… we develop complex proteins into tomorrow’s drugs in partnership with pharmaceutical companies

… we unlock the potential of difficult compounds that have so far failed to get expressed

… we explore unusual opportunities in other promising fields

We have successfully developed enzymes and other proteins into clinical stages and continue to scout for promising compounds. This results in a plethora of opportunities. Whilst our technology platform remains the property of Eleva, new individual assets will be developed in cooperation with pharmaceutical partners. Each of such partnerships will be taken into a newly formed subsidiary. This allows the partners to focus on the respective indication.

Eleva’s management is driven by making unprecedented and much-needed therapies happen. With our moss-based platform, we are going to translate the features of this ancient plant into the therapies of tomorrow.

PD Dr. Björn Cochlovius

CEO

Björn has 27 years of experience in academia and industry. Before joining Eleva, he acquired ample know-how, spanning R&D, strategy, and business development, while working at several prestigious scientific institutions and enterprises. Björn’s career has included positions at the German Cancer Research Institute (DKFZ), where he headed the Department for Recombinant Antibodies, Affitech, where he was the Head of R&D, Roche, where he served as Director of Business Development, and Ciliatech, where he was an Interim CEO. Björn also had several opportunities to contribute his expertise to reputable companies in Asia, including as Head of Oncology at Otsuka NP in Tokushima, Japan and Head Development for Japan-Asia-Pacific AbbVie in Singapore. Björn is a Co-Founder of Medraxa Therapeutics in Heidelberg and he has also served as a Chairman for numerous companies, including Sapreme in Utrecht and Karolinska Development in Stockholm.

Dr. Andreas Schaaf

Managing Director | CSO

Andreas holds a PhD in plant biotechnology. Before joining Eleva as research scientist in 2009, he held positions at the University of Muenster and Freiburg, Germany. At Eleva, Andreas was responsible for advancing BryoTechnology to a fully viable biopharmaceutical platform. Andreas has been Chief Scientific Officer since 2015 and was appointed Managing Director at the end of 2019.

Dr. Henrik Luessen

Chief Business Officer | CBO

Henrik has held leading positions in numerous companies that he helped to grow (Octoplus, Activaero, Promethera Bioscience, Sapreme Technologies, LTS Lohmann). He has also founded/co-founded several  successful companies.

Danielle Püschel

Chief Financial Officer | CFO

Danielle joined Eleva in 2009 as Chief Financial Officer, after 25 years’ experience as a tax advisor for several small and medium-sized companies. At Eleva, Danielle is responsible for finances.

Andreas Busch

Chief Operations Officer | COO

Andreas earned his PhD at the University of Münster, Germany, after graduating in biology from Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Germany. He worked as a post-doc in Münster and at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Andreas joined Eleva in 2013 and is now responsible for Operations and Regulatory Affairs.

Karin Heidenreich

Senior Director Clinical Program

Karin has gained a broad clinical expertise in orphan diseases working for companies such as Novartis, Genzyme, BioMarin and Horizon Pharmaceuticals. She has joined Eleva’s team in 2018.

Jana Gross

Director Business Development

Jana holds a Master’s Degree in biology from Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, Germany. She worked in Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer before moving to an international pharmaceutical company, where she managed Global Licensing & Business Alliances. Jana has been the Manager of Business Development at Eleva since October 2019.

Fabienne Zeitter

Director Marketing & Assistant to CEO

Fabienne joined Eleva in 2019 and works closely with our CEO as a personal assistant. She has built up the company’s marketing department and has held the position of Marketing Director at Eleva since 2023. Fabienne is responsible for all aspects of market positioning, branding and public communication.

We have successfully developed enzymes and other proteins into clinical stages and continue to scout for promising compounds. This results in a plethora of opportunities. Whilst our technology platform remains the property of Eleva, new individual assets will be developed in cooperation with pharmaceutical partners. Each of such partnerships will be taken into a newly formed subsidiary. This allows the partners to focus on the respective indication.

Eleva is fortunate to be able to tap into world-class expertise. We deeply value the guidance given by the following specialists:

Günter Steffen

Chair of Board

Dr. Gerhard Ries

Co-Chair of Board

Prof. Dr. Joachim Cyran

Member of the Board

Dr. Martin Griot

Member of the Board

Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski

Member of the Board

Dr. Wieland Wolf

Member of the Board

Thomas Villinger

Member of the Board

Eleva’s company values ensure that relationships with partners and employees are guided by reliability and respect. Quality is the prime goal throughout the company. Our guidelines are continuously reviewed.

Our success is based on our highly motivated staff. We have zero tolerance for discrimination of employees on the grounds of their sexual orientation, sex, ethnicity, religion, family status, age, or disability. We provide a safe workplace as well as continuous training and respect of privacy for every staff member.

We know you would love being part of a highly motivated team passionate about making unprecedented therapies available to patients.