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Maria Pires, MSc

Research Associate

Maria is a researcher focusing on the cellular reprogramming of somatic cells into brain cells. Maria worked in several institution around the globe, passing through several fields, including cell models, drug targetting for inflamatory pathways and neuron isolation from mouse models. At Neurolentech Maria spends her time caring for patient cells, making sure they are up to standard to be integrated into our cell models. Maria holds a Master of Science from the University of Stockhom.

João Cortinhas, MSc

Research Associate

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João Cortinhas, MSc

Research Associate

João is a researcher mainly working in somatic cell reprogramming. With a diverse background encompassing a MSc in Bioengineering with a specialization in Molecular Biotechnology, he has previously employed RNA therapeutics and nanomedicine to develop novel therapies against neurological disorders, becoming proficient with neuronal cell culture and cell models.