WHY ARE YOU A MEDICINAL CHEMIST?
I truly love chemistry. I enjoy creating compounds that no one has designed before. It is amazing, how with a small set of atoms and a limited set of chemistry rules, I have infinite possibilities to create new structures that interact with biological systems. Just like a painter who can impress on canvas, an endless number of ideas and emotions with a few colors.
As a medicinal chemist, I design molecules that can affect our world and can make a difference for patients.
CAN YOU SHARE MORE ABOUT YOUR ROLE AT ENDOGENA?
I coordinate the medicinal chemistry efforts of Endogena in several projects. The multi-functional teams work to design small molecules and move them towards clinical trials. As it is essential to integrate internal and external resources working in a biotech, I scout and coordinate the efforts and knowledge of CROs, scientific groups in universities, and other external partners which is key for the success of our projects.
HOW HAS YOUR ROLE CHANGED DURING YOUR CAREER?
At the beginning of my career, I was working at the bench, designing and handcrafting new compounds. In the last years, I have managerial roles. My job now is to set the right priorities to keep different projects within the budget while achieving ambitious milestones.
As the Head of Medicinal Chemistry, my job is to ensure an optimal communication with various stakeholders in the projects and overall in the company. Last but not least, as a team leader, I am responsible for guiding and motivating the less experienced team members to grow as drug hunters.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE DIFFERENCES WORKING IN A BIG PHARMA VERSUS A SMALL BIOTECH?
I worked in both biotech and big pharma and I value both experiences. In a big company, people might tend to reach a higher degree of specialization around their core discipline. In a biotech, it is very important to have a holistic view of the projects and of the entire company.
In big pharma, you have structures and procedures in place that helps you advance your project, while in a biotech you would have to be more creative and entrepreneurial to access the same resources. However, in a biotech there are greater opportunities to push innovation even further, to work with novel technologies, to move faster in uncharted territory having closer connection to the key stakeholders, investors, healthcare specialists and patients.
Trust, transparency and communication in the team are essential in the biotech world because you are always immediately accountable for the decisions you take.
WHAT ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?
I had the opportunity to work with many talented colleagues during my career and achieved excellent results while enjoying my work.
In the companies I worked we have been very successful and had several compounds were nominated as clinical candidates, all these moments were celebrated with whole team! But if I have to pick, I will say that the most significant was the discovery of PDE1 inhibitors while establishing the Lundbeck fragment-based drug discovery strategy. However, the most recent achievement is always the sweetest and very soon I will be able to disclose the success stories of Endogena.
YOU HAVE BEEN A PART OF MORE THAN 30 PUBLICATIONS AND ALMOST 30 PATENTS. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS OUTSTANDING SUCCESS?
The teamwork with excellent scientists during my industrial career and the fantastic group in Aarhus under the supervision of K.A. Jørgensen. My personal contribution is the dedication that I bring to my work and daring to try new ideas.
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON FAILURE AND HOW DO YOU OVERCOME THEM?
Drug discovery is full of uncertainties and unknowns. Therefore, it is important to maximize the chances of success by planning parallel activities and alternative strategies. The projects can be successful even if not all the ideas will be right and not all the experiments will work as expected.
In my opinion, you should not look at those as failures, but as part of the process.
WHAT SKILLS ARE IMPORTANT TO HAVE TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MEDICINAL CHEMIST?
You have to be dedicated, precise and analytical. However, at the same time, a good medicinal chemist needs to be able to make decisions even when limited data is available, filling the holes by recognizing patterns, leveraging your knowledge and experience.
But the most important skill of all is the ability to work and enjoy working in a team. Drug discovery is a complex and multidisciplinary effort, and no individual can be successful on their own. Trust your team mates, respect their knowledge, help them and accept their help.
WHAT ROLE DOES THE EMERGENCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE HAVE WHEN IT COMES TO MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY?
As a scientist, you always have to be open to innovations, to be constantly at the forefront of research, new technologies, new ideas and new tools. Artificial Intelligence already has a big impact on many aspects of our lives, and it will be the same for drug discovery. The use of AI has always been part of Endogena’s strategy.
DO YOU ENCOUNTER STRESSFUL SITUATIONS AT WORK?
I love my work so I do not find it stressful.
There are always deadlines to meet, budgets to set and respect, some experiments that fail, but you have to enjoy the challenges. And when you have a day in which your energy is a bit low, go for a run or for a nice dinner with your friends and family… you will be in great shape for the next day!
ANY ADVICE YOU HAVE FOR CHEMISTS STARTING OUT IN THEIR CAREER?
Although you should be an expert in your own field, it is essential to try to be involved in all aspects of drug discovery. Enjoy and benefit from teamwork and the inter-disciplinary environment. Learn from anything and everybody.