Leadership

Agata Zieba-Wicher, Chief Product & Science Officer at Navinci since 2020, leverages 15 years of expertise in molecular medicine. Joining in 2016 as Head of Laboratory, she spearheads NaveniFlex’s development, offering scientific leadership to the team.

With an MSc in Molecular Biotechnology and a Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine from Uppsala University, she contributed significantly to immunoassay technology design. As a former researcher at the Human Protein Atlas and SciLife Laboratory, Agata pioneered new patient sample analysis technologies, innovative protein-DNA conjugation methods, and in situ assays for biomarker exploration.

Subham Basu, with a wealth of expertise spanning life sciences and biopharma, served as Senior Director for Commercial Strategy for Immuno-oncology and Oncology at Abcam. His advisory roles include guiding pharmaceutical, diagnostic industries, and venture capital funds as Head of Strategy at Inflection Point Biomedical Advisors.

Previously, he contributed to medical affairs and market access at AZ, Shire/Baxalta, Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, and Genzyme. With a Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmacology from Cornell and a BS in Neuroscience from UC Berkeley, he directed a cancer research laboratory at Barts Cancer Institute, focusing on signaling and cell biology.

Caroline Gallant, Navinci’s CTO since November 2022, boasts profound expertise in spatial genomics and proteomics. Formerly R&D Director at 10x Genomics Stockholm, she led spatial technology development and site management.

Before that, as a fellow with Ulf Landegren and later a group leader at Uppsala University, Caroline pioneered novel methods for single-cell analysis and affinity-based protein detection. A McGill University Ph.D. graduate in Human Genetics, she brings a rich background to Navinci’s leadership team.

Sopana Leife, Navinci’s Director of Operations since 2024, has over 10 years of experience in the Life Sciences industry, with an extensive competence profile in Operations. With her latest background as Site Manager for Indical AB and former Production Manager at Boehringer Ingelheim Svanova, Sopana has demonstrated exceptional leadership skills in driving organizational and operational success.

Sopana brings several years in project management and assay development from her time at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Her experiences holding various roles focusing on operational leadership, project management, quality management and assay development, including studying for an MSc in Chemical Engineering at Uppsala University, will contribute strongly to the continued development and success of Navinci.

Eva Pisa, a prominent figure in health diagnostics and biotechnology, holds a Ph.D. in immunology from the Karolinska Institute and an MBA from Heriot-Watt University. She served as CEO of a Swedish molecular diagnostic startup (2001-2007), acquired by Cepheid (now part of Danaher), specializing in infectious diseases affecting immune-compromised patients. Joining Roche Diagnostics International, she played key roles, including Life Cycle Leader Microbiology and Global Head of Product Development (2007-2016).

Notably, she oversaw the development and launch of the successful Roche cobas 6800 and 8800 System. Retiring as SVP at Roche Centralized and PoC Solutions in 2020, she now supports and consults through piMed Consulting AG, serving on the boards of HSE AG, Envetec, and Qiagen NV.

Professor Landegren, a Molecular Medicine expert at Uppsala University, has been a trailblazer in molecular detection technologies for over 40 years. As Founder and Board member since 2004, he pioneered the in situ proximity ligation technique and numerous innovations in dual recognition and oligonucleotide hybridization, widely applied in nucleic acid and protein detection.

With 220+ publications and over 45 patents, he co-founded several companies, including Olink AB/Navinci Diagnostics AB, Olink Proteomics AB, HaloGenomics AB, and Q-Linea AB. A member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences and EMBO, he contributes to over 10 scientific advisory boards.

Maria Tell, with 15+ years in senior roles spanning marketing, strategy, business development, investment, and investor relations in Life Science and MedTech, is the Investment Director at Segulah Medical Acceleration (SMA).

Armed with a Master of Science in Molecular Biology from Uppsala University and a Marketing and Business Administration degree, she previously held key positions at GE Healthcare, Accelerator Nordic AB, SyntheticMR AB, and Almi Invest. Maria’s extensive board experience includes roles at Cartana and Single Technologies, and she currently serves on the board of directors for CytaCoat.

With over 35 years in the life science industry, Jon-Sverre holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Bergen. He served in executive roles like Chief Scientific Officer at Biotage AB, Vice President of R&D at Thermo Fisher Scientific’s ImmunoDiagnostic Division, Chief Technology Officer at Gyros Microsystems AB, and Vice President of R&D at Dako A/S Denmark (now Agilent).

Jon-Sverre began his industrial journey as a drug discovery researcher at Nycomed ASA, specializing in immunomodulating peptides.

Jonas, with a Master of Laws from Uppsala University and an LL.M. in European Intellectual Property Law from Stockholm University, brings over 15 years of experience in the life science industry. His roles include corporate lawyer at Elekta and Galderma (Q-Med), an associate at Lindahl law firm, and ownership of Biolegal, where he serves as principal consultant.

Specializing in legal matters related to business and operations, Jonas supports life science companies in navigating complex legal landscapes.

Andrea Ballagi is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Olink Proteomics, where she has been a driving force since 2015. With over two decades of experience in biotechnology, she has played a crucial role in expanding Olink’s global presence and promoting its cutting-edge proteomics solutions. Before Olink, Andrea held senior positions at IDEXX. She is M.D. and holds a PhD in Cancer Research from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research as well as a MBA from Uppsala University.

Andrea is renowned for her commercial drive and energy supporting scientific discoveries worldwide and significantly contributing to advancements in proteomics.

Carolina Wählby, Professor in Quantitative Microscopy at Uppsala University and Scientific Director of the Swedish National SciLifeLab Bioimage Informatics Unit, focuses on developing computational methods for extracting information from life science image data. Her research spans traditional image analysis, computer vision, and AI, with applications ranging from cancer cell dynamics to rapid antibiotics susceptibility testing and ‘functional pathology’ integrating tissue morphology with spatial transcriptomics.

Recognized with awards like the SBI2 President’s Innovation Award, Thuréus Prize, and membership in prestigious scientific societies, she leads groundbreaking projects funded by the ERC and the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, contributing significantly to the intersection of life science and computational image analysis.

Jan Andersson, professor of medicine at the Karolinska Institutet since 1998, held key roles as Deputy President (2010-2013) and Research Director of The Region Stockholm (2013-2020). For fifteen years, he served on the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine.

Honors include the Feinstein Institute, New York award (2007), The Royal Institute of Technology’s Gold Medal (2021), and the Karolinska Institutet’s Large Silver medal (2022). Presently, he chairs the scientific advisory board for Segulah Medical Acceleration and serves as Editor for the Journal of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Daniel Fürth, a molecular tool developer and neuroscientist, explores information storage and transmission between cells. Completing his Ph.D. in neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet, he used modified rabies virus tracing for mesoscale connectomics. Postdoctoral work at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory focused on functional RNA genomics.

Now an assistant professor and SciLifeLab fellow at Uppsala University, Dr. Fürth’s team develops molecular tools for single-molecule information manipulation. Combining nonlinear optical microscopy and chemoselective moieties, they aim to uncover mechanisms for symbolic information transfer between cells, offering insights into potential advancements in information manipulation.

Dr. Mats Nilsson, a Biochemistry professor at Stockholm University and Director of the Spatial and Single Cell Biology Platform at SciLifeLab in Stockholm and Uppsala, leads a team dedicated to developing spatial omics methods. Focused on unraveling molecular and cellular diversity in human and mouse tissues, Nilsson’s group pioneers wetware protocols and reagents, collaborating on software and hardware to establish comprehensive analysis systems.

Engaged in Human Cell Atlas projects, with a focus on human development, Nilsson’s work aims to understand intra-tumoral heterogeneity through in situ genotyping and phenotyping. Pioneering padlock probe and RCA technologies, his contributions have led to the creation of 6 spin-out companies and widespread adoption in the industry.

Martin Stern, MD, obtained his MD from Basel University, specializing in internal medicine, oncology, and hematology. Focused on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, he delved into cancer and transplant immunology.

In 2010, he founded the Cancer Immunotherapy Lab at the Department of Biomedicine, leading it as a Swiss National Science Foundation research professor. During this period, he authored 100+ peer-reviewed publications and initiated trials for adoptive cell therapy in hematological malignancies. In 2014, he transitioned to Roche Pharma Research, contributing to early cancer immunotherapy development. Recently, he assumed the role of Chief Medical Officer at Affivant, overseeing the clinical development group.

Professor Landegren, a Molecular Medicine expert at Uppsala University, has been a trailblazer in molecular detection technologies for over 40 years. As Founder and Board member since 2004, he pioneered the in situ proximity ligation technique and numerous innovations in dual recognition and oligonucleotide hybridization, widely applied in nucleic acid and protein detection.

With 220+ publications and over 45 patents, he co-founded several companies, including Olink AB/Navinci Diagnostics AB, Olink Proteomics AB, HaloGenomics AB, and Q-Linea AB. A member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences and EMBO, he contributes to over 10 scientific advisory boards.