Johanna Furuhjelm serves as Director of the Centre for AI Innovation at Karolinska Institutet, a position she has held since the centre's establishment in 2025. She also serves as Project Coordinator for the Swedish node of TEF Health, a five-year EU project designed to promote innovation and implementation of AI solutions in healthcare. Dr. Furuhjelm earned her PhD in Bioscience from the University of Helsinki, where she conducted research at the Institute of Biotechnology's Program in Cellular Biotechnology. Her doctoral research focused on membrane trafficking and cell morphogenesis, with particular emphasis on Rab8 proteins and their role in polarized membrane transport and protrusion formation. Her work contributed to fundamental understanding of how cells organize and deliver membranes to specific surface domains, with publications in leading journals including Journal of Cell Science, Molecular Biology of the Cell, and PLoS Pathogens. Before establishing the Centre for AI Innovation, she served as Administrative Director and Research Coordinator for Cancer Research KI from 2019 to 2023, where she managed strategic research coordination and facilitated collaborations, including the longstanding partnership between Karolinska Institutet and Mayo Clinic. Prior to that, she was Partner and Manager of Market Intelligence at Innomedica Ltd.

Magnus Boman is a professor in Artificial Intelligence within Health at the Department of Medicine Solna, Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet. He is an Honorary Professor at University College London, Division of Psychiatry, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. Boman wrote his PhD thesis on federated learning in 1993. He is a programmer of machine learning systems since more than 40 years and devotes virtually all of his time to guide clinicians in questions around learning from their data to benefit them and their patients.

Carl Borrebaeck received the first chair as professor of Immunotechnology in Scandinavia 1990. His main research interests are immuno-oncology, diagnostics for early detection of cancer, and medical applications of human therapeutic antibodies. He founded CREATE Health Translational Cancer Center 2006, focusing on clinically unmet needs. He received the AKZO Nobel Science Award 2009, for his contributions to cancer proteomics and antibody- based cancer therapy, the Research!Sweden Award 2012 for his medical research of value for patients and health organizations, and the Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences Gold Medal 2012 for outstanding contributions to biomedical science. He is a permanent member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. He held the position as the Vice President of Lund University, 2009-2014, responsible for innovations and industrial collaborations and worked at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation 1996-97 as Distinguished Visiting Professor after his post-doc at the University of California in Davis.

His research has resulted in several spin-out companies, such as BioInvent International AB, Alligator Bioscience AB, Immunovia AB, SenzaGen AB and OncoVate AB. These accomplishments awarded him the BiotechBuilder prize of 2017, for outstanding entrepreneurship. One of the most recent companies is PainDrainer AB, using agentic artificial intelligence for the self-management of chronic pain.

Markus Lingman is Chief Strategy Officer of Region Halland, an integrated care system in southern Sweden. With a background as cardiologist and in senior healthcare management his research includes AI applied to clinical challenges as well as developing the healthcare system informed by the wealth of patient-centric real-world data – Information-driven care. Rooted in Halmstad University, as adjunct professor, and Karolinska Institutet as well as the Sahlgrenska Academy, Markus Lingman is member of the national Scientific Council for Medicine and Health and the board of the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research. In 2020 he was named AI Swede of the Year. One current focus is on AI-driven ways of identifying avoidable sudden cardiac deaths at scale together with colleagues at UC Berkeley.

Daniel Lundqvist is a professor of neuroimaging at Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Director of the Centre for Imaging Research. He leads a research group that focuses on multimodal brain imaging, and also leads the Swedish node of the European AI infrastructure TEF-Health - testing and experimentation facilities for health AI and robotics. Lundqvist is the initiator of several strategic KI initiatives for cutting-edge medical research, including KI's Centre for Quantum Life Science and Centre for AI Innovation, and is the programme director for the initiative "imaging the epileptic brain using multimodal quantum sensors".

Gabriel Westman is an infectious disease specialist and associate professor with a MSc in Engineering and expertise in AI, bioinformatics/omics, and life science data applications. He is member of the EMA CHMP Methodology Working Party and the HMA/EMA Network Data Steering Group, and is currently building regulatory AI/data science capacity and competence at the Swedish Medical Products Agency, exploring use of real-world data and hoping for a better and data-driven world.

Torbjorn Bjerke has over 30 years of experience in executive roles in the global pharmaceutical, biotech, and medtech industries, as well as in the investment sector. As head of R&D in smaller and larger companies, he has participated in and led the development of several innovative medical products. Additionally, Torbjorn has taken private companies public in Sweden as CEO and Chairman. Furthermore, he has co-founded six different businesses: three biotech companies, two global healthcare and biotech funds, and one medtech company. Torbjorn served as a portfolio manager for Arctic Aurora LifeScience and Arctic Aurora Biotech Select, investing globally in the sector. Torbjorn has participated in and closed LifeScience deals totaling up to €4 billion, including selling and buying companies, licensing agreements, and fundraising. Torbjorn currently spends his time developing Carelight Weartech Ltd., advising the Arctic Aurora LifeScience fund, and serving as a board member of the U.S. biotech company Biothea Inc.

Carl Kilander is a medical doctor trained at the Karolinska Institute and Harvard Medical School with a research background in hepatobiliary malignancies. Since 2019, he has been with HealthCap where he is Partner and works with venture capital investments into innovative life science companies. Prior to his tenure with HealthCap, Carl worked clinically in general surgery and gained hands-on experience from operational work in company start-ups.

Philippe Douste-Blazy is a French physician, politician, and global health advocate. In 2019, he created UNITLIFE, a UN fund dedicated to fighting chronic malnutrition.Prior to that, he served as UN Under Secretary General and Special Adviser on innovative financing for the Millennium Development Goals. Dr. Douste-Blazy has held numerous senior cabinet positions in the French government, serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs (2005-2007), during which time he founded UNITAID, established in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and U.S. President Clinton.

He also served as Minister of Health and Social Protection (2004-2005), leading France's healthcare system, Minister of Culture (1995-1997), overseeing the nation's cultural policy, and French Health Minister (1993-1995) and Government Spokesperson (1994-1995). He also served as Mayor of Toulouse and President of its Urban Communitys. Earlier, he served in the French and European Parliaments and was Mayor of Lourdes.

A cardiologist by training, Dr. Douste-Blazy became Professor of Epidemiology, Health Economics and Prevention at the University of Toulouse Faculty of Medicine and later Professor at Harvard Medical School in the Department of Public Health. He has authored six books and received many international honors, including the French Legion of Honor.

Thomas Eldered is the founder and Executive Chairman of Flerie AB, a life science investment company backing pioneering biotech and pharmaceutical ventures across Europe and the US. He is also the co-founder and former CEO of Recipharm AB, which he helped build from a single facility into one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical CDMOs, guiding its global expansion and public listing. With a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management from Linköping University and more than three decades in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, Thomas combines deep operational experience with a strategic investor’s mindset. His investment focus spans biologics manufacturing, gene and cell therapies, oncology, vaccine technologies, and protein-based therapeutics—areas where scientific progress and commercial opportunity intersect. At Flerie, Thomas brings together science-driven entrepreneurs and experienced industry leaders to accelerate innovation and create long-term value. A passionate advocate for life sciences and a believer in the power of collaboration, he continues to champion ventures that transform scientific discoveries into impactful medicines improving lives worldwide.

Erika Söderberg Johnsson served as CFO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation from November 2023 through December 1, 2025 and remains a part of the Foundation team. A seasoned financial executive with over 30 years of experience in corporate finance, operations, strategic planning, and investments, Erika previously served as CFO of Kinnevik AB, a NASDAQ-listed Swedish investment company focused on digital businesses (April 2020-November 2022), where she led Finance and Strategy and served on the Investment Committee. She subsequently worked as Senior Advisor to Kinnevik until November 2023. Prior to Kinnevik, Erika held several CFO roles in the life science sector, including at Biotage AB (January 2012-March 2020), a NASDAQ-listed global provider of analytical and organic chemistry solutions, where she established subsidiaries in China, South Korea, and India and led manufacturing initiatives. She began her career in investment banking at SEB Enskilda (1993-2002), gaining extensive experience in financing, M&A, and IPOs. Erika currently serves as board member and Audit Committee Chairman of Camurus AB and has been a board member of Saab AB since 2017. She holds an MSc in Business and Economics from Stockholm School of Economics (1993).

Carl Johan Sundberg is a licensed physician and professor at Karolinska Institutet where his research focuses on human genetics, genomics and epigenetics in relation to physical activity in patients and in healthy individuals. His other major research concerns AI/ML-based computerized history taking, i.e., the patient interacts with a tablet or a computer, and provides information about symptoms and other elements of history. He heads the Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, where he founded the Unit for Bioentrepreneurship. In 2005, he received a Certificate of Commendation for Communication in the Life Sciences from European Molecular Biology Organisation and the European Commission's Descartes Communication Prize for Excellence in Science Communication. He serves as Treasurer of Euroscience and the initiator of Euroscience Open Forum. He is an elected member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. For ten years, he worked as investment director at a 60 M€ life science venture fund. He has served as member or chairman of numerous academic boards, e.g. president Swedish Society for Sports Medicine, member of the International Olympic Committee´s Medical Commission, Inspektor (guardian) for the Medical Student’s Association, and chair of Research!Sweden. His current and previous life science company board directorships include Cobra Biologics AB, Saniona AB, Karolinska Development AB, NsGene AS, Feelgood AB, Cellectricon AB, Global Genomics AB, Angiogenetics AB and Alfta Rehab AB.

Jan Ellenberg is renowned for his groundbreaking research in cell biology, particularly in the areas of advanced imaging and the study of cell division.

He has authored numerous influential publications and has been recognized with several prestigious awards for his contributions to the field, including his recently awarded second ERC Advanced Grant. He also has extensive leadership experience in building up pan-European research infrastructure, having coordinated the establishment of the Euro-BioImaging ERIC and the EMBL Imaging Centre. In addition, Professor Ellenberg has been the chair of the SciLifeLab International Advisory Board in the past.

Professor Ellenberg is an elected member of the German Academy of Sciences – Leopoldina, the Academia Europeae, and an EMBO member.

As Professor of Molecular Medicine in Uppsala, Ulf Landegren’s research focuses on developing molecular tools to meet medical needs, from analyses of genetic variation with techniques such as padlock probes and superRCA, to protein assays using oligonucleotide-conjugated antibodies in proximity assays for measuring expression levels of large sets of protein in liquid samples or imaging their distribution and activity states in situ. He is a member of EMBO, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, and the Royal Society of Sciences at Uppsala. He is also a member of several academic and industrial boards and advisory boards. He has authored 230 peer-reviewed publications, and around 50 patents or applications. Work in his lab has given rise to 10 spin-out companies, and an equal number founded by former students on the same technology base. These companies have a combined staff of more than 1000 individuals, and include Olink, Navinci, Rarity, Readily, and SampleFacts. Technologies from his lab have also been licensed to many leading international biotech and diagnostic companies.

Professor Janne Lehtiö is a recognized leader in clinical proteomics. LehtioLab focuses on understanding how genomic alterations shape the proteome and drive cancer biology, with the ultimate goal of improving precision cancer medicine. After earning his MSc in Univ. of Helsinki, Finland and PhD in Biotechnology from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden, in 2001, he worked few years in Biotech industry in USA and Europe. Moving back to academia to Karolinska Institutet, he established his research group in 2005 and since 2015 as Professor of Medical Proteomics. Professor Lehtiö has translated omics research into clinical implementation. Lehtiö team has developed the Molecular Tumor Board Portal, used in large European precision oncology trials to guide patient treatment based on personal omics data. He has also developed research infrastructures for proteomics and precision medicine such as BioMS and Proteome Medicine Sweden. He also leads the Precision Medicine and Diagnostics area within the National Data-Driven Life Science Program. Lehtiö serves as a member of the Nobel Assembly at KI. He is currently PI in six EU-funded projects and leads a team of 45 researchers. His work has earned several distinctions such as the Berzelius Medal from the Swedish Mass Spectrometry Society.

Anna Martling is Professor of Surgery at Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Chief Physician and Colorectal Surgeon at Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. She has served as Head of the Department of Surgery, Deputy Head of the Center for Gastrointestinal Disease, and Dean of KI (2019–2023). Between 2020 and 2024, she led the implementation of precision medicine in healthcare in the Stockholm region. Since 2008, she has headed the Colorectal Surgery research group, focusing on clinical, translational, and epidemiological studies in colorectal cancer. Her leadership has advanced TME surgery, introduced HIPEC and cytoreductive surgery, and implemented organ-preserving rectal cancer treatments nationally. As Principal Investigator, she has led major multicenter trials including Stockholm III and ALASCCA, earning several awards, such as the Swedish Surgical Society’s Great Research Prize (2013) and “Cancer Researcher of the Year” by the Swedish Cancer Society (2021). Prof. Martling serves on multiple national and international boards, including Research!Sverige, Radiumhemmets Forskningsfonder, Sophiahemmet, Bactiguard, and SmartCella. She is an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, American College of Surgeons, American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons , and European Society of Coloproctology.

Kári Stefánsson, MD, PhD, is Founder of Reykjavik-based deCODE genetics, where he also served as CEO.

He is also Professor at the University of Iceland. Previously, he was professor of Neurology, Neuropathology and Neuroscience at Harvard University and Director of Neuropathology at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He also held faculty positions in Neurology, Neuropathology and Neurosciences at the University of Chicago.

His work, published in more than 600 scientific papers, has focused on how genomic diversity is generated and on the discovery of sequence variants impacting susceptibility to common diseases. The population approach he has advanced in Iceland has served as the model for national genome projects around the world and contributed to the realization of several aspects of precision medicine, including to the discovery and development of therapeutic targets and compounds for Amgen.

He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the including the Sackler Lecture at MIT, the European Society of Human Genetics Award, the Anders Jahre Award, the American Alzheimer’s Association’s Inge Grundke-lqbal Award, the Federation of European Biomedical Societies’ Sir Hans Krebs Medal, and the American Society of Human Genetics William Allan Award.

He holds Iceland’s highest honor, the Order of the Falcon, and in 2019 was elected the first president of the Nordic Society of Human Genetics and Precision.