Ana Montalban-Arques
Project Leader
Ana Montalban-Arques joined Wyss Zurich in April 2022 as Project Leader for Recolony. She holds a PhD in Molecular Medicine from the Medical University of Graz (Austria) and a Master’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of Murcia (Spain). In 2018 she joined the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University Hospital Zurich and the University of Zurich, where she has been developing the Recolony project as a postdoctoral scientist from the outset. With this project, Ana has been awarded with the Entrepreneur fellowship from the University of Zurich and with the BRIDGE Proof of Concept Fellowship from the SNF and InnoSuisse. Ana has been focusing in the study of host-microbial interactions in the gut since 2011, a topic she feels passionate about. As Project Leader of Recolony she is responsible for leading the team that is developing a bacteria-based therapy for colorectal cancer.
Philipp Busenhart
Head of Business Development
Philipp Busenhart joined Wyss Zurich in April 2022. After his Master’s at the University of Zurich, Philipp gained further research experience in an internship at the oncology department of the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, where he tested the efficacy of novel small-molecule compounds as cancer treatments. Following this insight into the big pharma world, he went back to academic research and performed his PhD studies in cancer biology at the University of Zurich. He was involved early on in scientific activities of the Recolony project, such as the isolation of proprietary bacterial strains. Now, as the Head of Business Development of Recolony, he is responsible for managing subcontractors, the patent portfolio and the overall business and strategy development.
Egle Katkeviciute
Head of R&D
Egle Katkeviciute joined Wyss Zurich in April 2022 as a head of R&D for Recolony. She has an integrated Master's degree in Biochemistry from University of Glasgow with the industrial placement performed at MedImmune. In addition, Egle obtained her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Zurich in 2021. This combined academic and industrial research background provides a round-up knowledge perfect for her current position in the Recolony project. She is responsible for the setup and execution of all R&D experiments. Additionally, Egle is coordinating all research activities required to complete the preclinical phase of bacteria-based treatments towards the First-in-Human clinical trials. Finally, she is in charge of discovery of new potential scientific avenues, expanding the existent pipeline.
