Meny
Professor of Translational Proteomics
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Jochen M Schwenk is a Professor of Translational Proteomics at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology based in Stockholm. His academic background is in biochemistry, having earned his Ph.D. from the University of Tübingen in Germany. Today, Jochen conducts his research at the SciLifeLab in Solna. His work primarily involved the use of proteomics technologies to study proteins in blood. The aim is to gain a deeper understanding of the molecular basis of human health and disease. In additon to his research, Jochen is one of the scientific directors at the Human Protein Atlas (HPA), a scientific director of SciLifeLab’s Affinity Proteomics unit. In the broader community, Jochen is an elected council member of the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) and the chair of HUPO’s Plasma Proteome Project.
Professor/Senior Physician, Department of Oncology-Pathology
Karolinska Institutet
Pathology play an important role in cancer care and is a key to precision medicine. During last five years we have seen a rapid adoption of digital pathology. Meanwhile, numerous groundbreaking research efforts have been performed in AI-based pathology. However, there has been a relatively slow adoption of advanced AI-solutions in pathology. I will introduce the field of AI-based precision pathology and Stratipath as an example of succesfull implementation in breast cancer care.
Johan Hartman is full professor of tumor pathology at Karolinska Institutet and consultant pathologist at Karolinska University Hospital,and head of breast cancer pathology. He leads a translational research team and the Breast Cancer Research Theme at Karolinska Institute; BRECT. He is also scientific secretary of the Swedish Association of Pathology. He has published >130 scientific papers and has > 11.000 citations. Dr Hartman is cofounder of the KI spinn-out company Stratipath developing clinical grade AI-solutions for cancer diagnostics.
Partner
Trill Impact Advisory
The diagnostics industry is undergoing rapid transformation. While personalized medicine, predictive care, and more accurate disease detection have long been discussed, the challenge has been translating innovation into solutions that drive measurable improvements in patient outcomes. Now, AI is closing the gap between technology and clinical outcomes.
Investors are increasingly drawn to innovations that bridge this gap, particularly in areas such as digital biomarkers and digital signatures, AI-powered multi-omics, which provide a pathway-oriented view of disease and digital patient stratification.
However, securing funding requires more than cutting-edge technology. Investors seek scalable business models, clear regulatory pathways, and well-defined reimbursement strategies. Companies that meet these criteria will be best positioned to attract investment and shape the future of diagnostics.
Bita is a Partner at Trill Impact Advisory, focusing on Ventures. She has more than 15 years of professional experience from both life science R&D and venture capital.
Prior to joining Trill Impact, she was an Investment Director at Industrifonden. Her previous roles include consultant supporting the healthcare team at the Canadian pension fund CDPQ and consultant at Rosenblatt Life Science, specializing in pharmaceutical forecasting and valuation.
Bita holds a Master’s in Biomedicine and a Ph.D. in Molecular Oncology from Karolinska Institute, along with two post-doctoral fellowships at Karolinska and McGill University in cancer signal transduction. Additionally, she earned an MBA in Strategy and Business Valuation from Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business.
CEO and Co-founder
Gradientech
Gradientech develops and sells next-generation diagnostics in the field of infectious disease medicine where the market approved QuickMIC® system makes Gradientech a world-leader within ultra-rapid antibiotic susceptibility testing. QuickMIC® allows patients with bacteremia and sepsis to quickly receive personalised treatment guidance on the right antibiotics and the right dose. By answering out quantitative resistance values within a few hours, with unbeatable precision, the system can save lives, reduce healthcare costs and lower the spread of antibiotic resistance – probably one of our greatest global health threats.
Dr. Sara Thorslund is co-founder and CEO of Gradientech since its start in 2009. She is innovator of a handful patents, has received several innovation and entrepreneurship awards while growing Gradientech into an international diagnostics company, being presented as one of today’s role models shaping our future in a book publication by Mondial (2020). Sara Thorslund holds a MSc in Engineering Biology from Linköping University and received her PhD in Material Science and Microstructure Technology at Uppsala University.
Principal Scientist
Cavidi
Binding Oligo Ladder Detection (BOLD) is a groundbreaking technique that enhances the sensitivity of existing immunoassays, enabling the detection of low-abundance biomolecules at femtomole-per-gram levels. This ultrasensitivity is critical in biomarker quantification, where detecting trace amounts of proteins, nucleic acids, or other biomolecules can have transformative implications in diagnostics, drug development, and disease monitoring. By integrating BOLD into conventional immunoassays, researchers and clinicians can achieve unprecedented precision and reliability in identifying key biomarkers, even in complex biological samples. This presentation explores the principles of BOLD, its applications, and its potential to revolutionize immunoassay performance across diverse technology platforms.
Dr. Peter Stenlund is an experienced protein chemist with a PhD in biochemistry from Umeå university. Briefly, from that point forward to his present position at Cavidi AB, he has been employed as a senior lecturer, as a post-doctoral scientist in USA, as a development scientist at Biacore and as a senior scientist at Octapharma and Galderma. His work has focused on analytical development aimed for characterization and release of protein drugs.
Professor of Molecular Diagnostics
Uppsala University
While numerous protein biomarker candidates have been proposed in scientific literature, only a few have proven clinically effective. The challenge lies in identifying reliable biomarkers amidst the complexity of biological samples, such as blood proteomics, necessitating technologies with enhanced specificity and sensitivity.
Our research addresses this challenge by developing molecular tools, including proximity assays utilizing antibody-conjugated DNA strands, enabling precise and parallel measurements of proteins in various biological contexts. Through multiple recognition events and DNA amplification, our methodologies achieve increased specificity and sensitivity, facilitating the detection of protein interactions and modifications.
Moreover, our technologies allow for the expansion of biomarker research beyond proteins to include high molecular weight such and extracellular vesicles. By leveraging the inherent advantages of multiplexing and DNA-assisted readout, our approach enables the simultaneous analysis of protein panels in minute sample aliquots while minimizing cross-reactivity issues.
Here, I outline the showcase applications of these molecular tools in biomolecule detection, as well as the screening and validation of protein biomarkers across various diseases.
Dr. Masood Kamali-Moghaddam is currently a Professor of Molecular Diagnostics at Dept. of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University, Sweden, and the director of Proteomics Platform at Swedish SciLifeLab. He is also co-founders of Readily Diagnostics. He received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Microbiology at Dept. of Pharmaceutical Biosciences at Uppsala University in 2001. He held then a post-doctoral position at Center for Molecular Genetics at the University of California, San Diego, and a second post-doctoral position at Dept. Of Genetics and Pathology/ Div. of Molecular Tools at Uppsala University. The research in Prof. Kamali’s laboratory is currently focused on development of highly sensitive molecular tools for proteome analysis, and detection and characterization of exosomes as biomarkers for early diagnostics.
Assistant Professor and Docent in Biotechnology
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Precision medicine has set the stage where targeted clinical proteomics has the potential to revolutionize diagnostics and patient care. The Edfors lab is exploring cutting-edge advancements in proteomic technologies, such as LC-SRM/MS and Proximity Extension Assays, enabling precise plasma profiling and the discovery of novel biomarkers. As part of the Human Disease Blood Atlas, we are profiling thousands of plasma proteomes across health and disease and are developing diagnostic and prognostic biomarker panels by leveraging data-driven analysis through machine learning. The analytical measurements can also be combined with remote sampling strategies to enable efficient longitudinal patient profiling, providing a more comprehensive understanding of health and disease.
Dr. Fredrik Edfors is a leading researcher in the field of clinical proteomics, with a focus on leveraging advanced technologies for plasma profiling and biomarker discovery. As a Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS) SciLifeLab and Wallenberg Fellow, he combines innovative proteomic methods such as LC-SRM/MS and Proximity Extension Assays with machine learning to advance diagnostic precision. His work has led to the development of novel biomarker panels and strategies for longitudinal patient profiling, contributing significantly to the Human Protein Atlas project, with over 20 publications and a commitment to translating research into practical applications.
CTO and Co-founder
Samplimy Medical
Established techniques in hospitals such as blood sampling via venipuncture and biopsies are standard for diagnostics, but have a series of drawback limiting their applicability in certain contexts, such as large screening/prevention programs, decentralized clinical trials, remote settings, new biomarker discovery, and fragile patients. Microsampling of capillary blood or dermal interstitial fluid from the skin using painless microneedle technology, combined with volume-metering and dry storage, provides new minimally-invasive opportunities to access quantitative insights into our own biology and health. This patient-centric approach can be used at the point-of-care, as an alternative or complement to traditional more invasive blood sampling methods or skin biopsies.
Dr. Federico Ribet is the CTO and co-founder of two medtech startups: Samplimy Medical (microsampling of blood and interstitial fluid) and Sensible Healthcare Systems (microneedle-based continuous glucose monitoring). Dr. Ribet is also affiliated as a researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm, Sweden). His work focuses on the development of minimally invasive and point-of-care medical devices targeting various diagnostic and monitoring needs. He received his M.Sc. engineering degree in Nanotechnologies for ICTs, jointly from EPFL (Switzerland), INPG (France) and Politecnico di Torino (Italy), in 2014, and his Ph.D. degree in Microsystem Technology at KTH in 2020.
Head of Unit
Unit for Emergency Preparedness and Infectious Disease Diagnostics
Public Health Agency of Sweden
With the aim of strengthening serious cross-border health threats resulting from communicable diseases, the European commission designated nine new reference laboratories (EURL) for public health. The Public Health Agency of Sweden leads the EURL for Emerging, Rodent-born and Zoonotic Viral Pathogens (folkhalsomyndigheten.se/eurl-ph-erzv) where viruses that cause ebola, marburg, mpox, rabies, and new unknown viral diseases (virus X) are included. In its role, the EURL will support a network of European national laboratories with diagnostics, training and knowledge.
Dr Johan Aarum received his PhD from Karolinska Institutet in 2003 and then continued his research at GlaxoSmithKleine in London followed by several years in the UK academia, leading several proof-of-concept studies around neurodegeneration. In 2017 he joined the department for Clinical Microbiology at the Karolinska University Hospital, heading the units for molecular diagnostics and serology, among others. Since 2024 he is the Head of unit for Emergency Preparedness and Infectious Disease Diagnostics at the Public Health Agency of Sweden.
Professor in Clinical Bacteriology
Lund University
Carbapenem- and colistin-resistant bacteria were isolated from soldiers and civilians in Ukraine. These superbugs were tested for resistance and ability to cause disease, revealing they carried multiple genes that made them both drug-resistant and highly virulent. Colistin-resistant strains were especially dangerous, showing higher survival and virulence in animal models compared to others. Our findings demonstrate the threat posed by these bacteria and emphasize an urgent need to prevent their spread at hospitals in addition to reducing global health risks.
Kristian Riesbeck, MD, PhD, is a leading expert in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases. He is a professor at Lund University, Sweden, and serves as a Senior consultant at Laboratory Medicine Skåne, focusing on antimicrobial resistance and pathogenic bacteria. Dr. Riesbeck’s research specializes in bacterial pathogenesis, host-pathogen interactions, and the development of vaccines against bacterial infections. He has published more than 250 original publications in the field, with a particular emphasis on Haemophilus influenzae and other bacteria leading to infections in the respiratory tract. His work has contributed significantly to understanding bacterial mechanisms of immune evasion and resistance, with implications for developing novel therapies. Dr. Riesbeck is actively involved in clinical and academic collaborations worldwide, and his expertise is frequently sought in public health strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance. He is also a dedicated mentor and educator, training the next generation of scientists and physicians in infectious disease research.
CEO and Co-founder
Ciprocity
Biomedical research is rapidly transitioning from 2D to 3D cell cultures such as organoids, that better reflect the biology of our bodies. This presents new challenges for imaging as light gets attenuated by each layer of cells it traverses. This results in artifacts and the images cannot be used for quantitative comparisons, greatly limiting their scientific value. In this talk, we present a new method making use of conventional confocal microscopes to map transmittance variations throughout an organoid. We do this by measuring fluorescence saturation in repeated imaging, with different laser intensities. We show how this can be used to obtain confocal images of organoids that are corrected for light loss.
Dr. Petter Säterskog is the CEO and co-founder of Ciprocity, a Swedish startup developing methods and software tools for confocal imaging. Prior to his current position, Dr. Säterskog has worked as a researcher at Leiden University, NORDITA and Karolinska Institutet, where he conducted scientific research in theoretical physics and cancer biology. Dr. Säterskog has also worked in the medical software industry and at an X-ray microscopy startup. He holds a MSc degree in physics from Chalmers University and a PhD degree in theoretical physics from Leiden University.
PhD, Account Manager
IBA Lifesciences
Streptavidin is a core component of many point-of-care diagnostics. Its strong and specific interaction with biotinylated molecules is critical for accurate test results. In this talk, we highlight how the streptavidin mutein Strep-Tactin®XT was specifically engineered to extend its functional scope to protein purification for therapeutics research. Specific purification formats such as MagStrep beads address the evolving laborious and time-consuming change challenges in protein purification by enabling a rapid and efficient purification process that also makes automation and scalability feasible. Magnetic beads are a cutting-edge solution for the laboratory of the future, providing unmatched efficiency, convenience, and performance in protein purification.
Dr. Benedikt Ni received his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Göttingen in Germany, where he developed strategies for the functional annotation of orphan enzymes through non-targeted metabolomics. He joined IBA Lifesciences as an Account Manager in 2024 to leverage his scientific expertise in protein purification and analysis as point of contact with researchers and company representatives.
VP of Business Development
VIDEM
Commercializing and scaling MedTech innovations is just as complex as developing them. The journey to success is often hindered by obstacles—many of which stem from overlooked details within our own strategies. In an industry where global expansion is critical for sustained growth and competitiveness, stepping beyond home markets requires meticulous attention to every stage of the commercialization process. Yet, many activities along the value chain are frequently neglected, and these seemingly minor gaps can collectively have a significant impact on global revenue.
This talk explores the often-overlooked steps in executing a successful global expansion strategy and provides actionable solutions to refine commercialization efforts, maximize revenue, and ensure long-term success in international markets
Dr. Walter Rangel Campos holds a PhD in Medical Virology from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and an MBA from Heriot-Watt University, Scotland. With 18 years of experience in the IVD and research tools industry, he has worked extensively with small and medium-sized MedTech companies worldwide, guiding them through the complexities of bringing their innovations to market.
A seasoned commercial leader, Walter combines scientific knowledge with strategic business acumen, commercialization execution, market expansion, and revenue growth. His passion lies in helping emerging companies navigate global markets, optimize commercialization strategies, and scale their impact in the healthcare industry.
