We are SixPeaks Bio

From his pronounced experience in preclinical research (Novartis & Roche), Konrad brings a broad expertise in small molecule-, peptide- and ASO/siRNA science, which allowed him to advance various molecules into clinical development (cardiometabolic & infectious diseases). He authored over 100 patents & publications. Being highly passionate about designed polypharmacology, Konrad joined SixPeaks Bio as Head of Therapeutic Modalities in 2023.
Konrad holds a PhD in Chemistry from the Eberhardt Karls University in Tübingen, Germany

Philip J. Larsen, MD PhD, is the CEO of Sixpeaks Bio AG. Philip has gained R&D leadership experience from positions in several global pharmaceutical enterprises (NovoNordisk, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Grünenthal, Sanofi, Bayer). Before taking the helm at Sixpeaks Bio, Philip was the senior vice president, Global Head of Pharma Research and Early Development Precision Medicine at Bayer AG. At Bayer he was overseeing research, translational medicine, and early clinical development with accompanying portfolio and investment responsibilities in Bayer’s core areas therapeutic area and portfolio responsibilities: cardiovascular medicine, nephrology, inflammation, and reproductive endocrinology. Philip has a longstanding experience form discovery and drug development in the area of anti-obesity agents. Under his leadership as Chief Scientific Officer for Diabetes and Obesity at Eli Lilly and Co., the dual incretin agonist programs that led to tirzepatide and mazdutide were initiated. Philip is an MD PhD from the University of Copenhagen. After four years of medical practice (internal medicine, neurology) he went from academic medicine to life sciences industry. In addition, Philip holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Copenhagen and a PhD in neuroscience.

Estelle is Senior Vice President at SixPeaks Bio, leading the nonclinical and translational development of the company’s portfolio.  A seasoned drug developer, she combines scientific innovation with regulatory know-how to bring assets into the clinic, as proven by her track record of successful IND/CTA filings. Previously, she served as CDO at 3T Biosciences and held leading roles in Research and Early Development at Roche and Novartis. Estelle holds a PhD in Microbiology from the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France.

Cornelia is Finance Director at SixPeaks Bio. She has over 20 years’ experience as Finance Business Partner in pharma, biotech, retail and distribution industries, in various fields such as controlling, planning and accounting. Cornelia has worked on acquisition and divestitures of companies in finance and commercial roles with experience in local, regional and global environments, for companies such as Actelion / Johnson & Johnson and Vector BioPharma. She holds a BSc in Business Administration and an eMBA from the FHNW.

Andreas is responsible for all aspects of CMC development at SixPeaks. He has deep knowledge in antibody engineering, process design and optimization and GMP manufacturing. Before joining SixPeaks Andreas was 22 years with MorphoSys and responsible for protein expression platforms, process development, commercial production and technology transfers.

Andreas holds a PhD from the University of Tübingen, Germany.

Cora is Director of Alliance Management at SixPeaks Bio. She has 18 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, specialising in strategic alliance management and spearheading numerous public-private, philanthropic-private as well as bilateral partnerships. In her earlier professional experience, Cora held varied roles from Portfolio Management to Strategy Consultant, as well as Laboratory Head along the value chain of Drug Development.

Cora holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Heidelberg and German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, Germany.

Katrin is Project Management Director at SixPeaks Bio where she is driving the scientific and strategic execution of the lead programmes. She brings extensive experience in managing drug discovery and development pipelines in early stage biotechs. She utilizes her strong scientific background to drive drug candidates into the clinic through creating alignment between scientific experts and commercial goals. Past experiences include Immunocore and Matterhorn Biosciences.

Katrin received her PhD from the Max Planck in Goettingen, Germany and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK.

Ratan has more than 25 years of Research & Development expertise in Pharma and Biotech across the US, Sweden and India. He is Vice President and Global Head of Business Development & Licensing in BioPharmaceuticals at AstraZeneca and is responsible for BD in Cardiovascular, Renal, metabolism, Respiratory, Immunology and Neuroscience therapy areas spanning from all phases of early Discovery to Commercial partnering, as well as academic collaborations. Over the years, Ratan has made a significant impact on the portfolio with in-licensing assets, acquisitions and establishing large strategic partnerships. Ratan has served JSC chair of these partnerships, SAB at Univ. of Oslo and adjunct Professor at Karolinska University, Sweden. Between 2012-2014, Ratan was SVP, Head of R&D at Jubilant. Ratan joined Zeneca in Wilmington in 1997 from Cephalon and has held organisational leadership positions, led project teams to clinical decisions in small molecule, biologics and protein therapeutics. He trained at Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine and has authored over 65 publications and 17 patents. Ratan is passionate about making a positive impact on the portfolio and a difference to patients.

Markus is a partner located in Basel where he plays a central role in the launch of future newcos from Versant’s Ridgeline Discovery Engine. He is a seasoned executive with deep domain knowledge of drug discovery and development, especially in the protein field. Markus most recently was CSO and a member of the management board of MorphoSys. He joined the company in 2002 and is recognized as an authority in the field of protein engineering.

Markus holds a Ph.D. from the Technical University of Stuttgart, Germany.

Alexander Mayweg, Ph.D., is a Managing Director and also serves as head of Ridgeline Therapeutics, Versant’s Basel-based Discovery Engine. Alex is an accomplished leader in drug discovery and medicinal chemistry across Europe, the U.S. and Asia. He brings to Versant deep operating capabilities, having led successful therapeutics portfolios, programs and teams within Roche Pharma Research and Early Development.

Since joining Versant in 2016, he has been involved in launching and investing in a number of Versant’s portfolio companies including Black Diamond (BDTX), Monte Rosa (GLUE), Bright Peak, Enterprise (acquired), T-knife and Matterhorn.

Prior to joining Versant, Alex served as global head of chemistry at Roche and over 14 years at the company has held a range of other scientific leadership positions. Prior to Roche, Alex earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Oxford University, followed by post-doctorate training at Stanford University. His undergraduate degree was in chemistry from the Imperial College in London.

Professor Arne Astrup, MD, DMSc. is Senior Vice President at The Novo Nordisk Foundation in Denmark, and leader of the Dept of Obesity and Nutritional Sciences. Arne Astrup has been a full professor since 1990 and Head of the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, from 2012-20. Under Arne Astrup’s leadership the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports ranked number one on the internationally recognized Shanghai Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments.

Dr Astrup is past President of World Obesity Federation and founding editor-in-chief of Obesity Reviews. He is Editor of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Arne Astrup’s scientific interests have been appetite regulation, treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. In 1996 Arne Astrup discovered, together with Professor Jens Holst, that GLP-1 is a satiety hormone in humans. Astrup played a major role in the prohibition in 2004 of industrially produced trans fats in foods in Denmark. Arne Astrup is one the world’s most cited scientists with frequent publications in BMJ, Lancet, Nature and New England Journal of Medicine. Arne has published more than 900 peer-reviewed papers and more than 1000 other academic publications.

Astrup was created Knight of the Order of Dannebrog in 1999 by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Knight of the First Order of Dannebrog in November 2012. He was the recipient of the International Association for the Study of Obesity 2014 Willendorf Award.

Dr. Claussnitzer is the Weissman Davis and Titlebaum Research Scholar and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Center for Genomic Medicine and the Endocrine Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School. She is an Institute Member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard where she directs the Scientific Strategy of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomic Mechanisms of Disease and she is the Director of the Diabetes Initiative at the Broad Institute. Dr. Claussnitzer’s research focuses on traversing the path from metabolic disease genetics to disease-driving targets and biology (Variant-to-Function, V2F), by developing next-generation experimental and computational V2F strategies. 

Dr. Claussnitzer holds a PhD in functional genomics from the Technical University of Munich followed by postdoctoral studies and (faculty) appointments at Harvard Medical School, the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

David is a physician-scientist with extensive biopharma R&D experience across a range of therapeutic areas and modalities – particularly focusing on diabetes and obesity. While at Merck and Eli Lilly, David’s  efforts included oversight of teams that discovered and developed: sitagliptin (Januvia), dulaglutide (Trulicity), tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), and Lyumjevplus other pipeline additions for musculoskeletal and cardiorenal disorders. Other roles included business development and venture investing (Lilly) as well as several biotech positions – he is currently CSO at Variant Bio – a human genetics-driven drug discovery company.  

David has a B.S. from Brown U. and M.D. from U. of Cincinnati. He received clinical and research training at Harvard Medical School and then served on the faculty for several years. David has published more than 140 peer-reviewed papers; his honors include election to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and appointment as an adjunct professor at the Karolinska Institute. 

Philipp Scherer is Professor and Director of the Touchstone Diabetes Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Basel, Switzerland and his post-doctoral training at the Whitehead Institute at MIT in Cambridge. In 1997, he joined the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he was a Professor of Cell Biology and Medicine, and moved to Dallas in 2007. Throughout his career, he has maintained an interest in processes related to cellular and systemic energy homeostasis with a particular focus on the role of adipose tissue and its impact on the cardiorenal metabolic syndrome, both in preclinical as well as in clinical settings.