Management
Currently employing 35 staff, 4-Antibody’s potential is based on the expertise of the founding team in immunological research, leveraged by a management team with a strong and successful professional track record. This combined with the scientific and technical skill of our technical staff forms the core strength that will enable 4-Antibody to become a globally recognized player in the development of antibody based pharmaceuticals.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sijmen de Vries, MD, MBA
Dr. de Vries joined 4-Antibody in June 2006 as CEO.
Prior to joining 4-Antibody, Dr. de Vries was CEO of Morphochem AG (Munich and Basel) from August 2004 and after the merger with Biovertis, management Board member of Biovertis (Vienna). Prior to that, he served as Head Global Business Development and Licensing for Novartis Ophthalmics and as Global Brand Director GI at Novartis Pharma. Before joining Novartis, he was Chief Executive Officer of the Rademacher Group, a biotech start-up from University College London. From 1986-1997 he was at SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, initially in the Netherlands, later on at Global HQ in Brentford UK, in various positions of increasing seniority.
Dr. de Vries is a non-executive Director in two privately held healthcare companies. He has a Degree in Medicine from University of Amsterdam and an executive MBA from Ashridge Management College (UK).
Chief Scientific Officer, (CSO) Ulf Grawunder, PhD
Dr. Grawunder is Chief Scientific Officer at 4-Antibody. He co-founded 4-Antibody in 2002 and led the Company as CEO, from its inception through the initial start-up period, until June 2006, when he assumed the role of CSO at 4-Antibody. Dr. Grawunder obtained his PhD from the University of Basel for research on early B lymphopoeisis at the Basel Institute for Immunology, Basel, Switzerland from 1991-1994. During post-doctoral work at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and at the University of Southern California School of Medicine in Los Angeles, he worked on the genetic mechanisms responsible for the creation of antibody diversity, which led to several ground-breaking discoveries published in highest ranked journals, including Nature. Before taking an executive role at 4-Antibody, Dr. Grawunder held positions as principal investigator and group leader at the Basel Institute for Immunology, Switzerland, the University of Ulm, Germany, and the University of Basel. He is an expert on molecular and cellular aspects of early B cell development.
Dr. Grawunder has published more than 30 publications on B cell development and antibody diversification and is co-inventor of the 4mAb™ technology platform. In 2003, he was awarded the New Entrepreneurs in Technology and Science Prize of the Gebert-Rüf-Foundation, Switzerland.
Head of 4-Antibody Germany, Eva-Maria Stegemann, MSc, PhD
Dr. Stegemann joined 4-Antibody in August 2004 as Head of 4-Antibody Germany, Jena. She has a dual background in science and business, holding a diploma in Biochemistry from Private University Witten/Herdecke, Germany, and a Ph.D. in Business from Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, Germany. Dr. Stegemann gained first professional experience in the Life Sciences Team of Schitag Ernst & Young and afterwards in establishing the GET UP initiative at the University of Jena, that offered business consulting for high technology start-up companies within the framework of the EXIST initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research.
Whilst working and lecturing at the Department of Business Administration at the University of Jena, Dr. Stegemann has gained additional entrepreneurial experience by co-founding and serving as a start-up CEO for microfluidic ChipShop GmbH, Jena.