Sapio Sessions: Basel

Stefan Schmidt

CEO, Evitria

Stefan Schmidt is CEO of evitria AG in Zürich, leading strategic growth and operations to position the company as a premier provider of recombinant antibodies. He brings over 20 years of leadership across biotech, pharma, and CDMO sectors, including executive roles at BioAtrium (Lonza–Sanofi JV) and Rentschler Biopharma. With a background in protein biochemistry and biotechnology, his expertise spans protein engineering, process innovation, and therapeutic development.

Federico Lionetti

BioMedical Software Engineer, Navignostics AG

Federico Lionetti is a biomedical engineer and software developer for a start-up dedicated to advancing personalized cancer diagnostics. At Navignostics, a Swiss biotechnology company specializing in spatial single-cell proteomics, he leads the company’s software development, managing the software components of a next-generation medical device and its associated data analysis pipelines. He is also responsible for the development and validation of core systems such as the Laboratory Information Management System and the Clinical Portal. In addition, his work focuses on automation, image analysis, and cloud infrastructure. With a strong interdisciplinary background, Federico bridges biomedical engineering and software development to enable innovative solutions in digital health and precision oncology.

Markus Fassbender

Global Inventory Lead, Roche

Markus Fassbender began his academic journey at Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich where he studied chemistry and informatics. He earned his Ph.D. in 1997, with a thesis focused on the molecular modeling of liver enzymes. His career at Roche began with a post-doctoral position in Basel, where he researched intra-cellular metabolism and metabolite analytics. Markus Fassbender then transitioned into a research informatics role, initially supporting medicinal chemistry at Roche Mannheim by developing lab journal and database applications. Over the next two decades at Roche, he became an expert in managing and implementing complex informatics systems. His work at Roche Penzberg focused on supporting Large Molecule Research (LMR) and culminated in the implementation of the Biological Sample Inventory System in 2009. In 2019, he collaborated with scientists at Roche Schlieren and Penzberg to implement a cross-site sample inventory system for LMR. His expertise and leadership were recognized in 2021 with his appointment as the Global Inventory Lead, a role in which he oversees inventory management systems for Roche’s Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development (pRED) division. He is now responsible for inventory systems for small and large molecules, lab chemicals and also cell lines. In the informatics landscape these systems are tightly integrated with robotic stores, barcoding and labelling solutions and registration systems.

Mike Hampton

Chief Commercial Officer, Sapio Sciences

Mike Hampton is the CCO at Sapio Sciences, where he leads global commercial strategy and operations, including marketing, solution consulting, customer success and sales. He brings over two decades of international experience in life sciences, spanning commercial leadership, digital business transformation, and customer success. Mike’s focus is on accelerating growth by developing strong partnerships with pharma and biotech and strengthening Sapio’s position as the industry leader in AI-native lab informatics. With deep expertise in R&D digital transformation, customer relationship development, and value-based engagements, Mike is passionate about helping customers accelerate the entire drug development lifecycle.

Rob Brown

VP Product & Presales, Sapio Sciences

Rob Brown is VP of Product & Sales at Sapio Sciences. He was previously at Dotmatics where he was Head of Global Presales, Product Marketing & Product Management. Earlier in his career he ran product marketing teams at Accelrys, SciTegic and MSI. Rob started his career as a postdoc and later research scientist at Abbott Laboratories (now Abbvie). He received his PhD in Cheminformatics from the University of Sheffield, UK.

Dara McCreary

Senior Business Analyst, Sapio Sciences

Dara McCreary is a Senior Scientific Business Analyst at Sapio Sciences. He was previously a Product Manager at a sequencing technology startup, where he oversaw validation efforts for advanced next-generation sequencing (NGS) solutions. Earlier in his career, he was a postdoctoral scientist at University College London’s Institute of Child Health, developing diagnostic assays for autoimmune diseases. Dara received his PhD in Medical Sciences from University College London, an MSc in Regenerative Medicine from the University of Galway, and a BSc in Cell and Molecular Biology from University College Dublin.

Yuri de Lugt

Global Director Field Marketing, Sapio Sciences

Yuri de Lugt heads up the global field marketing, partner marketing, and online events at Sapio. As a multilingual business and marketing leader, he brings energy, clarity, and global flair to every place he visits. With a career dedicated to helping innovative companies grow, he now channels that passion into creating engaging, high-caliber event experiences. Yuri specialised in aligning strategy with execution, amplifying brand presence, and connecting with diverse audiences. Known for fostering collaboration, relations, and delivering results, Yuri thrives on turning every event into a meaningful, polished experience and making connections across cultures with professionalism and warmth, ensuring that every moment leaves a lasting impression.