Maurizio Ceppi | Chief Scientific Officer
Transgene SA

Maurizio is a senior biotech executive with deep expertise in oncology R&D, currently serving as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at Transgene (Euronext:TNG). He oversees scientific strategy, portfolio leadership, and the development of individualized cancer vaccines leveraging AI-enabled design and precision immunotherapy.

Maurizio brings over 15 years of experience in oncology drug development and diagnostics, specializing in translational medicine. With deep expertise in cancer immunotherapy, Maurizio has contributed to the development of monoclonal and bispecific antibodies, T-cell engagers, small molecules, and mRNA vaccines. He has led multi-functional teams across five countries in leading pharma (Roche) and biotech (iTeos Therapeutics) companies.

During his tenure as Vice-President at iTeos (Nasdaq: ITOS), Maurizio successfully managed the rapid expansion of the Translational Medicine department, spearheaded the creation of two new teams (bioinformatics & reverse translation), and oversaw the biomarker strategy for 11 clinical studies (Ph 1 / Ph 2 / Ph 3) for several onco-immunology drug candidates, including an anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibody.

Previously, at Roche (Swiss Exchange: ROG-CH), Maurizio was responsible for developing the biomarker strategy for several pre-clinical and early-stage (Ph 1 / Ph 2) clinical studies for cancer immunotherapy (4-1BB) and targeted cancer therapy (HER3, BRAF inhibitor) drug candidates. As a Biomarker Leader, he led global cross-functional teams dedicated to biomarker discovery, assay development, and implementation in clinical settings, including CDx feasibility assessment. Notably, he participated in regulatory interactions with the FDA, contributing to the successful transition of four molecules to IND submission.

Lately, Maurizio has fully embraced the AI revolution, collaborating with leading 'TechBio' companies to harness clinical real-world data and spatial biology analysis. As a member of the Drug Discovery expert board at Owkin, he has witnessed the transformative potential of AI in healthcare. Inspired by these groundbreaking experiences, Maurizio recently obtained two professional certificates in AI/ML and GenAI from MIT (USA).

Maurizio was originally trained in molecular biology and gene therapy at ETH Zürich and the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). He has extensive postdoctoral experience in immunology, including anti-viral mRNA vaccines (Institute for Virology and Immunoprophylaxis, Switzerland) and dendritic cells (Center of Immunology Marseille-Luminy, France; Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, USA).

Maurizio is the co-author of over 60 scientific publications and holds several patents. Along the way, he has spoken at numerous scientific, industry, and inspirational events including TEDx.