Insights in the professions

24 May 2023 - Utrecht

In this session you can explore the different roles that you can have in life sciences industry and get inspired to pursue your career goals. Various professionals will introduce their companies and provide you with valuable insight into their role in the company. You will get a better understand the diverse range of roles outside academia.

Katka Franke | Associate Director Immunology | CureVac Netherlands

Katka Franke obtained her PhD in Immunology from VU University in Amsterdam and continued her academic career for several years in the field of immuno-oncology. After that, she transitioned to industry and her first role was as oncology drug development consultant, assisting start-ups and small biotech companies to launch their pre-clinical projects into first-in-human studies. In 2020 she joined a start-up company Frame Therapeutics, where her major responsibility was to establish in-house immunology research into tumor neoantigens identified through a proprietary genomic and bioinformatics pipeline. Frame Therapeutics was in July 2022 successfully acquired by CureVac, the global mRNA company. In her current position as Associate Director Immunology in CureVac Netherlands she is heading Human Immunology Department focusing on in vitro validation of targets for cancer vaccines.

Femke Sanders | Director Regulatory Affairs | ISA Pharmaceuticals
I am Femke Sanders, Director Regulatory Affairs (RA) at ISA Pharmaceuticals. We are developing Synthetic Long Peptides (SLPs) to treat patients with serious conditions for which there is an unmet medical need. Since I can remember my dream has always been to become a veterinarian. But once I was working in veterinary practice, I felt I could do so much more with my knowledge, so I joined the pharma industry and found my new passion: translating science into valuable treatments for patients. And my biggest inspiration in my work is to, together with a highly motivated team, contribute positively to the life of patients and their families. I currently have 10+ years of experience in RA in both veterinary and human pharma, working on various marketed and development products in neurology, immunology, ophthalmology, and oncology. In the weekends you can find me next to a rugby field, walking my dogs, vetting horses at endurance competitions, or just enjoying the outside with my husband and three kids.

Laura Duran | International Relations Manager | Health~Holland
Laura Duran is International Relations Manager of the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health. She finished her MSc. in Health Economics, Policy and Management at Erasmus University Rotterdam. After a period as part of a US-based biotech company, she joined the Health~Holland team in February 2021. She is responsible for establishing partnerships with international stakeholders, developing and executing the Top Sector’s international strategy for the life sciences and healthcare industry, and prioritize relationships that benefit the Netherlands in a competitive global market.

FULL PROGRAMME HERE