3rd Qatar Proteomics Conference

For about 22 years, Frank Schmidt has been working in the field of host-pathogen interactions with a strong focus on proteomics and immunoproteomics. He has a strong background in the biochemistry of proteins and their analysis by mass spectrometry. In previous work, he mainly studied the patho-mechanisms of bacteria such as mycobacteria, streptococci, salmonella and staphylococcus after contact with human cells at the proteome level using various single or multiplex methods. For the past 12 years, he has extended his research to human liquid biopsies and has studied cohort material from various studies. In addition to mass spectrometry, he also performs analysis using Olink or Flexmap 3D and specializes in the measurement of proteins and their bioinformatic analysis. He is currently Professor of Biochemistry at WCMQ in Qatar and Honorary Professor in Krems, Austria. He has published about 130 research papers in the field of proteomics and is a member of the BD-HPP and Chromosome teams at HUPO. His current group consists of 10 members and he runs a unique proteomics platform including all the above mentioned methods.

Karsten Suhre is a Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Director of the Bioinformatics and Virtual Metabolomics Core at the Cornell campus in Doha, Qatar. Before joining Cornell in 2011, Dr. Suhre held a Professorship for Bioinformatics at the Department of Biology of the Ludwig-Maximillian-University in Munich, Germany, where lead the Metabolomics Research Group at the Institute for Bioinformatics and Systems Biology of the Helmholtz Center Munich. Between 1994 and 2006, he served at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), first as a Charge and then as a Director of Research, with a two-year interruption from 2000 to 2001, where he worked as a Project Engineer in the German Automotive Industry. After a very interdisciplinary career in the Theoretical Physics, Atmospheric Sciences, Bacterial and Viral Genomics, and Protein Bioinformatics, he is now investigating how human genetics, metabolomics and proteomics interact with environmental challenges and lifestyle factors in the development of complex disorders, especially diabetes, cancer, heart and kidney diseases.

Prof. Nurhan Özlü is a professor and the head of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the College of Sciences at Koç University, Istanbul, Turkiye. Her research focuses on the mechanisms of cell division in cancer cells using mass spectrometry–based proteomic methods, including the development of new methodologies. She completed her PhD in 2005 at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany. During her doctorate, in the laboratory of Prof. Tony Hyman, she studied the mechanisms of spindle assembly during cell division. With an EMBO Long-Term Postdoctoral Fellowship, she worked as a researcher in Prof. Mitchison’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School and Prof. J Steen’s laboratory at the Proteomics Center of Boston Children’s Hospital. She joined Koç University as a faculty member in 2010. She is a recipient of an EMBO Installation Grant and the L’Oréal Young Woman Scientist, Newton Advanced Fellowship, TUBITAK Incentive, and TÜBA-GEBİP Young Scientist awards. She serves as the president of the Turkish Proteomic Association and is a member of the EuPA Education Committee.

Bernd Wollscheid, Ph.D., is founder of DISCO Pharmaceuticals. He is a Professor of Molecular Health and Head of the Institute of Translational Medicine at the Department of Health Sciences and Technology at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. As the chairman of EC of the ETH domain Strategic Focus Area, “Personalized Health and Related Technology (PHRT),” he aims to bridge the gap between scientific discoveries and their practical applications in healthcare. Bernd’s research team pioneers developing and applying next-generation technologies at the intersection of biology, chemistry, medicine, and bioinformatics. This research contributes to understanding how molecular nanoscale organization influences cellular function and opens up new opportunities for theranostics. Bernd studied Chemistry and holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Immunology from the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology in Freiburg, Germany. He performed post-doctoral research at the Institute of Systems Biology, Seattle, USA.

Anna Halama is Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar (WCM-Q), Doha, Qatar. Her research focuses on the application of omics technologies, in particularly metabolomics to define complex diseases, with a primary emphasis on cancer. Her group explores metabolic vulnerabilities and drug resistance mechanisms using integrative omics approaches to support the development of precision oncology. Anna is also actively involved in medical education, with a strong interest in using innovative technologies to enhance student learning. She conducted her Ph.D. research at Helmholtz Zentrum München, earning her doctorate from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany. She performed her postdoctoral research at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar.

Peter Nilsson is Professor in Proteomics since 2011 at the Department of Protein Science at SciLifeLab and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. He is head of Protein Array Technologies within Human Protein Atlas since 2003, head of Division of Affinity Proteomics and Platform Scientific Director in the Proteomics platform at SciLifeLab. The research is devoted to highly multiplex and high-throughput protein and antibody profiling in body fluids based on various aspects of affinity proteomics. This is enabled through the development and utilization of bead-based and planar protein array formats using proteins and antibodies from the Human Protein Atlas. The protein, autoantibody and serology profiling has mainly been applied within autoimmune, neurodegenerative and infectious diseases, which has generated more than 260 co-authored publications. To enable broad and large-scale seroprevalence studies, a current emphasis is on the development of an extensive resource for multi-disease serology. This is including a wide range of antigens representing various respiratory and infectious diseases, such as coronas, influenza, RSV, EBV, CMV, Mpox, Zika, Dengue, West Nile, Yellow fever, Chikungunya etc

Ruth Huttenhain, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology at Stanford University, CA, USA. Her group at Stanford aims to decipher how GPCRs decode extracellular cues into dynamic and context-specific cellular signaling networks to elicit diverse physiologic responses. Ruth’s team exploits quantitative proteomics to capture the spatiotemporal organization of signaling networks combined with functional genomics to study their impact on physiology. Ruth is the elected Secretary General of the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO). She studied pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Bonn, Germany, and holds a PhD from ETH Zurich, Switzerland. She performed her postdoctoral research at the University of California San Francisco, CA, USA.

Dr. Nayef A. Mazloum is an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at WCM-Q and joint associate professor at HBKU. He also serves as an associate dean for student research at WCM-Q. He joined WCM-Q in January 2011 and came from WCMC in New York, where he served since 2008 as instructor of microbiology and immunology. He graduated from the American University of Beirut in 1994, continuing his studies at New York Medical College in Valhalla, graduating with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular biology in 2003. He started his postdoctoral training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York before continuing at WCMC. Dr Mazloum’s lab studies altered molecular pathways in metabolic disorders including obesity, diabetes, and age-related diseases. His lab employs a combination of in-vitro cellular models, mouse models and human data to uncover novel mechanisms that modulate metabolism. He has on-going active collaboration with local stakeholders in Qatar including Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), and Qatar University (QU), Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA), Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). He has ongoing active collaboration with local stakeholders in Qatar including Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar University, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). His lab also in collaboration with investigators at Harvard Medical School, Mayo Clinic, Brown University, and the University of East Anglia.

Dr. Abdesselem earned his PhD in Neurobiology from the University of Konstanz, Germany, in 2009. His doctoral research focused on the role of NOGO-66 myelin-associated proteins in nervous system regeneration. Following his PhD, he moved to the United States for postdoctoral training at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he investigated neuronal guidance molecules involved in nervous system development. In 2012, he joined WCM-Q in Qatar as a research fellow, investigating the role of SIRT1 in obesity. In 2016, Dr. Abdesselem was appointed Laboratory Manager at the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), part of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). There, he managed the Neurological Disorders Research Center and a research group focusing on alpha-synuclein proteins in Parkinson’s disease. His contributions were instrumental in developing novel tools to advance the understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. In 2019, Dr. Abdesselem established the Proteomics Core Facility at HBKU, successfully transferring cutting-edge biomarker technologies such as Olink, Sengenics, CDI, and Quanterix. Under his leadership, the facility became certified and fully operational by 2020. Alongside his leadership and management roles, Dr. Abdesselem has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in high-impact scientific journals.

Dr. Mohamed Abu-Farha is a distinguished Principal Scientist at Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI) in Kuwait, where he leads the Proteomics Core Facility and heads the Special Services Department. He earned both his bachelor's and master’s degrees from Carleton University in Canada, followed by a Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa in 2009. He then completed postdoctoral training at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute before joining DDI in 2011.
Dr. Abu-Farha is internationally recognized as a leading expert in diabetes and metabolic diseases, with a particular focus on lipid metabolism and Proteomics. He has authored over 145 peer-reviewed publications, including original research articles, reviews, and book chapters published in high-impact journals such as Diabetes Care, Journal of Lipid Research, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), Progress in Lipid Research, Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, and Obesity. His work has received more than 6,500 citations, with an h-index of 42 and an i10-index of 85, reflecting the broad influence and scientific impact of his research.
Among his most notable contributions is his work on angiopoietin-like protein 8 (ANGPTL8), which has significantly advanced our understanding of its role in diabetes and obesity. His studies have elucidated key regulatory mechanisms of ANGPTL8, demonstrating its strong association with insulin resistance and lipid biomarkers. A landmark discovery from his team showed that insulin—rather than glucose—is the primary driver of ANGPTL8 expression in humans, shifting a long-standing paradigm in metabolic regulation. In addition to his work on diabetes, Dr. Abu-Farha leads several research programs investigating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), diabetes prevention strategies, and emerging therapies for type 1 diabetes. His interdisciplinary and collaborative approach continues to inform the development of novel therapeutic interventions and enhance clinical understanding of metabolic disorders.
Beyond his research leadership, Dr. Abu-Farha serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is deeply committed to academic mentorship, having supervised several graduate students, numerous summer interns, and undergraduate research projects. He has also served as a teaching assistant for first- through fourth-year courses, contributing substantially to the education and development of future scientists. His dedication to global collaboration and capacity building underscores his broader mission to advance science and education on an international scale.

Dr. Clare Paterson is Director of Clinical Research & Development at Standard BioTools (Formerly SomaLogic). Following her bachelor’s degree in Immunology and Pharmacology Clare earned her PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Glasgow in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline. Subsequently, she developed her longstanding expertise in ‘omics research through a fellowship at the Clinical Brain Disorders Branch at the National Institutes of Health and academic career at The University of Colorado School of Medicine. Within the scope of biomarker research Clare is a recipient of Federal, academic, and philanthropic funding awards, has authored peer-reviewed publications in top-rated journals, and is named on multiple patents. At SomaLogic Dr. Paterson brings together her experience in pre-clinical, translational, and clinical R&D leading a team of talented scientists expanding, qualifying, and applying the portfolio of SomaScan™ products to optimize the efficiency of the translational process from biomarker discovery to clinical implementation.

Jochen M. Schwenk is a Professor of Translational Proteomics at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, and a group leader at the Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab). His research aims to elucidate the dynamic molecular characteristics of human health and disease by developing innovative patient-centric proteomics approaches. His pioneering work focuses on advancing the application of proteomics technologies in biomedicine to investigate circulating blood proteins. His research team combines expertise in study design, method development, and data-driven bioinformatics. Jochen holds scientific director positions at the Human Protein Atlas and SciLifeLab’s Proteomics Platform. He is an elected council member of the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) and chairs HUPO’s Plasma Proteome Project. He holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Tübingen, Germany, and conducted postdoctoral research at the Human Protein Atlas.

Dr. Anas M. Abdel Rahman is a leading clinical metabolomics, proteomics, and integrated multiomics expert, with over 110 peer-reviewed publications in personalized medicine and biomarker discovery. He is an Associate Professor at Alfaisal University and a key investigator in leveraging omics technologies to revolutionize personalized medicine and aging research. His groundbreaking studies have advanced the diagnosis and management of rare metabolic and age-related disorders while also identifying metabolomic and proteomic signatures that illuminate the molecular mechanisms of aging. Dr. Abdel Rahman’s work exemplifies the potential of multiomics to transform global healthspan and therapeutic precision.

• Sara Taleb is a virology and immunology researcher with a Ph.D. in Genomics and Precision Medicine from Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), MSc degree in advanced research practices in biomedical sciences and BSc degree in Biomedical sciences from Qatar University (QU). She has more than 6 years’ experience in infectious diseases-related projects focused on virology and immunology field, resulting in multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals with a current h-index of 17. Sara recently completed a three-year clinical research associate role at Hamad Medical Corporation in parallel to her PhD project, where she focused on understanding the immune response of critically ill patients with COVID-19 at multiple OMICs levels, where she contributed to the study design, project management and coordination, data collection, experimental work and manuscript writing of most projects. She is currently in her third year as a postdoctoral research associate in biochemistry under the supervision of Prof. Frank Schmidt from Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar, focusing on understanding the immuno-proteomic profile of patients with multiple conditions. Together with her team, Sara is working on unlocking the connection between infectious diseases, sepsis, and diabetes at the proteomics level using data generated from high-thruput technologies designed to measure multiple layers of proteomics.

Markus Wenk’s fascination with membrane structure and function began during his studies at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, in 1994. At Yale, he pioneered new techniques to study phospholipid metabolism, helping lay the foundation for the field of lipidomics. A recognized leader in this area, he received the European Lipid Science Award in 2018. Markus founded the Singapore Lipidomics Incubator (SLING) and the international Singapore Lipid Symposium (iSLS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), advancing innovation, education, and collaboration in lipid research. His recent work focuses on integrating precise molecular analysis into personalized medicine. He led the NUS Department of Biochemistry from 2015 to 2022 and directed the Precision Medicine Translational Research Programme from 2020 to 2023. In August 2023, he became Dean of the College of Health and Life Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Doha, Qatar.

Dr. Siobhán O’ Sullivan is an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Khalifa University, UAE. She earned her BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry and PhD in Biochemistry and Microbiology from University College Cork, Ireland, and completed international fellowships at the NIH/National Cancer Institute (USA) and the University of Cambridge (UK). Her research sits at the intersection of molecular biochemistry, epidemiology, and public health, with dual foci on Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). She employs multi-omics, systems biology, and machine learning to unravel disease heterogeneity, improve risk prediction, and advance precision medicine. She is the first and corresponding author of a recent landmark review From Omics to AI: Mapping the Pathological Pathways in Type 2 Diabetes (FEBS Letters, 2025), and has delivered invited presentations at major international fora, including the International Diabetes Federation Congress (Bangkok, 2025). Dr. O’ Sullivan leads collaborative AMR surveillance research in the UAE through the National AMR Surveillance Consortium, generating evidence that informs both clinical practice and national policy. A committed educator, she teaches across the academic continuum, undergraduate, MSc, PhD, and MD programs, and supervises graduate research projects on T2D and AMR. Her teaching excellence has been recognized with the Khalifa University Excellence in Teaching Award (2022) and Faculty Champion Award (2025). She is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA, UK).

Dr. Yongsoo Park is a Senior Scientist at the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI) and an Associate Professor in the College of Health and Life Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU). He earned his PhD from POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology), South Korea, where he investigated exocytosis and the plasticity of vesicle fusion. He subsequently completed postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, Germany, conducting pioneering research on vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release. Since joining QBRI/HBKU in 2019, Dr. Park has led a laboratory focused on the pathophysiology and protein biomarkers of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using human iPSC-derived neurons, with particular emphasis on calcium signaling and exocytosis. His expertise spans electrophysiology, calcium imaging, biochemistry and biophysics. Dr. Park has received awards and fellowships from international organizations including BAGEP, the EU’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He has secured multiple research grants, including an EMBO Installation Grant, and was a member of the EMBO Young Investigator Programme (YIP).

Dr. Andrea Ballagi, M.D., Ph.D., MBA is Vice President, Sales & Marketing, EMEA for Olink Proteomics AB. After receiving her MD degree in Budapest, Hungary, Dr. Ballagi carried out her PhD studies at the Ludwig Institute of Cancer Research, Uppsala, Sweden, and later earned an MBA degree from the Uppsala University, Sweden. She worked for more than 16 years with veterinary diagnostic company IDEXX Laboratories, holding various positions, including General Manager for a subsidiary in Sweden, before joining Olink as Director of Business Development and Commercial Operations in 2012, today she serves as Vice President Sales and Marketing APAC. Dr. Ballagi has a thorough understanding of science and how to build competitive international teams to successfully commercialize biotechnological products.

Dr. Ghada Yousif holds a BSc (Hons) in Medical Laboratory Science and a master’s degree in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the University of Khartoum. She completed her Ph.D. in Genomics and Precision Medicine from Hamad Bin Khalifa University in 2021. As part of her doctoral studies, Dr. Yousif explored the use of circulating Extracellular vesicles as an early biomarker for brain disorders. She successfully developed a new assay to isolate brain-derived vesicles from the blood of subjects with stroke, providing new insights into early changes associated with neurological disorders. Dr. Yousif is an American Board-certified International Technologist in Molecular Biology from the American Society for Clinical Pathology. She is also a member of the International Society of Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) and Qatar Proteomics Society. Following her PhD, Dr. Yousif joined the laboratory of microbiome and biomarker discovery at Sidra Medicine in 2023. Her current research focuses on biomarker validation and the use of multi-omics to unlock the complexity of non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity. The primary goal of her research is to identify early disease biomarkers, improve risk prediction, and advance precision medicine with a strong commitment to patient-centered research. Dr. Yousif’s integrated approach helps bridge the gap between biomarker discovery and the development of diagnostic tools, driving innovation in the field of biomedical research. Dr. Yousif received numerous awards, and her impactful work has been published in peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Refat Nimer is an Associate Professor of Clinical Chemistry at the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), and holds the American Board Certification as a Specialist in Clinical Chemistry (SC, ASCPi) from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). He is also an associate member of Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM), formerly the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC). Dr. Nimer is a licensed Medical Laboratory Specialist by the Ministry of Health, Jordan. He previously worked as a laboratory specialist and laboratory director in diagnostic laboratories, hospitals, and clinics across Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. In 2012, he was awarded a DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) academic scholarship to pursue his doctoral studies, earning his Ph.D. from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Germany. His research focuses on biomarker discovery in cancer, neurodegenerative, genetic, and other types of diseases using mass spectrometry–based omics approaches, including proteomics, metabolomics, and lipidomics. He has published several peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, supervised graduate and undergraduate research projects, and led collaborative projects. In addition to teaching academic courses, he is supervising the undergraduate final-year internship program in Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS) at several hospitals in Jordan.

Dr. Wadha Al Muftah is a physician-scientist and one of the founding leaders of the Qatar Genome Programme, where she has been instrumental in advancing Qatar precision health agenda. She currently serves as Chief Medical & Operations Officer at Qatar Precision Health Institute, leading strategy and operations across precision health initiatives. At Qatar Genome, Dr Al Muftah has driven the realization of the program strategic objectives, leading the development of frameworks for the responsible return of genomic findings, grounded in sound science and ethical principles. She has also launched pioneering genome interpretation projects and advanced reporting solutions. She also leads clinical projects integrating genomic discoveries into clinical practice and strengthening knowledge transfer to the wider community. Working closely with partners including Hamad Medical Corporation, Sidra Medicine, and Primary Healthcare Corporation, she has spearheaded studies such as the impact of pharmacogenetics testing on cardiovascular drugs. With over a decade of research experience, Dr Al Muftah has authored multiple publications, presented at international conferences, and contributed to advancing regional and global genomics. She also serves on national health committees, including the Advisory Committee for Biomedical Sciences Programs at Qatar University and the National Health Strategy 3.

Dr. Surya Kannan is a biomedical researcher specializing in cancer biology, proteomics, and post-translational modifications. She holds a PhD in Medical Sciences from Qatar University, where she was awarded the Gold Medal for Academic Excellence by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al-Thani, achieving a GPA of 3.78. She also holds an MTech in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering from Kerala University and B Tech in Biotechnology from Calicut University. Prior to join PhD, Surya has previous experience as Assistant Professor in India and worked as a researcher in iTRI, Hamad Medical Corporation. Her research has focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer progression and identifying novel post-translational modifications that influence protein stability, function, and disease pathways. She has published multiple peer-reviewed articles in international journals, contributing to the growing body of knowledge in translational cancer research. She has developed expertise in advanced molecular biology, in vivo studies and proteomic technologies, including MS-QTOF 6550, Agilent Technologies and MALDI-TOF MS, Bruker. Currently based in Doha, Qatar, Dr. Kannan continues her research in biomedical sciences, with an ongoing commitment to advancing precision medicine and fostering collaborative scientific exchange.

Khaled Machaca is Professor of Systems and Computational Biomedicine and the Vice Dean for Research, Innovation and Commercialization at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar (WCMQ). He oversees research efforts and core Labs at WCMQ, including the academic, operational, financial, and regulatory aspects. His lab focuses on three areas: Calcium signaling under physiological and pathological conditions; non-genomic progesterone signaling; and personalized medicine of inherited disorders. The Machaca Lab has been funded by NIH and QRDI. Khaled serves on editorial, national, international, and review boards; reviews widely for scientific journals and granting agencies; and has an extensive track record of training students and postdoctoral fellows.

After earning his PhD in Molecular Biology in the lab of Alan Anderson at Laval University (Quebec, Canada), Amaury held senior management roles in the medical diagnostics industry within the Eurofins and Unilabs groups. In 2015, he was appointed General Manager for the Middle East at Unilabs, where he led merger and acquisition initiatives in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. In 2020, Amaury joined Biognosys—a pioneer in mass spectrometry-based proteomics and co-inventor of the DIA workflow—and currently serves as Vice President for the EMEA region.

Dr. Robert Moritz is a Professor and Head of Proteomics Research at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) in Seattle, Washington, USA. He received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Melbourne while beginning his full-time career at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Melbourne, Australia, where he worked from 1983 to 2008. In 2008, he moved to the United States to join ISB as a faculty member. The Moritz group develops and applies cutting-edge proteomics technologies to drug discovery, protein interaction studies, and biomarker analysis for early disease detection, enabling the investigation of complex biological questions. Dr. Moritz has published more than 330 research articles, contributed to numerous book chapters, and holds multiple patents in proteomics technologies. Dr. Moritz has served as Chair of the Human Proteome Project (HPP), Vice President of the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO), and as a committee member of USHUPO initiatives, where he plays a significant role in advancing the field and expanding the organizations. He also initiated the HUPO HPP Grand Challenge to define “a function for every protein.” He contributes to several scientific journals as a Scientific Chair and editorial board member and serves on the scientific advisory boards of several life science companies. Dr. Moritz is an entrepreneur, having established a number of life science tools companies. He is actively involved in teaching and disseminating proteomics technologies, supporting educational exchanges, and creating forums for collaborative relationships centered on the proteome.

Dr. Alexander Reder is a molecular biologist and senior scientist at the University Medicine Greifswald, where he leads the research transfer project Ymolution – The Antibody Revolution, funded by the German EXIST Forschungstransfer program. After many years in basic research on functional genomics, protein–protein interactions, nano-antibody engineering, and bacterial expression systems, he now focuses on bridging scientific innovation and practical application. His latest initiative, Ymolution, aims to replace animal-based antibody production entirely by reproducing essential immunological selection processes in a bacterial system—enabling faster, reproducible, and animal-free antibody discovery for research, diagnostics, and therapy. His expertise spans recombinant protein expression, antibody discovery, proteomics, systems biology, and antibody engineering. He has authored 30+ peer-reviewed publications and contributed to international collaborations such as Rafts4Biotech and COVID Protect (awarded the 2022 Prize of the German University Medicine). As co-founder of ProTec Diagnostics GmbH, he actively translates academic discoveries into biotechnological solutions. Guided by the 3R principles (Replace, Reduce, Refine) and a strong commitment to animal welfare, his work demonstrates how excellence in science and ethical responsibility can advance together.