Intro

We are excited to present an opportunity to learn about the groundbreaking research and innovations of three exceptional individuals. Professor Jan Terje Andersen (Oslo University), Professor Irina Borodina (Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, DTU) and Professor Filipe Peirera (Lund University) have each received the prestigious Distinguished Innovator Grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, which allows innovative researchers in Life Science to explore the commercial potential of a discovery while remaining embedded in academia.

During this lecture, attendees will have the opportunity to hear firsthand from the grant recipients about their experiences in innovation, their journey towards receiving the grant, and how the grant has allowed them to bring their ideas to life. The lecture will also highlight the challenges and opportunities in Life Science innovation and entrepreneurship, and how the Distinguished Innovator Grant is contributing to driving change in the field.

Speakers

Jan Terje Andersen, Oslo University Hospital

Received a grant in 2022 for exploring novel and innovative ways to design antibodies to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Jan Terje Andersen’s research will leverage his extensive knowledge on designing antibodies to develop new types that can effectively kill these bacteria. The same type of approach can also be used to develop antibodies that combat cancer. Jan Terje Andersen will use advanced biotechnology, cell experiments and studies of mice with the aim of transforming groundbreaking research into tailored new antibodies.

Irina Borodina, Professor, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, DTU

Received the Distinguished Innovation Grant in 2021 for a journey from basic research over spinout to sale of her company for DKK 1.4 billion.

Filipe Pereira, Professor, Division of Molecular Medicine and Gene
Therapy, Lund University, Sweden,

Received the Distinguished Innovation grant in 2023 to develop immunotherapy to be able to cure not just cancer but many more diseases. The purpose of the grant is to further develop a platform to screen single cells to thereby improve understanding of how various immune cells are activated.