Our company is founded on a passion for pioneering advancements in vaccine development.
We develop innovative vaccines for a healthier world.
We want to transform healthcare by developing novel vaccines that are lifesaving and improving quality of life around the world.
We leverage our proprietary ExpreS2 protein expression system, employing insect cells to synthesize proteins essential for vaccine development. Our methodology involves prudent selection of pertinent antigens, engineering of the antigens for optimal expression in the ExpreS2 system, and rigorous implementation of quality control protocols.
Our strategy is geared towards accelerating the development of drug candidates with short timelines and cost-effective paths to value creation.
Our team has more than 100 years of experience relevant to drug development and is committed to developing innovative vaccines for the world’s worst infectious diseases and cancer, channeling their expertise and passion into pioneering advancements.
ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies boasts two distinguished scientific advisory boards: the Oncology Scientific Advisory Board and the Infectious Diseases Scientific Advisory Board.
These expert panels contribute invaluable insights, guiding the company’s research and development efforts in cancer and infectious disease vaccines, respectively. Their collective expertise enhances ExpreS2ion’s strategic decision-making and supports cutting-edge advancements in these critical fields.
Chief Executive Officer
Education: Mr. Frandsen holds a Master’s degree in Finance and Strategic Planning from Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.
Previous assignments/engagements: Mr. Frandsen has about 30 years of professional experience in management, finance, and business development positions in multinational companies, including more than 25 years life science experience at public listed companies including Lundbeck, ALK-Abelló, Coloplast, and private companies such as NsGene, CMC Biologics, and Amphidex. Bent U. Frandsen was a board member in AdaptVac ApS.
Other material ongoing positions: CEO of
ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies ApS.
Shares: 534,204
TO 6 Warrants: 400,000
TO 9 Warrants: 320,000
TO 10 Warrants: 196,812
TO 11 Warrants: 196,812
Chief Financial Officer
Education: Mr. Alexander holds an MBA from The
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania,
and a B.Sc. in Industrial Management, with a minor in
Biological Sciences, from Purdue University.
Previous assignments/engagements: Mr. Alexander
has over 20 years of professional experience in investment
markets, investor communications, corporate
strategy, and business development from American
and Danish banks. Over his career, he has served in
leadership, analytical and commercial functions at J.P.
Morgan Securities and J.P. Morgan Asset Management
in NY, the US, Danske Bank Asset Management
(formerly Danske Capital) in Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
and Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting) in
Chicago, IL, the US.
Shares: 48,060
TO 6 Warrants: 100,000
TO 9 Warrants: 180,000
TO 10 Warrants: 10,000
TO 11 Warrants: 10,000
Chief Scientific Officer
Education: Dr. Guirakhoo earned a PhD in Virology
from the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, and
an M.Sc. in Genetics from the International Institute
for Biophysics and Biochemistry at the University of
Tehran.
Previous assignments/engagements: With 30+ years
of experience in vaccine development, Dr. Guirakhoo
recently served as Senior Advisor Vaccine Research
and Development and CSO at Vaxxinity, Inc., Dallas,
Texas. Ranked no. 22 in The Most Influential People
in Vaccines in 2014, he co-invented the ChimeriVax™-
technology platform, the first recombinant viral
vector platform approved for any human vaccine.
Dr. Guirakhoo has extensive expertise in genetics,
gene expression technologies, and molecular
virology, contributing to the production of recombinant
proteins, human antibodies, and viral vectored
vaccines for preventing and treating infectious
diseases and cancers. He authored over 100 peer-reviewed
publications and holds numerous patents.
Shares: 0
TO 6 Warrants: 50,000
TO 9 Warrants: 180,000
Senior Vice President of Research
& Development and Technology
Education: Dr. Søgaard holds a PhD in Biochemistry
from University College London, UK, and a MSc in
Molecular Biology from Aarhus University, Denmark.
Previous assignments/engagements: Dr. Søgaard
has 20 years of scientific research and process
development experience, having served the last
11 years at ExpreS2ion in roles ranging from Senior
Scientist (Downstream) to Vice President, and prior
to that 12 years of academic research focused on
structural biology and molecular biophysics with an
emphasis on infectious disease applications. Max
heads internal R&D in order to extend ExpreS2ion’s
capabilities and know-how in applying ExpreS2
technology for customers and the company’s own
vaccine development.
Shares: 80,001
TO 6 Warrants: 100,000
TO 9 Warrants: 180,000
TO 10 Warrants: 5,412
TO 11 Warrants: 5,412
Chairman of the Board
Education: Dr. Jensen holds a Master of Science and
a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the
University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Previous assignments/engagements: Dr. Jensen
possesses extensive leadership experience in the
biopharmaceutical industry and has founded and
co-founded several biotech companies as a serial
entrepreneur. He has substantial scientific expertise,
particularly in immunology, cell biology, and the
development of cancer vaccines. Dr. Jensen is one
of the co-founders of the Company.
Other material ongoing positions: Founder and CEO
of Medic-Advice ApS and Martin Roland Holding
ApS. Co-founder, Chairman of the Board, and
CBO of Cell2Cure ApS, and Co-founder of Unikum
Therapeutics ApS. He also serves as Chairman of the
Board at ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies ApS.
Dr. Jensen has been an independent member of the board since the Company’s IPO in 2016.
Shares: Dr. Jensen owns 707,457 shares in ExpreS2ion Biotech Holding AB. Of these, he owns 570,441 shares through his holding company Martin Roland Holding ApS, 82,850 shares through his holding company Medic-Advice Holding ApS, and 54,436 shares privately.
TO 10 Warrants: 105,000
TO 11 Warrants: 105,000
Independent in relation to the company and major shareholders.
Board Member
Education: Dr. Garre holds a Doctor of Medicine from
Copenhagen University, Denmark.
Previous assignments/engagements: Dr. Garre
brings extensive leadership, change management,
and drug development experience from over 30
years in the life sciences industry, encompassing roles
in pharmaceutical and biotech companies such as
Symphogen A/S, Astra A/S, Novo Nordisk A/S, and
Genmab A/S. She also served as the Executive Head
of the Center of the Capital Region of Copenhagen.
Other material ongoing positions: Associate Partner
at Unique Human Capital A/S. She serves as Chair of
Bioneer A/S and a Board Member at Cervello A/S and
ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies ApS.
Dr. Karin Garre has been an independent member of the board since May 2021.
Shares: None
Warrants: None
Independent in relation to the company and major shareholders.
Board Member
Education: Mr. Knudsen holds a Master of Law from
the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and an MBA
from Imperial College, UK.
Previous assignments/engagements: Mr. Knudsen
has extensive experience in commercial operations,
including business development, marketing, and
finance. He has held various positions at ALK-Abelló
A/S, a listed mid-sized biotechnology company in
Denmark, where he notably led Corporate Business
Development. Furthermore, he has served as CCO
and CFO at the Danish pharmaceutical company
Egalet Ltd.
Other material ongoing positions: CEO of ViroGates
A/S (Nasdaq First North Growth Market CPH ”VIRO”),
an in-vitro diagnostic commercial company. He is a
Board Member at ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies ApS,
Ingeniørsystem A/S, and PV Fonden.
Mr. Knudsen has been an independent member of the board since 2017.
Shares: 114,740
TO 10 Warrants: 84,860
TO 11 Warrants: 84,860
Independent in relation to the company and major shareholders.
Board Member
Education: Ms. Sande holds a Master of Science
in Economics from the University of Copenhagen,
Denmark.
Previous assignments/engagements: Ms. Sande possesses
extensive leadership and top management experience
in high-tech B2B companies. She served as
Vice President of Cooper Surgical and Head of Grain
& Beverages Sales, Europe, at Novozymes.
Other material ongoing positions: Ms. Sande serves
as a Board Member at Agreena ApS, Monta ApS,
Biosyntia ApS, ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies ApS, and
Reduce ApS, and as a board observer at Cellugy
ApS and Chromologics ApS. Furthermore, Sara holds
the position of Investment Partner at the Export and
Investment Fund of Denmark.
Sara Sande has been an independent member of the board since May 2021.
Shares: 8,440
Warrants: 0
Independent in relation to the company and major shareholders.
MD, PhD, DMSci
Dr. Stanley Plotkin serves as a consultant to the vaccine industry and is an emeritus professor at both the Wistar Institute and University of Pennsylvania, USA. He has more than 50 years of vaccine development experience. He developed the rubella vaccine, which is now used worldwide, and has played a pivotal role in both the development and application of various other vaccines including polio, rabies, varicella, rotavirus and cytomegalovirus. He is the author of more than 800 research papers.
MD, DMSci
Professor Allan Randrup Thomsen is an expert in the immune defence against viral infections and the impact of the immune response on the course of viral infections. Has +40 year in the field and is a renowned advisor at many levels. He heads a research group in Experimental Virology at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences that studies how the immune system controls viral infections. Additionally, the researchers investigate how the individual maintains his/her ability to resist a re-infection.
MD, PhD, DMSci
Professor, paediatrician, expert in paediatric infectious disease, DMSc, PhD, MPG. Professor at University of Copenhagen, Department of Clinical Medicine. Consultant in pediatrics at Department of Children and Adolescents at Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark. 10 years of sponsor experience with phase 3 and 4 large randomized vaccine trials in children recruiting 11,000 Danish infants. Dr. Stensballe has (co-)authored 78 peer reviewed scientific papers.
MD
Mark R. Schleiss, MD, is a Professor of Pediatrics in the University of Minnesota Medical School. Received his MD degree from the Oregon Health and Sciences University. Residency at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, Oregon Health and Sciences University, and his Pediatric Infectious Diseases fellowship at Seattle Children’s Hospital/Medical Center. Fellowship in Molecular Medicine studying cytomegalovirus (CMV) molecular genetics at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. His work in basic, translational and clinical research related to CMV is described at cmv.umn.edu.
MD, PhD
Dr. Curigliano is an Associate Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Milano and the Head of the Division of Early Drug Development at the European Institute of Oncology, Italy (IRCCS). He is a clinician and researcher specialising in early drug development for patients with solid tumours with a special commitment to breast cancer. Dr. Curigliano is recognized among the leading experts in the world within the field of HER2 expressing breast cancer. He serves the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) as the Chair of the Guidelines Committee and is a Council Member. He was awarded the first European School of Oncology (ESO) Umberto Veronesi Award in Vienna in 2017, and the Fellowship of the European Academy of Cancer Sciences in Paris in 2017. Dr. Curigliano serves as editor on several scientific journals and has authored or co-authored more than 650 peer-reviewed scientific papers and several chapters in oncology textbooks.
MD, PhD
Dr. Cortes is a Doctor in Medical Oncology, and Head of the International Breast Cancer Centre (IBCC) in Barcelona. Since 2006, he has held leading positions within breast cancer research with leading institutions and universities. He is an active member of the Spanish, European, and American Societies of Medical Oncology (SEOM, ESMO, ASCO), and is a member of expert panels that develop the treatment guidelines for metastatic breast cancer. He is the author of more than 380 publications, primarily focused on breast tumours and new drugs, and more than 800 communications at different conferences. He actively participates in the development of numerous international clinical trials.
MD, PhD
Dr. Lassen is a Professor at University of Copenhagen, Department of Clinical Medicine. In 2017, he was appointed Head of the Department of Oncology at Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark. As a Clinical Oncologist he has been working with Phase 1 Oncology trials since 2005 and is ESMO board certified in Medical Oncology. As Professor in Clinical Oncology he has a special focus on personalized medicine. Established the Phase 1 Unit at Rigshospitalet in 2005, and established Copenhagen Prospective Personalized Oncology program (CoPPO) in 2013. Dr. Lassen is member of, and has held leading positions in Danish Association of Cancer Research and Danish Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Lassen has (co-)authored 297 peer reviewed publications.
MD, DMSci
Dr. Andersson is a Clinical Oncologist working as consultant at the Breast Oncology Unit in the Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Denmark since 1998. He has special interest in HER2-positive breast cancer and has published on and been Principal Investigator in several national and international studies of HER2-positive early and metastatic breast cancer. Dr. Andersson has authored or co-authored 143 peer reviewed publications.
MD
Dr. Bartsch is an Associate Professor of medicine at the Medical University of Vienna in Austria and serves as the director of the Breast Cancer Programme at the Department of Oncology. Prior to joining the Medical University of Vienna, he was Head of the Breast Centre at the Elisabethinen Hospital in Linz, Austria, and was temporarily based at the German Breast Group in Neu Isenburg, Germany. Dr. Bartsch has a longstanding clinical and scientific focus on breast cancer and brain metastases. Together with his colleagues, he has published over 150 articles in peer-reviewed journals, among them Nature Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Annals of Oncology and Clinical Cancer Research.
MD, FACC, FESC, FIC-O
Dr. Lenihan has been active in cardio-oncology, for over 25 years. He has previously held positions at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and Washington University in St Louis, Missouri. Dr. Lenihan is the Founder and Immediate Past President of the International Cardio-Oncology Society (IC-OS), a professional association whose primary goal is to eliminate cardiac disease as a barrier to effective cancer therapy. His current research projects include early phase clinical trials in cardio-oncology, heart failure and amyloidosis. Dr. Lenihan serves as editor on several scientific journals and has authored or co-authored 216 peer-reviewed scientific papers and authored several books and book chapters on cardio-oncology.