Dr. Hitto Kaufmann appointed Chief Scientific Officer of Hansa Biopharma
Lund, Sweden, 1 September 2023. Hansa Biopharma, “Hansa” (Nasdaq Stockholm: HNSA), a pioneer in enzyme technology for rare immunological conditions, announced today that Dr. Hitto Kaufmann has been appointed as Hansa’s Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) effective 1 December 2023.
As CSO, Dr. Kaufmann will be responsible for all research, early development, translational and manufacturing activities. He will report to President & Chief Executive Officer Søren Tulstrup and serve as a member of Hansa’s Executive Committee.
Dr. Kaufmann joins Hansa from Pieris Pharmaceuticals where he has served as Chief Scientific Officer since 2019. He led the company’s R&D platform developing innovative next generation protein therapeutics leading to regulatory submissions across several indications. He played an integral role in transforming the company’s operational excellence including accelerated development paths, machine-learning driven R&D and reliable high-performance manufacturing as well as delivery.
Søren Tulstrup, President and CEO, Hansa Biopharma said, “We are thrilled to welcome Hitto to Hansa at this pivotal time. With over 20 years’ experience in research, development, and advancement of science, he is poised to lead the development of our scientific platform and advancement of our pipeline of exciting drug candidates for rare immunologic diseases and conditions. Hitto has a proven track record of developing innovative medicines, advancing strategic R&D partnerships, and building next generation therapeutic platforms. He has previously demonstrated an ability to build and lead high-performing teams in both large pharma and small biotech organizations.”
Hitto Kaufmann said: “I am thrilled to build on the great work that has positioned Hansa as one of the most promising mid-stage biotech companies. Hansa has cutting-edge science – specifically its unique versatile IgG antibody cleaving enzyme platform – that will help deliver better patient outcomes in areas of high unmet need. I look forward to joining a team of diverse, talented people and to working across the company to develop and deliver lifesaving and life-altering medicines.”
Biography
Dr. Hitto Kaufmann has served as Chief Scientific Officer at Pieris Pharmaceuticals since 2019. He is a biopharma leader with over 20 years of experience in research, development, and manufacturing. His track record includes the development of approximately 100 biological therapeutic entities and many projects advanced by him actively steering strategic partnerships. At Pieris, he was responsible for leading research, technical development, data sciences as well as drug supply while overseeing early-stage projects and alliance management. Additionally, Dr. Kaufmann played an integral role in transforming the company’s approach to development and advancement of new drug candidates. He currently serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica (iBET), a private, non-profit organization in Portugal specializing in biology research and drug discovery/bioprocess development services.
Prior to joining Pieris, Dr. Kaufmann spent five years at Sanofi, where he held several executive positions in Industrial Affairs and R&D. During this time, he led efforts to build a strong cross-divisional end-to-end technology platform for Sanofi Biologics that included several strategic deals. He also led the Global Biopharmaceutics Development, managing over 700 employees across three sites tasked with drug substance and drug product technical development, analytics, clinical supply and release. Before his tenure at Sanofi, Dr. Kaufmann spent more than a decade at Boehringer Ingelheim, and prior to his departure was the Vice President of Process Sciences in the Biopharmaceuticals division. He began his career as a Research Scientist at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne.
Dr. Kaufmann received his Ph.D. in Natural Science, focusing on cell culture technology, at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. He earned his Master of Science degree in biotechnology from the Technical University of Braunschweig and the Scripps Research Institute.
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