The MVA Oncology Network invites you to an afternoon seminar dedicated to strengthening collaboration and connectivity across the oncology ecosystem in Medicon Valley. This event is designed as a forum for open dialogue and networking among key stakeholders from academia, industry, healthcare, and the investment community.
The seminar will feature two keynote presentations that set the strategic framework for the day, followed by a panel discussion addressing some of the most pressing local and regional challenges facing the oncology field today. From a Nordic and European perspective, the discussion will explore how we can remain competitive in an increasingly global landscape shaped by rapid developments in the US and Asia.
Key themes will include access to funding, the evolving interaction between academia and industry, and how collaboration models have improved over the years. The panel will also focus on what can be done better going forward to ensure stronger mutual benefit and continued innovation within the oncology space.
The afternoon will conclude with ample time for networking, offering participants the opportunity to connect, exchange perspectives, and strengthen relationships across the Medicon Valley oncology community.
Date: Thursday, 21th May 2026
Time: 14:00-18:00
Venue: Medicon Valley Alliance, HUB 2, Arne Jacobsens Allé 15, 2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark
Program:
| 14:00 | Registration and Networking |
| 14:30 | Welcome Anette Steenberg, CEO, Medicon Valley Alliance |
| 14:40 | Keynote: Opportunities and challenges in translating novel anti-cancer treatment concepts from discovery to clinical trials Thomas Helleday, Professor, Karolinska Institutet |
| 15:10 | Developing Precision Oncology in Clinical Practice – The Genome and Beyond Kristoffer Staal Rohrberg, Head of Phase 1 Unit, Rigshospitalet |
| 15:40 | Networking break with coffee and cake |
| 16:10 | Panel discussion: Nordic and European challenges in oncology Moderated by Lasse Nørregaard, CBO, Loma Therapeutics and Beech Biotech In the panel:
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| 17:10 | Networking and drinks |
| 18:00 | End of meeting |
Speakers
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Thomas Helleday is Söderberg Professor of Chemical Biology and Translational Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and has pioneered the development of DNA damage response (DDR) inhibitors as cancer treatments. He concieved the synthetic lethal approach in treating BRCA mutated cancers using PARP inhibitors and has since taken several new DDR inhibitors into clinical trials, as well as spinning out several companies from his laboraotry, most notably Oxcia and One-Carbon Therapeutics. |
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Kristoffer Staal Rohrberg is Assistant Professor, MD, PhD at Rigshospitalet, with a deep expertise in early-phase clinical trials and precision oncology. He is Head of the Phase 1 Unit, Rigshospitalet, and have established a leading translational research program in precision oncology. He is currently principal investigator on 20+ trials, including first-in-human studies. His work with the CoPPO project harnesses genomics and proteomics to improve treatment outcomes for late-stage cancer patients. |
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Marianne Søgaard is Chair of the Board of Directors at Evaxion A/S and has been a board member since 2020, following her role as executive and legal advisor to the company. She brings extensive board‑level and legal experience from the life science and technology sectors. She spent more than 20 years at Kammeradvokaten / Law Firm Poul Schmith, including 17 years as a partner, advising on complex technology and innovation-driven organisations. She holds a Master of Law degree from Aarhus University and serves on multiple boards, including as a member of the Danish Government’s IT Council (Statens IT-Råd).
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Søren Bregenholt is the CEO of Alligator Bioscience. He is a seasoned life science executive with significant experience from operational and strategic leadership positions in global pharma and biotech. Broad experience across the R&D value chain from lead discovery to clinical development projects. He has strong executive leadership experience from roles in pharma, biotech and non-profit organisations. Significant deal experience from both sell and buy-side as well as post-transactional collaboration and alliance management. Broad global network in pharma, biotech, VC and academia. |
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Sara Ek is Professor of Immunotechnology at Lund University, with her research group established at Medicon Village in Lund. She has a keen interest in translational cancer research, with a specific focus on lymphoid malignancies and the implementation of personalized immune-directed strategies in clinical care. She is the director of the strategic cancer environment CREATE Health at Lund University, which hosts the L2CancerBridge program dedicated to advancing immunotherapeutic strategies. She is engaged in the strategic development of research at Lund University through her involvement in the Lund University Board and the Lund University Cancer Centre Board. She is one of the co-founders of Immunovia, a company with a test for early detection of pancreatic cancer that is on the market in the US. |
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Moderator: Lasse Nørregaard is a multifaceted biotech entrepreneur, who by now has been CBO of several early-stage biotech companies in the European ecosystem, which includes Kesmalea Therapeutics, Boost Pharma, Loma Therapeutics, Epoqe Pharma and Beech Biotech. In this capacity, he has been involved in raising more than €60M Euros, and was recently appointed as a board member of Danish Bio. He is always happy to discuss the funding landscape in Europe, and the latest scientific trends. |
Deadline for registration is 20th May 2026
The MVA Oncology network
Joining the MVA Oncology Network is free of charge but is limited to Medicon Valley Alliance members. Non-member organizations and companies are welcome to attend one network event to evaluate the relevance in joining the network. For more information, please contact Katrine Brems Olsen at kbo@mva.org
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