Made by Cells - Biotech Forum - April 29th 2026
- 27.1.
- 8 min käytetty lukemiseen
Päivitetty: 3.2.
Join us at the Hanaholmen Cultural Center in Espoo Finland for inspiring talks on Pharma & Diagnostics, Food, Pigments and Polymers, alongside valuable networking opportunities with leading biotech innovators and stakeholders. Discover cutting-edge advancements and collaborate to shape the future of biotechnology. The event is organised in collaboration with VTT Technical Research Center of Finland
The Event is in English
Register to the event here: https://www.lyyti.in/MadeByCells2026
Agenda
8:30 Coffee & Networking
9:00 – 9:10 Opening Words
Welcoming words from the Chairman of the Finnish Bioindustries
9:10 – 10:20 Biotech in Pharma & Diagnostics
Aino Kalervo - CEO - Tilt Biotherapeutics
"Made by Viruses – TILT Biotherapeutics journey from preclinical through phase I"
As Chief Operating Officer at TILT Biotherapeutics Oy and President of company’s U.S. affiliate, Aino Kalervo oversees different aspects of business leadership—including fundraising, business development, and operations. Since joining Tiltbio in 2015, she has played a key role in securing over €70 million in funding and setting up the company’s U.S affiliate to drive TILT’s mission of developing oncolytic immunotherapies forward. Prior to joining TILT, Aino worked at Sanofi’s Paris office and Theravectys, a French therapeutic vaccine company. With a background in Molecular Biology (Master of Science from Eastern Michigan University) and Business (ESSEC Business School Paris), and nearly 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry across a variety of roles, she brings the basic scientific understanding and operational excellence to work.
Antti Vuolanto - CEO - Herantis Pharma
"Herantis Pharma – a potential game-changer in Parkinson’s disease treatment"
CEO Antti Vuolanto, DSc (Tech), started in his current role in July 2022. He joined Herantis Pharma Plc in February 2018 as COO. Antti has vast experience in financing, partnering, research, development, and manufacturing of biological drugs. Previously he served as COO at Valo Therapeutics, Executive Vice President at Targovax ASA, and COO and co-founder at Oncos Therapeutics Ltd that merged with Targovax in 2015. Dr. Vuolanto graduated as Doctor in Science in Technology at Aalto University, Finland, in 2004 in bioprocess engineering.
Eugene Zhukovsky - VP and Site Head of Biologics R&D - Orion
"Next generation biologics: pipeline, platforms, and potential"
R&D executive and KOL in therapeutic antibody discovery and development in US and European biotech and pharma, including Genentech, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Affimed and Ichnos
Noora Hujala - CEO & Co-founder - Solid.io
"Solid IO: From Scientific Discovery to Impactful Clinical Decisions at Scale"
Noora Hujala (Pharm, MSc, EMBA) is the CEO and Co-founder of Solid IO. She has worked across the full spectrum of the healthcare ecosystem since the age of 15, driven by a mission to build solutions that truly improve how patients are treated at scale. She co-founded Solid IO with her scientific co-founders to expand global patient access to immunotherapy treatments.
10:20 – 10:40 Coffee Break & Networking
10:40 – 12:05 Biotech Food
Joosu Kuivanen - Chief Innovation Officer, Co-founder - Enifer
“PEKILO mycoprotein: Transforming a forgotten, ahead‑of‑its‑time innovation into a solution for today’s health‑conscious consumers”
Joosu Kuivanen is a scientist‑turned‑entrepreneur and the Co‑Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Enifer, a Finnish biotech company pioneering sustainable mycoprotein ingredients. With a strong background in microbial biotechnology, Joosu leads Enifer’s R&D efforts, driving the development of the company’s proprietary mycoprotein production technology as well as new applications for PEKILO® mycoprotein across food and feed industries.
Karsten Temme - Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Founder - Pivot Bio
Karsten founded Pivot Bio in 2010 with his friend and colleague, Alvin Tamsir, Ph.D., driven by a desire to create meaningful change and solve one of the planet’s biggest challenges. After completing his graduate research on enhancing the nitrogen-fixing potential of soil-borne microbes, he and Alvin focused on creating a microbial nitrogen to replace synthetic nitrogen, at scale. He earned his B.S. and M.S. in biomedical engineering from the University of Iowa and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Nesli Sözer - Research Professor - VTT
"Engineering the future of food from cells to systems"
Professor Nesli Sozer is a leading expert in food processing with over 25 years of experience in sustainable food production, including plant-based and fermentation-derived foods. Her work has resulted in numerous patents, awards, and commercially successful innovations, including the spin-off company Happy Plant Protein. At VTT, she leads major interdisciplinary initiatives such as the Global Centre for Food Innovation and Diversification to Advance the Bioeconomy and coordinates the EU-funded Sustain-a-Bite project, advancing resource-efficient technologies for nutrient-rich plant-based foods. She has held several leadership roles in international networks and continues to shape the future of sustainable, nutritious, and responsible food systems.
Lauri Reuter - Partner - Nordic Foodtech VC
"Microbes on your plate: investors perspective"
Lauri Reuter is a biotechnology PhD who has worked in technology investing since 2019. He is a co-founder and partner at Nordic Foodtech VC, an early-stage venture capital firm investing in biotechnology and technologies shaping the future of food. His work focuses on how science, capital, and entrepreneurship can be combined to build a more sustainable and resilient food system.
12:05 – 13:05 Lunch
13:05 – 14:05 Biotech Pigments
Nea Virta - Project Specialist - HAMK
"Producing red polyketide pigments using filamentous fungi"
Nea Virta is a Project Specialist at the Bio Research Unit of Häme University of Applied Sciences and a doctoral researcher at Aalto University. Her work focuses on bioprocess engineering, with an emphasis on filamentous fungi and fungal pigments, and she is responsible for the biotechnological production aspects of colourant research at HAMK. At HAMK, research on bio-based colourants covers the full chain from microbial production and process development to the evaluation of colourant performance, safety, and suitability for end use. This work reflects an applied research approach that links fundamental biotechnological research with practical development and application.
Sophie Vaud - CTO - Colorifix
"Recreating Nature's palette at scale for the textile industry"
Sophie Vaud is the Chief Technical Officer at Colorifix, where she oversees the development, scale-up and production optimisation of Colorifix microbial dyes for application on textiles. Sophie holds a PhD in Synthetic Biology from University of Nottingham, where her research focused on the genetic engineering of bioplastic-producing bacteria. She is dedicated to driving innovation and developing performant, scalable and sustainable solutions that address the current challenges in the textile industry.
Pradhuman Jetha - Research scientist - VTT
"BioColours - Unlocking nature’s palette, powered by fungi"
Pradhuman Jetha works as a Research Scientist in the Production Host Engineering Team at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. He is pursuing his PhD in Synthetic Biology, supported by the Centre of Young Synbio Scientists (CYSS). His current research focuses on discovering new biosynthetic pathways for the production of natural bio-based colorants from microbes for applications in the materials, feed, and cosmetic industries.
14:05 – 15:15 Biotech Polymers
Prateek Mahalwar – CEO, Bioweg
"Revolutionizing The Future Of Bio-ingredients With The Power Of Microbes & Green Chemistry"
Prateek Mahalwar is the CEO and founder of BIOWEG and an entrepreneur with a passion for impact and science-based innovation. He currently focuses on developing and scaling bio-based solutions for Cosmetics, Personal Care, and Agriculture.
Before founding BIOWEG, Prateek worked in strategy consulting at EY-Parthenon, contributed to policymaking in the EU and US, and gained experience across multiple startups. He holds a PhD in Biology from the Max-Planck-Society in Germany, where he conducted research under the direct supervision of Nobel laureate Prof. Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard. Prateek brings more than ten years of leadership and strategic consulting experience to his work at the intersection of biotechnology, sustainability, and innovation.
Tuula Tenkanen - Research Scientist - VTT
"PHA synthase variant design using AI"
Tuula Tenkanen is a PhD student at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland with research interest in synthetic biology. Her research focuses on applying AI and other computational approaches to improve bioplastic production with microbial cell factories. Recently, she and her colleagues have focused on engineering PHA synthases, the enzymes responsible for catalyzing the polymerization of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs).
Oskari Larkimo - Applications manager - Kemira
"PHA barrier coatings – Fully biobased and biodegradable barrier option for fiber packaging."
New Ventures is a new unit at Kemira, established to accelerate the company’s growth in new market areas and to commercialize Kemira’s novel bio-based chemicals. As an Application Manager, Oskari Larkimo is responsible for ensuring that these new chemistries can be successfully scaled from laboratory and pilot phases to full industrial operation.
The New Ventures unit focuses on areas such as wastewater and drinking water treatment, sustainable fiber and packaging solutions, battery chemicals, and innovative textile and nonwoven chemistries. PHA is a new barrier product, developed in partnership with Danimer, which enables the replacement of fossil-based barrier materials in the packaging industry, including applications such as paperboard cups.
15:15 – 15:30 Coffee Break & Networking
15:30 – 15:55 Keynote: A Future Vision for Biotech – the Biotech Act across sectors
Claire Skentelbery – Director General - Europa Bio
Claire holds a PhD in biochemistry and has led organisations that champion and advocate for commercial delivery of science for 25 years, starting within the Cambridge UK biotechnology cluster.
She has worked to champion biotechnology across sectors through the Council of European BioRegions and the European Biotechnology Network before moving to the Nanotechnology Industries Association.
She joined EuropaBio in 2020 and in addition to her current role as Director General, she is also the Vice Chair of the International Council of Biotechnology Associations (ICBA) and Governing Board Member for the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI).
15:55 – 16:25 Panel Discussion: The Biotechnology Act - EU Policy panel
Panelists will be announced later!
16:35 – 17:10 Center for Young Synbio Scientist Pitch Session
Merja Penttilä - Senior Advisor - VTT
"Center for Young Synbio Scientists"
Merja Penttilä has been Research Professor for Biotechnology at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland since 1999. Since the beginning of 2016 she has also served as a part-time Professor of Synthetic Biology at Aalto University.
Penttilä’s major research interest is the development of new production processes that replace fossil raw materials. Her specific focus is on so-called cell factories, microorganisms that are engineered to produce biobased products for energy, health, materials and other applications.
She has worked extensively with a number of national and international companies to develop industry-changing applications. Throughout her career she has worked to foster dialogue and cooperation between academic research and industry.
Robert Pylkkänen - Research Scientist- VTT
"Enzymatic polysaccharide synthesis"
Dr. Robert Pylkkänen is a research scientist with expertise in enzymatic polysaccharide synthesis and glycoside phosphorylase–based biocatalysis. He holds a D.Sc. (Tech.) in Biotechnology from Aalto University and works at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, where his research focuses on the controlled synthesis, structure, and application of cellulose and β-glucan materials.
Manuel Arias Barrantes - Doctoral researcher - VTT and Aalto University
"Designers in the lab: The role and value of design in scientific environments"
Manuel is a designer working between the disciplines of design, biology, technology, and craft. Inspired by the notions of sustainability and new digital and biological tools, he has been actively researching mycelium-based materials for the last 6 years in collaboration with scientists at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. He is currently conducting doctoral studies at Aalto University in collaboration with VTT. His research focuses on biofabrication processes that integrate design and bioengineering principles to create materials that could self-heal in the near future. He is also interested in methodologies for guiding creative processes in scientific environments. Manuel holds an MA in Creative Sustainability from Aalto University and a BA in Visual Communication.
An Ngyen - Doctoral Researcher - Aalto University
"Enhancing fungal chitin production"
An Nguyen is a doctoral student in the CYSS program, specializing in the sustainable production of chitin and chitosan from microbial sources. By harnessing the power of synthetic biology and adaptive evolution, An has significant increased the yield of chitin production from fungal sources, enhancing the economic feasibility of large-scale fungal chitin production.
17:10 – 19:00 Networking with Wine
17:30 – 18:00 20th Anniversary Awards
As part of the Made by Cells Biotech Forum, we celebrate the Biotech Stars Awards marking the 20th anniversary of Finnish Bioindustries.
The awards honor outstanding achievements in Finnish biotechnology and are presented by a distinguished jury representing science, investment, and media.
