Pekka Kallio is a versatile expert in medicine and research with over 30 years of experience in academia, biotechnology start-up, pharmaceutical company, FIMEA/EMA and innovation funding. He has most recently served as Head of Operations at Rappta Therapeutics. Pekka defended his doctoral thesis at the University of Helsinki and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Karolinska Institute (Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Nobel Institute). While working at Orion Pharma (2000-2018), he played a significant role in setting up the company’s oncology research and heading the development of more than 10 clinical drug candidates.
“I am excited to join as CSO at Finnish Drug Discovery Centre Ltd. Our commitment to R&D and the resulting innovations will be at the heart of our work: we accelerate drug development and create additional value for innovations through strategic partnerships. We aim to lay a strong foundation for projects that can offer new and improved treatments to patients in the future.”, says Kallio.
“The Chief Scientific Officer plays a significant role in building a strong expert organisation and the company’s success. I am very happy to have Pekka in this key position in our team. Pekka has very well-suited expertise in nonclinical research and the overall operations of an early-stage start-up. He has a strong track record of successfully leading drug development projects and operations in several therapeutic areas. He is also extensively networked with various actors in the pharmaceutical ecosystem.”, says CEO Maarit Merla.
Additional information:
Maarit Merla, CEO, Finnish Drug Discovery Center Ltd, tel. +358 40 3108023