Visp, Valais, Switzerland
Process chemist with 12 years’ experience in both Early and Late-Stage Process Development, I have supported key Janssen projects such as milvexian, adafosbuvir or pimodivir and lead internal and external teams (up to 20 chemists at the same time). I joined Janssen’s External R&D Capabilities in 2021, and I was accountable for the first GMP deliveries to support early toxicological and clinical phase I campaigns. My responsibilities also included the support of Discovery by re-investigating the synthesis of key building blocks (small molecules, peptides, and nucleic acid derivatives) and delivery of the first proof-of-concept on multigram scale. Since 2023, I joined the R&D Small Molecule team at Lonza in Visp, and I am now focusing on the development and application of innovative platform technologies that accelerate our clients’ groundbreaking therapeutics to clinical readiness.
Working with external partners from Discovery to synthesis lock demonstration: - Discovery Process Research group leader (12 chemists): responsible for work plan and timelines definition, weekly results analysis. >20 projects ranging from new scaffolds synthesis to support Discovery, route scouting and scale-up of key intermediates and tox batches - Development and execution of the first GxP batches at external partners and innovation on the critical path: accountable for 6 GMP deliveries up to 20 kg - New modalities: Liquid-Phase Peptide Synthesis development on up to 200 kg scale, unnatural amino acids and oligonucleotides warhead synthesis - Coaching of external teams to improve safety, data collection and analysis
- Team leader since 2018 supervising PhD and non-PhD scientists (up to 6 chemists, 3 PhD/postdocs via academic collaborations and management of two external CMOs) - Accountable for >30 chemical steps run on pilot and production plant scale (from 15 to 400 kg) to support clinical trials or registration including Pd- and Cu-catalysed reactions, azide chemistry (Milvexian) or nucleoside prodrug synthesis (Adafosbuvir) - Janssen R&D award for major savings for a phase III clinical trial and the development of a new methodology published in Nature Communications in collaboration with Prof. Knochel - Supported multiple tech transfers to internal facilities or external CMOs for GMP production - Cross-functional interaction with analytical, engineering, safety, clinical supply chain groups - Route scouting towards waste and cost reductions - Ideation and lead of several academic collaborations for mechanistic studies, alternatives routes evaluation and biocatalysis screening
C-glycosylation via addition of organozinc species (Canagliflozin) Biocatalysis applied to the enantioselective synthesis of chiral amines
Prof. E. Peter Kündig Desymmetrization and functionalization of planar chiral compounds via palladium-catalyzed or organocatalytic reactions