Team

Jacek has over 20 years of experience in conducting scientific research and commercializing its results. He has co-founded and served on the management teams of biotechnology start-ups. In 2012-2024 Jacek was the Director of the Medicinal Chemistry at Molecure SA, where his department delivered two compounds that are currently undergoing clinical trials. He led teams of synthetic and medicinal chemists implementing numerous projects aimed at optimizing synthesis routes or searching for new biologically active molecules (including enzyme inhibitors, membrane receptor ligands and protein-protein interaction inhibitors).

Marzena is a synthetic and medicinal chemist with over 20 years of experience in drug discovery and development (TriMen Chemicals, OncoArendi Therapeutics / Molecure SA) and a top-class specialist in the field of design and execution of multistep syntheses of compounds with assumed biological activity. She has extensive experience in managing the development of new drug discovery projects. A team that Marzena has led from the stage of identification of the initial molecule interacting with the assumed molecular target (hit compound) to optimization of the structure of the final development candidate, identified a clinical candidate, now at Phase II (sarcoidosis indication).

Damian is a molecular biologist focusing on immunology with a special emphasis on the new, effective methods of treating inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal cancer. Damian and his team investigate the special importance of selected G protein-interacting receptors (GPCRs) and estrogen signaling in the disease process. He gained his scientific experience during numerous research internships at the University of New Mexico (USA), the University Rey Juan Carlos (Spain), the University of Utah (USA) and the University of Aldo Moro in Bari (Italy). As a manager, he has led a number of research projects financed by the National Science Center. His scientific work was repeatedly appreciated by the Foundation for Polish Science, amongst others. He has co-authored over 40 original and review articles and four book chapters.

Prof. Jakub Golab is head of Department of Immunology at the Medical University of Warsaw. He graduated from the Medical University of Warsaw in 1998. He obtained his Ph.D. and had postdoctoral training in Harvard Institutes of Medicine (1999-2000) and University of Texas Southwestern Medical School (2003). His current research is focused on development of various immunotherapeutic and immunomodulatory approaches to be used in the treatment of cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases. Prof. Golab received many prestigious awards, including the Prime Minister award for academic achievements, stipends and awards from the Foundation for Polish Science or Polish Academy of Science. He is a co-founder of OncoArendi Therapeutics (currently Molecure), where he was VP of biology and ExploRNA Therapeutics, where he holds a position of Chief Scientific Officer. So far he promoted 15 PhD students. His publication record includes >150 articles in top research journals (citation index >30,000)

Beata is an organic chemist focusing her research on the chemistry of natural compounds, with particular emphasis on peptides and proteins and their conjugates with solid matrices. Beata also conducts research on peptides and peptidomimetics, which are useful in preventing the process of protein/polypeptide aggregation that causes amyloidosis. She gained her scientific experience at (among others ) ETZ Zurich (Switzerland) and the University of Florence (Italy). Beata cooperates with numerous research groups in the field of medicine, biology, material science and biomaterials, as well as with industrial partners from the pharmaceutical, medical devices and food processing industries. She has co-authored over 110 scientific publications and 18 patents.

Aleksandra is an experienced leader in the life sciences sector, with over 15 years of international experience in scientific informatics, business development, and strategic growth. She specializes in building partnerships across pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic institutions. She holds an applied doctorate in Biochemistry from INSA Lyon (France). Her previous roles include leadership positions at The Lens, Collaborative Drug Discovery, and 20/15 Visioneers, where she successfully expanded market presence and implemented modern digital solutions to support R&D. At Ascentia, Aleksandra is responsible for shaping the company’s strategy, managing external partnerships, and identifying new scientific and commercial opportunities. Fluent in English, French, and Polish, she combines scientific expertise with business insight to foster innovation and drive client success worldwide.

Mariusz is a computational chemist combining chemoinformatics expertise with years of experience in catalysis and (metalo)organic synthesis. His research career includes the development of olefin metathesis catalysts and their application in the processing of fatty acid esters to, among other things, macrocyclic compounds with scent properties. Mariusz gained his experience in chemical computing at Molecure SA, where he actively supported medicinal chemistry teams in identifying and optimizing drug molecules by performing virtual screenings, studying ligand-receptor interactions and conducting SAR studies.