OUR TEAM
Carlos Villaescusa
CO-FOUNDER | CEO & CSO
Carlos Villaescusa is a stem cell biologist and R&D leader with over 20 years of international experience in regenerative medicine, developmental biology, and translational research. At Novo Nordisk Cell Therapy R&D, Carlos served as Head of Department and Research Project Director, guiding multidisciplinary teams and building collaborations that bridged science, CMC, and regulatory strategy.
He has led programs across cardiovascular, ophthalmology, hearing loss, and neurodegenerative diseases, advancing pluripotent stem cell–based therapies from discovery to preclinical development. Earlier in his career, he established and directed the Stem Cell and Organoid Core Facility at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, supporting both academic and industrial research in organoid and iPSC technologies. His expertise spans pluripotent stem cell biology, cell differentiation and assay development, and translational development of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs).
Driven by a commitment to accelerate the translation of cell-based innovations into therapies that improve patients’ lives, combining scientific depth with a pragmatic understanding of development and manufacturing realities.
Michael Wagner Christiansen
CO-FOUNDER | CTO
Michael Wagner Christiansen is a cell therapy development specialist with over a decade of experience bridging research, process development, and GMP manufacturing in the field of advanced therapies.
As Associate Project Director at Novo Nordisk Cell Therapy R&D, Michael has led cross-functional teams responsible for translating laboratory innovation into scalable, compliant, and clinically ready manufacturing processes. His expertise spans 2D & 3D process development, GMP manufacturing and facility requirements, with deep knowledge of regulatory interactions, CMC strategy planning, and technology transfer. Prior to joining Novo Nordisk, he held scientific and engineering roles in both R&D and manufacturing environments.
Combines scientific depth with a pragmatic, solutions-driven mindset, helping organizations navigate the complex interface between research and manufacturing to deliver robust, reproducible, and patient-ready cell therapy products.
Dmitry Penkov
SENIOR SCIENTIST | IPSC PLATFORM & FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS
Dmitry Penkov is a Senior Scientist with more than 15 years of experience developing human iPSC-based platforms for translational cell therapy. His expertise includes iPSC differentiation, functional genomics, CRISPR-based target validation, and cell-based assay development, including potency and release testing.
Hugo Åkerstrand
SENIOR SCIENTIST | CELL ANALYTICS & THERAPEUTIC DEVELOPMENT
Hugo Åkerstrand is a Senior Scientist with expertise in cell analytics, flow cytometry, cell culture, and analytical workflow development. His interests include assay optimization, automation, and computational analysis of cell-based data to support translational cell therapy. Hugo contributes to both the Analytics division and the company's therapeutic programmes, helping develop robust analytical solutions while advancing innovative cell therapy technologies toward clinical translation.
