Meet the brains behind AFFiRiS

Noel Barrett is a distinguished business leader in the field of vaccines. He has more than 30 years of experience in the vaccine and biologics industry, with management responsibilities covering the complete development process required to bring vaccine products to the market. In his prior position as Vice President Global Research and Development Vaccines at Baxter Healthcare, he led the development and licensure of Baxter’s FSME tick-borne encephalitis vaccine, Meningococcal C vaccine, and cell‑culture derived H5N1, H1N1, and seasonal influenza vaccines (Preflucel^®). His contribution to the Baxter scientific community was recognized with the title of Baxter Distinguished Scientist, the most prestigious scientific recognition within the company, and the Baxter Bioscience President’s Leadership Award.

Günther Staffler is Chief Technology Officer at AFFiRiS, where he is responsible for preclinical development and technology. Prior to his appointment to the executive board, Günther led the immunology department.

Before joining AFFiRiS, he held various positions at Intercell and Biovertis AG, which he co-founded. Günther completed his doctorate degree in biochemistry and immunology at the Institute of Immunology, University of Vienna, Austria and has authored many publications in international journals. He was awarded the ‘Förderungspreis’ from the Austrian Society of Chemistry in 1996 and the ‘Fritz and Ursula Melchers Preis’ from the Austrian Society of Immunology in 2003.

Rossella Medori brings more than 20 years of neuroscience expertise to AFFiRiS and has an extensive track record in successful CNS drug development. Before joining AFFiRiS, she led Prexton Therapeutics to a successful early exit, had key leadership roles at Biogen (including Vice President of Translational Neurology and Vice President of Late Clinical Development) and served in European and Global Medical leadership roles at Janssen-Cilag, BMS and Lilly. Rossella practiced as a Clinical Neurologist in Italy, the United States and Germany and held various academic positions at Case Western Reserve University, Washington University and Columbia University. The identification of the DNA mutations associated with different forms of muscular dystrophy and the description of a new prion disease called Fatal Familial Insomnia are among her most important scientific contributions.

Conny is the Head of Business Development, External Communications and Marketing. She is responsible for managing the company’s relations with the investment community and the media, as well as commercial planning. She has more than 20 years experience in various roles in marketing & sales in corporate environments as well as in consulting. She spent 15 years at Baxter’s vaccines unit, her last position being Senior Director Global Marketing with responsibility for worldwide sales of Baxter’s tick-borne encephalitis and meningococcal vaccines as well as the pre-launch management of pipeline products.
Conny earned her PhD in Pharmacology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany, and finished her postgraduate education in economics at the Technical University Munich, Germany.

Martina Hopitzan is Head of Finance & Administration and is mainly responsible for Accounting and Controlling. She has been a member of AFFiRiS since 2009 and previously gained multiple years of experience in the biotech/high-tech sector at companies such as Intercell. She holds a degree in Controlling and is a Certified Accountant.

Gerald’s educational background is in analytical chemistry. He has longstanding experience in Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and regulatory processes. Gerald has been certified as a Qualified Person by the Austrian regulatory authorities since 2011. Before joining AFFiRiS, Gerald worked for many years in various Quality Control, Quality Assurance, and Operational Excellence functions at the Vienna-based manufacturing sites of Baxter AG and Intervet GesmbH (MSD Animal Health).

Alexandra is a trained psychiatrist. She has longstanding experience as a clinical investigator in the field of neurodegeneration. During a post-doctoral position at the Brain Research Center in Vienna, her research focused on various aspects of neuroimmunology in multiple sclerosis. Before joining AFFiRiS, Alexandra worked for many years as a researcher and clinician at the Medical University of Vienna. She has several years of experience as a consultant and contractor for the pharmaceutical industry in CNS indications.