Meet the LifeScience ORG CEO
Juliane Bernholz - AM-Pharma
What is your personal story of how you ended up in the life sciences?
When I was growing up, my father – who was an economist – went on sabbaticals to the U.S. every four years, and we would travel with him. That meant I attended elementary, middle school, and high school there. At school, I always felt an affinity towards mathematics and enjoyed complex problem-solving in subjects like physics and chemistry.
On one of my father’s sabbaticals, around 1982, we lived in Palo Alto where I attended Palo Alto High School. It was at a time when Silicon Valley was booming, and I met students from Stanford University and witnessed firsthand the innovation permeating the region, from physics accelerators to growing startups.
Being exposed to the dynamics between science and entrepreneurship left a lasting impression on me. When I returned to Switzerland, I became fascinated with the growing and vibrant biotech scene in Basel and the groundbreaking work of Nobel laureate Werner Arber.
At the time, the new Biocenter in Basel had been founded with a focus on progressive research. It echoed the innovation, entrepreneurship, and startup spirit that I had experienced in California, which further fueled my passion for the life sciences.
I became increasingly fascinated with human and animal development and started studying molecular biology, genetics, and cell biology to understand more about how diseases affect humans and how we can combat them.
Although academia offered a straightforward career path as well, I decided to go into the pharmaceutical industry where I felt I could directly apply my scientific knowledge to help develop medications and aid patients faster.
Throughout my career, I have witnessed the positive impact of my contributions on peoples’ lives, which has been immensely fulfilling and drives my continuous commitment to advancing pharmaceutical solutions for patients.
As CEO, I have room to grow even further and can strive to maximize the benefits to society by leveraging science to improve healthcare outcomes. Ultimately, my journey has been driven by my dedication to translating scientific knowledge into tangible benefits for individuals and society.
Can you give some examples of when your contributions to drug development helped improve patients' lives?
While I was working at Novartis, I had an opportunity to join Actelion, which was a fledgling startup at the time. Around 30 individuals were working there and it was located conveniently close to Basel, which was perfect for me, as I was pregnant with my second child.
My dream of working for a startup had been growing since experiencing entrepreneurship in California and the job at Actelion fulfilled that dream.
At the time, Actelion was focused on developing Bosentan, an endothelin receptor antagonist licensed from Roche, for pulmonary hypertension. The drug yielded promising results and within three years, it received FDA approval and Actelion became profitable very quickly.
Bosentan markedly improved the quality of life for patients. Before its approval, pulmonary hypertension patients relied on a single compound administered via a catheter and requiring cooling systems, which greatly impacted their quality of life and didn't even significantly alter the course of the disease.
Bosentan, in contrast, comes in the form of a small tablet and offers a different mechanism of action. It allows patients to live longer and improves their quality of life. This breakthrough was truly transformative and impactful for me. Working in a startup fulfilled a dream, but making a tangible difference in patients’ lives was truly gratifying.
Back at Novartis, I spearheaded the U.S. registration of the TOBI Podhaler, an inhaled antibiotic for cystic fibrosis patients. While a nebulized therapy was already available, patients were forced to sit and do the inhalation for hours. At the same time, this therapy had to be refrigerated, which meant that patients were forced to stay in their homes.
The TOBI Podhaler uses a dry powder. You may think it’s only a small incremental step – I did at the time – but it greatly changed the lives of cystic fibrosis patients, as was documented in letters we received from the patients. They needed less than ten minutes to do the inhalation. The drug doesn’t require refrigeration, so patients can take the medication with them.
The Podhaler’s convenience advanced patient care and showed me our work made a tangible difference in enhancing the lives of cystic fibrosis patients.
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