AC BioScience is a start-up biotech company with an innovative vision and business model. We are dedicated to developing groundbreaking new therapies to fight a range of cancers with a clinical focus on Colorectal Cancer and metastatic Pancreatic Cancer. One of our three lead investigational drugs in oncology will enter phase 2a clinical trial in 2024.
Founded by Andreas Schläpfer and Professor Christian Auclair, the company is leading a paradigm shift in cancer therapeutics. AC BioScience is headquartered at the life sciences campus Biopôle near Lausanne, and celebrated its sixth year of existence in March 2023.
Our primary focus is on developing personalized therapies for tumoral pathologies. We have obtained patent protection for one ground-breaking cancer therapy and have filed patents for two others.
The company has a subsidiary company – AC BioTech SAS (www.ac-biotech.com) – whose offices are located in the Villejuif Bio Park near Paris, in proximity to the main French cancer research institutions. AC BioTech serves as an oncology competency and research centre. A license and revenue sharing agreement has been concluded to carry out the clinical trials for Pancreatic Cancer in Paris.
The Management consists of an experienced and well-balanced team with complementary skill-sets.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is Andreas Schläpfer, a Swiss national, who has extensive experience in business strategy and global management. He holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from St. Gallen University, and has acted as an advisor to the International Trade Centre (UNCTAD/GATT). He spent more than three decades as a senior executive at the Nestlé Group (CEO in France, Russia, Thailand/Indochina) and as Global Business Head/Senior Vice President in charge of Nestlé's Infant Nutrition business.
The Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder is Professor Christian Auclair, an eminent expert in pharmacology, molecular oncology and innate immunity. He is an Emeritus University Professor (exceptional class) and Doctor in Science (PharmD, PhD). Professor Auclair is a former Deputy Director at CNRS in the Department of Life Sciences and was subsequently Head of the Department of Biochemistry Bioengineering at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan . He co-founded the Graduate School of Oncology at the Institut Gustave Roussy and founded the Master's programme in Cancer Research. He has published more than 130 articles in the field of antitumor and antiviral pharmacology. Professor Auclair is a French national residing near Paris.
Our Head, Immunological and Infectious Diseases, is Dr. Annette Ives. She has a Ph.D in Immunology and Infections from the University of Lausanne, and in her previous capacity was a Research Scientist and Project Manager with the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and the WHO, respectively. Her areas of expertise are within infectious diseases, immunology and vaccines, and public health. She has published over 15 peer-reviewed articles. Dr Ives has both Australian and Swiss nationality.
Dr. Manale Karam is our Senior Scientific Officer, Oncology. She obtained a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular oncology from the University of Paris Sud/ENS Paris Saclay followed by an extensive research training at Harvard Medical School in cancer biology and therapeutics. She has over ten years of experience in cancer research and mentoring in France (LBPA, CNRS, ENS Paris Saclay) and Qatar (QBRI, HBKU and Qatar University). Dr. Karam has both Lebanese and French nationality.
Christine Evans joined us as our Head of Legal and Compliance. She is a former General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for multinational corporate and private investment mandates. She holds master’s in Economics and Juris Doctorate, Graduate School of International Studies and College of Law, University of Denver.
Jean-François Dufour-Lamartinie is our Chief Medical Officer, M.D., Oncology and Cancer Biology. Previously CMO at Hybrigenics and Head of clinical development at Bioalliance Pharma.
Denis Gicquel, Pharm D, is a highly experienced CMC expert with a long history of leadership in this field at AB Science.
In addition to the Co-founders Andreas Schläpfer and Pr. Christian Auclair, Dr. Peter Hug joined the Board of directors as a non-executive Director. A former Executive Vice President of Roche Pharma Partnering, he brings to the Board a wealth of experience in pharma licensing and business development.
The following world-renowned scientists and clinicians provide AC BioScience with an external scientific perspective and review of its R&D and clinical activities.
Patrick Couvreur
In France, Patrick Couvreur is a member of the Academy of Sciences and a Professor at the Paris-Sud University / CNRS. He is a pharmacist, specializing in medical nanotechnologies. Professor Couvreur is internationally recognized for his work in the field of vectorization of drugs for the treatment of cancer. He has been awarded numerous distinctions (Galen Award, 2009; Medal of Innovation CNRS, 2012; European Inventor Award, 2013; Host Madsen Medal, 2007), and he is the author of numerous scientific publications.
Jean-Pierre Kinet M.D.
Jean-Pierre Kinet is a former Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School. He also works as a Director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Professor Kinet is one of the most prominent immunology experts worldwide, most famous for discovering some of the genes and proteins that constitute the immunoglobulin E receptor.
Olivier Hermine
Olivier Hermine is Professor of Hematology at Paris Descartes University, and Head of the Hematology Department at the Necker Children’s Hospital, also in Paris. He is a leading expert in benign and malignant haematological diseases related to immune deficiency or abnormal proliferation of white blood cells. Professor Hermine is the author and co-author of over 365 publications in leading international scientific journals.
Marco Ciufolini
Marco Ciufolini is a former Professor and Head of Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. The research in his group is focused on the total synthesis of nitrogenous natural products possessing interesting structures and demonstrating useful biological activities.
Jean Baptiste Bachet, PhD
Professor and Head of the digestive oncology unit in the Hepato-Gastroenterology department at Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière – Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Sorbonne Universités.