Stefan Schmidt, is currently CEO at evitria AG, a company dedicated to antibody discovery services in Zürich after leading operations at BioAtrium AG, a joint venture of Lonza and Sanofi in Visp, Switzerland as COO. Previously he was CSO and held other senior executive roles at Rentschler Biopharma, Germany with overall responsibilities for biologics development and manufacturing. Before that, he was CSO at ERA Biotech in Barcelona, Spain, directing the company’s R&D efforts based on fusion proteins. Prior to that, he worked at AstraZeneca in Sweden where he led Protein Sciences within Global Protein Science & Supply as Associate Director. He started his leadership career more than 25 years ago at Biotech companies in Munich, Germany where he built up protein biochemistry teams for Connex and GPC-Biotech. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the Julius Maximilians University in Wuerzburg, Germany and an MBA from the University in Gävle, Sweden.

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Keynote Details

Monday 29 June

Symposium 1: Biopharmaceuticals, vaccines and bioprocessing

One Molecule to Heal Them All: The Evolution and Future of Antibody Medicines

Over the past three decades, antibody‑based therapeutics have transformed modern medicine. Since the approval of the first monoclonal antibody, Orthoclone® 30 years ago, these molecules have evolved from a groundbreaking innovation into the dominant force in biological drug development, entering the clinic and achieving regulatory approval at an unprecedented pace.
Yet the story of antibody medicines is no longer defined by classical immunoglobulins alone. Today, two rapidly expanding classes are reshaping the therapeutic landscape: bi‑ and multi-specific antibodies, which unlock entirely new modes of action, and antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), the sophisticated heirs to Paul Ehrlich’s original “magic bullet” concept. Between these categories lies a diverse ecosystem of antibody‑derived formats—from Fc‑fusion proteins to engineered fragments used in radioimmunotherapy and beyond—each designed to solve specific therapeutic challenges.
This keynote traces the remarkable evolution of antibody drugs, showcasing how decades of innovation have led to one of the most versatile and powerful therapeutic platforms in history. We will explore emerging mechanisms of action, the expanding spectrum of molecular designs, and the scientific and manufacturing challenges that accompany this rapid growth. Most importantly, we will examine how the next wave of antibody engineering is redefining the future of immunotherapy and bringing us closer to the vision of “one molecule to heal them all.”