Leadership
Pioneering physician, entrepreneur, and researcher at the forefront of life sciences. With a strong foundation in medicine and an MBA, he has successfully bridged the gap between academia and industry. As a co-founder of Twiti Investments, he has played a pivotal role in nurturing and growing numerous innovative companies, including Genexo, Mabion, Lipid Systems, Neuro Device, Human Biome Institute, Captor Therapeutics, Fluid Screen, Urteste, and the current focus, Cellis. His extensive experience in pharmaceutical business development and license negotiations has been instrumental in building a robust portfolio of life science ventures. With a proven track record of launching and commercializing several products on the market, he has solidified his position as a leading figure in the industry.
Robert Aleksandrowicz, MD, MBA
Chief Executive Officer
Graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Warsaw University of Life Sciences (PL). In 2019, at age 38 she became a Full Professor. She visited several scientific centers: Sapienza University of Rome (IT), The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NL), Utrecht University (NL), Albert Einstein College of Medicine (USA), Yeshiva University (USA). Currently, she is a Head of the Cellular Immunotherapy Center at Warsaw University of Life Sciences. She received multiple grants, fellowships, and awards. In 2020, she was short-listed finalist of the EU Prize for Woman Innovators. Prof. Król is the recipient of three ERC grants: a Starting Grant in 2016, a Proof of Concept grant in 2020, and another Proof of Concept grant in 2023, making her the only Polish recipient of this prestigious award in 2023.
Prof. Magdalena Krol, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer, Co-founder
Immunologist with expertise in immune cell activation in cancer biology. In 2002, he was awarded with an Erasmus Scholarship to participate in a PhD program at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NL), earning doctoral degree in 2007. After postdoctoral fellowship at the University Medical Center Utrecht (NL), he became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology at Medical University of Warsaw (PL). Since 2021, he is also a Group Leader at Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences (PL). He received several national research grants and two scholarships from the Polish Ministry of Education and Science.
Tomasz Rygiel, PhD
Chief Techology Officer, Co-founder
Seasoned financial executive with a strong track record in the EMEA region. As Group CFO at TWITI Investments, a leading BioTech and MedTech investment fund, he oversees financial operations and strategic planning. With extensive experience in diverse industries and a deep understanding of global financial regulations, Mencel drives business growth and maximizes shareholder value. His career spans leadership roles at Raisead, Cottonex Group, PWB Awbud, Grass Cavagna Group, and EGIS Pharmaceuticals. Holding an FCMA, CGMA, he is a strategic financial leader with a proven ability to deliver results.
Przemyslaw Mencel
Chief Financial Officer
Distinguished Polish oncologist and academic. With a PhD in medical sciences, he holds a professorship at the Institute of Health Sciences, University of Natural Sciences and Humanities in Siedlce. His academic journey includes doctoral studies completed in 2008, followed by habilitation in 2014. Prior to his current position, Dr. Bodnar contributed his expertise to institutions such as the Military Medical Institute in Warsaw, the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, and the Warmia and Mazury Oncology Center. Since 2021, he has been leading the Siedlce Oncology Center. Dr. Bodnar is a prolific researcher with over 200 scientific publications to his name, focusing primarily on oncology. His work has been instrumental in advancing the field and improving patient care.
Lubomir Bodnar, PhD, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Marszałek obtained her PhD in Biophysics from the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. She has several years of experience in drug development in both academia and biotech industry. She is an author of several scientific papers, honored with two international scholarships and several national, and international awards. At Cellis, she oversees biochemical research team and co-builds new strategies for protein-drug design, development, and manufacturing.
Ilona Marszalek, PhD
Head of Medicinal Chemistry
Dr. Gabrusiewicz spent over six years at MD Anderson Cancer Center at Brain Tumor Center (Houston, USA) exploring glioblastoma microenvironment and elucidating the mechanisms of tumor-mediated immune suppression. He has many years of experience in cell therapy development for solid tumors (CAR-T, TCR-T, gamma/delta-T and CAR-monocytes/macrophages). Previously he worked at Kiromic Biopharma Inc., Ziopharm Oncology Inc. (currently Alaunos Therapeutics), Carisma Therapeutics Inc. and Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc. (USA).
Konrad Gabrusiewicz, PhD
Director of Science Liaisons
Dr. Taciak obtained his PhD from Warsaw University of Life Sciences in 2019. He was a primary recipient of a grant from the National Science Centre to study an impact of macrophages on Wnt signaling pathway in cancer cells. During his PhD program he spent several months at Bilkent University, Turkey and in the laboratory of prof. Jeffrey Pollard at the University of Edinburgh, UK. Currently, he leads a team of young scientists at R&D site testing killing abilities of MDC in variety of cancer types.
Bartlomiej Taciak, PhD
R&D Group Leader
Experienced Swiss lawyer and mediator with a deep understanding of Swiss law and business environment. With a law degree and certifications in trust and estate practice (TEP) and arbitration (ACIArb Mediation), she provides comprehensive legal advice and dispute resolution services to SMEs. As the founder of CMK Services, she has built a reputation for delivering tailored solutions in six languages: English, German, French, Russian, Polish, and Italian.
Michèle Ineczka Kappeler
Legal Counsel
Advisors and Cooperators
Group Leader in the Department of Biochemical Sciences at Sapienza University of Rome. During his scientific career he worked at the following scientific centers: Université de Luminy II Marseille (FR), Albert Einstein College of Medicine (USA), National Research Council CNR (IT). He is a co-founder of number of companies, majority of them have been sold or acquired. Currently, he serves as a consultant for a number of biotech companies.
Prof. Alberto Boffi, PhD
Dr. Simpson has 15 years of experience in biologics development and commercialization with Cobra Biologics, Eden Biodesign and Actavis, and supported IP Group to develop Glythera’s business strategy and fundraising activities. Currently he is a CEO at Iksuda Therapeutics and non-executive Director at Leaf Expression Systems.
David Simpson, PhD
Dr. Weiss has many years of clinical and scientific experience in brain tumors. Currently, he is Senior Physician and Researcher at University Hospital of Zurich (Switzerland). He works at Neuroscience Center Zurich in a team of Prof. Michael Weller where Cellis runs glioblastoma project.
Tobias Weiss, PhD, MD
With over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Brown brings a wealth of knowledge in both small molecule and biological drug discovery. His career spans senior leadership roles at companies such as British Biotech, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Piramed Pharma, Cancer Research Technology, and CellCentric. Dr. Brown has a proven track record in managing strategic partnerships, leading oncology programs from inception to clinical trials, and driving innovation in the field. He holds a PhD from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Oxford Brookes University.
Anthony Brown, PhD
Distinguished hematologist and transfusion medicine specialist. With a career spanning decades, she has made significant contributions to the field. As former head of the Hematology Clinic at the Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine in Warsaw and subsequent leader of the Transfusion Medicine Department, she has held pivotal roles in Polish healthcare. Professor Łętowska’s expertise is reflected in her extensive research, with over 150 publications on hematology, transfusion medicine, hemostasis, and porphyria. Her leadership in the field is evident through her role as a former national consultant and chairwoman of the Transfusion Medicine Section of the Polish Society of Hematologists and Transfusion Medicine.
Prof. Magdalena Letowska, PhD, MD
Veterinary pathologist affiliated with the Institute of Veterinary Pathology at the Freie Universität Berlin. He holds a Diplomate status with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) and is a specialized veterinarian in pathology. With expertise in histology, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, cancer diagnostics, and veterinary diagnostics for both small animals and clinical settings, Prof. Klopfleisch has made significant contributions to the field. He has authored 450 publications, and his work has been cited nearly 8,000 times, reflecting his impact and recognition in veterinary science and pathology.
