Driving Innovation.
Delivering Impact.
We aim to revolutionize cancer care by transforming how life-saving drugs reach their targets.
Our leadership team has a proven track record for translating science into impact
Team
Team

Annbjørg Falck
Chief Executive Officer
and Co-founder
Annbjørg Falck
CEO & Co-Founder
Key Focus:
- Visionary leader in drug development, specializing in regulatory strategy and commercialization, with a passion for advancing novel therapies to patients.
Education:
- PharmD, University of Oslo/University of Southern California.
- MBA, Open University, UK.
Highlights:
- Leadership roles in drug development since 2010, focusing on regulatory strategy from preclinical to clinical phases.
- Co-founded NaDeNo after serving as Entrepreneur in Residence for SINTEF TTO & Venture, driving the commercialization of SINTEF’s nanomedicine technology.
- Broad experience across pharmaceutical and biotech sectors, including:
- Large companies: GE Healthcare, Pfizer Norway.
- Pharmacy management: Boots Limited.
- Biotech startups: Pronova Biopharma, Targovax, Zelluna Immunotherapy.
- Proven track record of executing regulatory strategies and navigating the complex journey of bringing innovative drugs to patients.
Passionate about:
- Transforming research breakthroughs into patient-ready therapies through streamlined development and commercialization pathways.

Yrr Mørch
Chief Technology Officer
and Co-founder
Yrr Mørch
Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder
Key Focus:
- Nanomedicine specialist and co-inventor of NaDeNo’s nanoparticle technology.
Education:
- PhD in Biopolymer Chemistry, NTNU
- Post doc at Dept of Physics, Division of Biophysics and Medical Technology
- MSc in Chemical Engineering (Biotechnology), NTNU
Highlights:
- Lead scientist for NaDeNo’s nanoformulation platform.
- Rewarded with Tekna’s top PhD thesis, 2008
- Led SINTEF’s Nanomedicine strategic area; project leader for >10 international R&D projects.
- Author of 40+ peer-reviewed publications and inventor of 8 patents.
- Invited speaker at global conferences and featured in Norwegian media.
Media Contributions:
- Podcast guest, national TV, and radio interviews on nanomedicine.

Torgeir Vaage
Chief Financial Officer
Torgeir Vaage
CFO
Key Focus:
- Seasoned financial strategist with extensive experience in biotech and the financing sector, specializing in early-stage life science companies.
Education:
- MSc in Economics and Business Administration, Norges Handelshøyskole (Norwegian School of Economics).
- PhD in Business Administration, UC Berkeley.
Highlights:
- Over 20 years of combined experience in finance and biotech, holding multiple CFO and CEO roles in early-stage life science companies.
- Former senior equity analyst at ABG Sundal Collier/Handelsbanken, providing deep expertise in equity markets and financial strategy.
- Management consultant at AT Kearney, advising clients on high-impact business strategies and operational improvements.
- Proven track record in securing funding, navigating complex financial landscapes, and driving strategic growth for biotech startups.
- Recognized for his ability to align financial strategy with scientific innovation, enabling sustainable growth and successful execution of business plans.
Passionate About:
- Bridging the gap between science and business, ensuring innovative life science ventures are well-capitalized to achieve their goals.

Sofie Snipstad
Senior Scientist
Sofie Snipstad
Senior Scientist
Key Focus:
- Accomplished researcher and science communicator specializing in nanoparticle-based drug delivery and biophysics.
Education:
- MSc in (Bio)nanotechnology, NTNU (2013).
- PhD in Biophysics, NTNU (2017)
Highlights:
- Awarded Best Ph.D Thesis of the Year, NV Faculty
- Extensive experience in nanoparticle-based drug delivery, leading multiple research projects at NTNU and SINTEF since 2013.
- Author of 28+ peer-reviewed scientific articles and 64+ abstracts presented at international conferences.
- Editorial board member of the Journal of Controlled Release, reflecting her leadership in the field.
Awards & Recognitions:
- Winner of the Research Grand Prix (2016).
- Communicator of the Year (2021, NV Faculty, NTNU).
- Recipient of The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters’ Award for Young Researchers (2024).
Science Communication:
- Featured in 70+ popular science interviews, talks, and articles across TV, radio, blogs, and newspapers.
- Alumni of The Young Academy of Norway and SIKT (by invitation from the Norwegian Crown Prince).
Passionate About:
- Bridging the gap between advanced science and public understanding through innovative communication.

Glen Clack
Contract CMO
Dr. Glen Clack, MB BS MD FFPM
Contract CMO
Key Focus:
- Expert in translational medicine and early-stage oncology drug development, with extensive experience in advancing novel therapies from discovery to clinical proof of concept.
Education:
- MB BS & MD, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London.
- Elected Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (FFPM) (2012).
Career Highlights:
- Over 25 years of experience in oncology drug development, spanning small molecules, biologics, cytotoxic chemotherapy, oligonucleotides, and therapeutic vaccines.
- Led early-stage clinical development at AstraZeneca, delivering two NDAs and one sNDA in endocrine oncology.
- Extensive expertise in translational medicine, overseeing lead optimization to clinical proof of concept for solid and hematological malignancies.
- Industry representative for Cancer Research UK’s Radiation Combinations Alliance and several regulatory & academic think tanks.
Academic & Advisory Roles:
- Honorary Professor of Translational Medicine, University of Sheffield, with a research focus on aging and healthspan.
- Tutor & lecturer at Manchester University’s School of Pharmacy.
- Consultant to biotech, medical charities, and small pharma, supporting early clinical translation of innovative cancer therapies.
Passionate About:
- Leveraging biomarker-driven drug development to accelerate the transition from preclinical research to clinical proof of concept.

Gudrun Trøite
Head of Operations
Gudrun Trøite
Head of Operations
Key Focus:
- Expert in clinical operations, regulatory affairs, and quality assurance with 20+ years of experience in drug development.
Education:
- PhD in Medical Physics, University of Oslo.
- M.Sc. Physics
Highlights:
- Successfully led multi-national clinical studies across all phases of development, including pivotal trials resulting in regulatory approvals.
- Extensive expertise in clinical operations, regulatory strategy, and quality assurance in biotech companies.
- Former management team member responsible for shaping and executing corporate strategy.
- Known for her ability to streamline project design and execution, ensuring successful outcomes and reliable data for drug development.
Passionate About:
- Optimizing large-scale project management to enhance efficiency and support innovative drug development.

Anton Mat
Business Development
Anton Mat
Business Development
Anton Mat is a skilled business development professional. His 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience spans business development and commercial roles in big pharma, biotech and CDMO companies. His passion is to help make innovative and effective treatment options reach patients by building the business case and securing partnerships and funding.
Combined with his background in biochemistry, he is excellently equipped to advise, guide and support management in their business development strategy and execution. Previous affiliations include Abbvie (Abbott), GSK (GlaxoWellcome), Teva, OctoPlus, Dr. Reddy’s, Batavia Biosciences, ISA Pharmaceuticals.
Board of Directors
Board of Directors

Ole J. Dahlberg
Chair of the Board
Ole J. Dahlberg
Chair of the Board
Ole J. Dahlberg brings 25 years of experience from the life science industry. In addition to co-founded three start-up companies, Dahlberg worked both on the commercial side, and in R&D leadership roles, for German Biotech company Qiagen. Over the past 15 years Dahlberg has been in executive leadership roles in Life Technologies, as Managing Director for Norway based Dynal Biotech, and later for Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Until 2021 Dahlberg was based in California, USA, working as Vice President & General Manager with responsibility for Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Cell Biology Division. Dahlberg holds a few biotech company board positions, and currently works as CEO for Curida. Mr. Dahlberg holds a Master of Science in Genetics and Marine Biology from University of Oslo.

Cristianne Rijcken
Board Member
Cristianne Rijcken
Board Member
Cristianne is a serial life science entrepreneur, as apparent from 16+ years strategic and hands-on experience in various biotech companies. With a relentless and creative mindset, Cristianne spearheads startup’s entrepreneurial journeys with primary focus on viable business cases. Hereto, she seamlessly manages the diverse elements from pure R&D to corporate funding, investor relationship, talent acquisition and team growth, intellectual property strategy, business development, strategic assessments and boardroom alignment. She transforms scientific discoveries into commercially successful applications and drives a highly efficient development of innovative drug products to patient evaluation across diverse disease areas. Her core expertise is in nanomedicines in (immune-)oncology; and nowadays also experience with other advanced products in other therapeutic sectors.
As CEO of Liberates, she tackles complex challenges at life science startups with demonstrated ability to articulate long term strategy and focus, propose organizational change, and deliver operational excellence. Cristianne is founder of Cristal Therapeutics, and serves as Chief Scientific Officer of the company. She is inventor of 8 patents, (co-) author of ~ 50 scientific publications, received numerous awards and is invited speaker at various biopharmaceutical conferences.
Cristianne is passionate about the human body and how pharmaceutical compounds can modify (the majority of) its functions, hence beneficially shifting into better health and longevity. She is pharmacist by training, holds a PhD degree in Pharmaceutics from Utrecht University and resides in Maastricht (both The Netherlands)

Eli Grong Aursand
Board Member
Eli Grong Aursand
Board Member
Eli G. Aursand holds a master’s degree in product development and materials from the The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). She has extensive experience in developing and scaling deep-tech companies from NTNU and SINTEF. Currently, she works as an investment director in SINTEF TTO & Venture with the main purpose of building tech start-ups based on SINTEF technology.

Jonas Hallén
Board Member
Jonas Hallén
Board Member
Jonas Hallén is the Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of Calluna Pharma, a Forbion-backed company that develops monoclonal antibodies targeting innate immune amplifiers for the treatment of chronic inflammatory and fibrotic diseases.
Before joining Calluna, Jonas spent a decade in the pharmaceutical industry in various positions such as Nordic Therapeutic Area Director at Boehringer Ingelheim, Clinical Program Leader at Pronova Biopharma and Region Europe Medical Director (Cardio-Metabolic) at Novartis. His experience spans preclinical, early and late-stage clinical development as well as medical affairs.
Jonas is an MD from the University of Copenhagen and holds a PhD in cardiovascular disease from the University of Oslo.
Jonas is excited about the development of technology and drugs that can address unmet medical needs and improve the lives of patients.

Jan Håbrekke
Board Member
Jan Håbrekke
Board Member
Håbrekke is a highly experienced technology company investor and board member of numerous boards. He holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering and Microelectronics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim. Håbrekke has previously been CEO and co-founder of the oil service company Interwell AS, and is currently CEO of Investitude AS, a private wealth management advisory firm.
Scientific partners and advisors
Scientific partners and advisors

Kjersti Flatmark
Clinical research and advisor
Kjersti Flatmark
Clinical research and advisor
Prof. Dr. Kjersti Flatmark (MD, PhD) is a clinician-scientist at Oslo University Hospital/Norwegian Radium Hospital, combining clinical work with building translational research projects focusing on treatment of peritoneal surface malignancies, locally advanced, recurrent and metastatic colorectal cancer. These cancers are the main clinical responsibilities of Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Norwegian Radium Hospital.
She is the first clinician to hold a group leader position at Institute for Cancer Research. She has developed broadly collaborative translational and clinical projects spanning a range of medical subjects from evaluation of novel drugs in preclinical models to observational and interventional clinical trials. She has also developed robust national and international collaborations through regional (ACREDIT) and European (Cure4PMP) research networks.
The group of Dr. Flatmark has been highly involved in the development of NaDeNo’s lead candidate.

Wim P. Ceelen
Clinical Advisor
Wim P. Ceelen
Clinical Advisor
Prof. Dr. Wim P. Ceelen (MD, PhD) is a surgical oncologist and associate Professor at Ghent University Hospital in Belgium. His interest is within advanced or recurrent GI cancer, soft tissue retroperitoneal cancers, ovarian cancer, and peritoneal metastasis. He leads the experimental surgery lab at Ghent University Hospital in Belgium, and performs clinical, translational, and basic research in the fields of intraperitoneal drug delivery, novel treatments of peritoneal metastasis, biophysical properties of cancer tissue, and lymphatic metastasis in colon cancer.

Ron Mathijssen
Clinical Advisor
Ron Mathijssen
Clinical Advisor
Prof. Ron H.J. Mathijssen, MD, PhD, studied medicine at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands for which he received his MD degree in 2000. Two years later he defended his thesis (cum laude) entitled: ‘Irinotecan: from Clinical Pharmacokinetics to Pharmacogenetics’. Subsequently, he became Internist, Medical Oncologist, and Clinical Pharmacologist.
Since 2013, he is a full professor in Individualized Oncological Pharmacotherapy at the Department of Medical Oncology of the Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, part of the Erasmus University, heading the division of Translational Pharmacology. His main research is focused on ‘tailored therapy’ of systemic anti-cancer agents. He is closely collaborating with many national and international groups, supervises multiple PhD students, and published over 400 peer reviewed papers and book chapters. Finally, he is the chair of the Dutch Pharmacology Oncology Group; a national collaboration to individualize the dose of anti-cancer drugs (www.dpog.nl).

John Paul Y.C. Shen
Clinical Advisor
John Paul Y.C. Shen
Clinical Advisor
Prof. Dr. John Paul Y.C. Shen (MD) is a physician-scientist with a scientific background in chemical biology, network biology and functional genomics and clinical training in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Oncology. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center with a clinical practice focused on colon and appendix cancers. His long-term research goal is to better understand the cancer genome, and to leverage that understanding to better the delivery of chemotherapy.
Active research projects include generating novel preclinical models of appendiceal cancer, investigation of intratumor heterogeneity with single cell transcriptomics, and the automated extraction of clinical outcomes data from the Electronic Health Record to facilitate the development of molecular biomarkers.

Andreas Åslund
Nanoformulation development and synthesis
Andreas Åslund
Nanoformulation development and synthesis
Dr. Andreas Åslund is a Research scientist at SINTEF and has a background in organic chemistry with a PhD from Linköping University, Sweden. For the last decade he has worked exclusively on the development of targeted delivery and (nano)formulation of drugs. These activities include the establishment of ultrasound mediated blood-brain barrier opening in Norway and mechanistic studies on ultrasound mediated delivery of drugs and nanoformulations to the brain and other target tissue.
Within formulation he has been part of the team that developed the lead formulation for NaDeNo and in addition he has extensive experience from other polymer nanoformulation technologies. He is at the bord of the European Technology Platform for Nanomedicine and Chair for the working group Nanotherapeutics and Targeted Delivery. At SINTEF he is the project leader for all activities related to NaDeNo.

Geir Klinkenberg
In vitro characterization
Geir Klinkenberg
In vitro characterization
Dr. Geir Klinkenberg is a Research manager at SINTEF with more than 15 years of experience in drug discovery, high throughput screening, in vitro cell-based assays and bioprocess development. Klinkenberg has also more than 15 years’ experience in management of large research projects for national and international biotech and pharma industry and is currently managing a project portfolio of more than 50 MNOK in SINTEF. Furthermore, Klinkenberg coordinated the work of in vitro cell viability and cytotoxicity in EU Nanomedicine Characterization Laboratory (EUNCL) as Assay Group Leader.

Jérémie Parot
Physical/chemical characterization
Jérémie Parot
Physical/chemical characterization
Dr. Jérémie Parot, Research scientist at SINTEF, has a PhD in analytical chemistry and has extensive experience in the physico-chemical characterization of nanoparticles with wide expertise in drug delivery systems. Specialist in field flow fractionation (AF4) instrument and currently working on RNA-LNP design, production and quality control, Jérémie has also expertise in the standardization of methods from the lab to the standardization bodies.

Mark Tracy
CMC
Mark Tracy
CMC
Mark Tracy is Founder and President, Tracy BioConsulting, LLC. Dr. Tracy is known internationally for developing innovative first-in class complex injectables and nucleic acid therapeutics and vaccines. Dr. Tracy played a key role in developing Onpattro®, the first RNAi therapeutic approved by the FDA, EMA and other regulatory agencies worldwide. He has also played an important role in the development of lipid nanoparticle technology used in mRNA COVID-19 vaccines granted regulatory approval worldwide.
Previously, he developed several complex injectable sustained release products that have been commercialized including Vivitrol®, Bydureon®, and Nutropin® Depot, which was the first long-acting protein product approved by the FDA. Dr. Tracy has extensive experience in the development of nano and microparticle-based products and other sterile injectable formulations from research through IND filing and commercialization.
He has been recognized by peers internationally for accomplishments and leadership in the pharmaceutical product development, bioengineering, and delivery fields. Dr. Tracy is a Past-President and Fellow of the Controlled Release Society (CRS) and a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).

Ruth Schmid
Strategic and scientific advice
Ruth Schmid
Strategic and scientific advice
Ruth Schmid has more than 40 years’ experience in the field of preparation and characterization of micro- and nanoparticles by various technologies and from a wide variety of materials, as well as the surface modification of polymers and polymer particles to introduce tailor-made properties. A special focus has been on the encapsulation and immobilisation of liquids and solids from emulsions, for protection and controlled release.
The last 10+ years, she has shown a special interest is the emerging field of nanomedicine, targeted drug delivery and release, nanotechnology-based diagnostics, regenerative medicine, as well as preclinical characterization. Ruth introduced nanomedicine as a new business area at SINTEF and is the main inventor or co-inventor of several patents that are the basis for NaDeNo’s technology.
Ruth has a special focus on applied research and product-oriented solutions. She has long-term experience in translation from laboratory to pilot scale, e.g. through the development of the Dynabeads and SINTEFs various drug delivery platforms.
Ruth is a Swiss citizen living in Norway since 1979. She gained her Diploma (1975) and PhD (1979) in Natural Sciences (physical organic chemistry) at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. She is a member of ACS, CRS (member of the board of directors (2009-2018), President (2016-2017), the European Technology Platform in Nanomedicine (Chair 2019-2021) and the EARTO working group “Emerging Technologies for Healthcare”. She is author/co-author of 59 scientific publications and 18 patents and patent applications. Total number of peer reviewed publications: 77; citations 2543; h-index. 23 (Google Scholar, December 2022).

Bob Crutchfield
Business advisor
Bob Crutchfield
Business advisor
Robert (Bob) is a senior executive with over 30 years of leadership experience in healthcare services, healthcare IT, and surgical devices with major international companies, as well as entrepreneurial startups and venture capital. He is well-recognized for creating value, with experience in mergers and acquisitions, public corporations, venture capital firms, and startups. Today, Bob is leveraging his healthcare industry and venture capital experience as the Managing Director of Hotspot Ventures, LLC. Hotspot Ventures only works with private capital backed healthcare companies as a strategic advisor, independent board member or executive chairman. He is the executive chairman of the board for Synaptrix, a medical device company focused on post- surgical pain management using neuromodulation to allow hip and shoulder surgery patients to be pain free for 17 to 21 days post-op, for OrbitalRx, a pharmacy shortage supply chain software company in Winston-Salem, NC, Pictor Labs, a digital pathology staining company in Los Angeles, CA. He is an independent member of the board of directors for AllerVie, an asthma and allergy practice rollup company in Dallas, TX, Private Health Management, a cancer-focused care management company in Los Angeles, CA, for Venostent, a medical device company focused on improving the quality and length of life for dialysis patients in Houston, TX, and Plueral Dynamics, a medical device company helping clinicians treat and manage chronic, recurrent fluid collections within the body in Wayzata, MN. He is also a strategic advisor and operating partner for Bronze Valley, a CDFI focused on investing in companies founded and/or led by diverse entrepreneurs in Birmingham, AL, as well as Good Growth Capital, an early-stage venture capital investment firm in Charleston, SC.
Prior to this work, he served as the founding managing director for the American Cancer Society’s BrightEdge Fund, where he built the back office, hired the initial team, led the first five investments, and realized an early exit in Castle Biosciences. Before BrightEdge, he was a partner at Harbert Growth Partners in Birmingham, AL. He led investments in WellCentive, IngagePatient, Caresync and Shipt. He also served as the board observer for nContact, MaxCyte, OpenQ and WiserTogether, among others. Bob also served as the senior vice president/general manager of the Pharmaceutical Services Division at US Oncology, a privately held, vertically integrated cancer care provider network with cancer clinics in more than 440 sites of service and a physician network consisting of over 1200 medical oncologists and radiation oncologists that was acquired by McKesson. Prior to US Oncology, he was a senior executive at CardinalHealth where he served as vice president/general manager of New Ventures. Prior to Cardinal he was the founder and CEO of Surgical Innovations & Services, Inc. (SIS).
Under his leadership, SIS became a leader in the emerging outsource management sector, with over 300 hospitals and surgery centers under contract before being acquired by PhotoMedex. Bob serves on the boards of Health Connect South, SC Launch and the Global Center for Medical Innovation.
He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Political Science and Chemistry. He resides in Charleston, SC.

Arthur Tipton
Business Strategy advisor
Arthur Tipton
Business Strategy advisor
Arthur Tipton, Ph.D., is an independent consultant who aids companies in developing the next generation of drug delivery products. He previously held leadership roles in three drug delivery start-ups and played a key role in each company’s path to a public offering or acquisition.
The first company, Atrix, developed the leading in situ gelling injectable, Atrigel, where Art is on several patents and led the development and manufacturing of the initial products. The technology continues in two companies, Tolmar and Indivior with several injectable products including Eligard for prostate cancer and Perseris for schizophrenia. Following at Durect, Art led all biodegradable injectable programs including initial clinical development of Posimir now marketed by Innocoll for treatment of pain following certain surgeries. For the most recent company, he was founder and chief executive officer of Brookwood Pharmaceuticals, now part of Evonik. Brookwood became a leading supplier of commercial biodegradable polymers as well as developing final product such as Scenessse, an implant that delivers melanotan to treat patients with disabling skin conditions such as erythropoietic protoporphyria.
Immediately before his consulting business, Art was CEO of a 400-person nonprofit R&D group with a range of both life sciences and non-life sciences areas. The life science work included drug discovery with about a million-compound library and specific focus on cancer and infectious disease.
In his consulting business, Art is advising a range of companies developing injectable products including formulation, manufacturing, LCM and IP.
Dr. Tipton holds 43 U.S. patents; his inventive efforts have led to several publications and multiple commercial products. He currently serves as a board member for five organizations and has previous experience on 12 additional boards. His resume also includes induction into the National Academy of Inventors, the College of Fellows for the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and the Controlled Release Society, where he served as president in 2015. Most recently, Dr. Tipton was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2021. He holds a Ph.D. in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts.

Mary Reilly
CMC, Clinical and Quality
Mary Reilly
CMC, Clinical and Quality
Mary holds a Master’s in Pharmaceutical Science, a Master’s in leadership and Organisational Leadership and a Diploma in Company direction and Corporate governance. Mary is known for leading and driving big pharma and small biotech portfolio through the entire drug development lifecycle to help change patient lives. Mary is a focused, resilient senior-level leader recognised for driving and delivering results across small molecule, biologics, and cell therapy products. She is known for leading and driving big pharma and small biotech portfolio through the entire drug development lifecycle, delivering operational excellence through effective program management, human capital, CMC, and clinical operations.
Mary is especially skilled at leading global operations and driving drug development through to execution into the clinic. She is an articulate communicator who builds lasting relationships with stakeholders, clients, partners, clinicians, and vendors. Mary is known for building a strong company direction and developing corporate governance, and is eligible to function as a QP under EU Regulation 536/2014.