About

Addressing the critical needs of immunocompromised patients

Company Overview

Aicuris is at the forefront of developing innovative therapies to protect individuals with weakened immune systems from life-threatening infections. We are addressing the growing global challenge of immunodeficiency by delivering breakthrough treatments that make a tangible difference for patients in need. Our profound expertise and track-record of transforming scientific innovation into impactful therapies has enabled us to build a robust pipeline, including the late-stage candidate pritelivir, which targets recurrent and resistant HSV infections in vulnerable patient populations. At Aicuris, we combine deep scientific knowledge with a patient-first mindset, striving to redefine the future of infection prevention and treatment.
About Company Overview Circle Logo

Team

Aicuris is led by an experienced management team. At the company’s heart is a group of scientists who bring extensive international experience in drug discovery and development, and know-how gained from working at both large and small pharmaceutical companies.

Executive Board

About Executive Board Larry Edwards

LARRY EDWARDS

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

About Executive Board Sabrina Kuttruff Coqui

SABRINA KUTTRUFF-COQUI, PHD

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

About Executive Board Cynthia Wat

CYNTHIA WAT, MD

Chief Medical Officer

About Executive Board Jacques Dumas

JACQUES DUMAS, PHD

Chief Scientific Officer

Leadership Team

About Team Ilona Arnold

ILONA ARNOLD

Vice President Finance Operations

About Team Alexander Birkmann

ALEXANDER BIRKMANN, PHD

Vice President Virology and
HSV Platform

About Team Helmut Buschmann

HELMUT BUSCHMANN, PHD

Vice President CMC & IP

About Team Daniela Boshoven

DANIELA BOSHOVEN

Director Human Resources

About Team Thomas Deszeri

THOMAS DESZERI

Director IT

About Team Herath Dilruwan

DILRUWAN CHAMINDA HERATH, MD

Senior Director Clinical Development

About Team Gerrit Van Dyken

GERRIT VAN DYKEN

Senior Director Legal/
General Counsel

About Team Bernhard Irlinger

BERNHARD IRLINGER, PHD

Director Quality Assurance

About Team Dirk Kropeit

DIRK KROPEIT, MD

Senior Director Early Clinical Development

About Team Kenneth Lawrence

KENNETH LAWRENCE

Senior Vice President Medical Affairs

About Team Bernhard Lesch

BERNHARD LESCH

Director Medicial Chemistry

About Team Peter Lischka

PETER LISCHKA, PHD

Senior Director Virology

About Team Alessandra Marini

ALESSANDRA MARINI, MD

Medical Director

About Team Katharina Nothelfer

KATHARINA NOTHELFER, PHD

Director Strategic Communication

About Team Thomas Ouellette

THOMAS OUELLETTE

Vice President Operations

About Team Xavier Prugnard

XAVIER PRUGNARD

Vice President Regulatory Affairs

About Team Melanie Sumner

MELANIE SUMNER

Project Director

About Team Andreas Urban

ANDREAS URBAN, PHD

Senior Director Virology

Supervisory Board

About Supervisory Board Stefan Oschmann

STEFAN OSCHMANN, PHD

Chairman

About Supervisory Board Helmut Jeggle

HELMUT JEGGLE

Founder and Managing Partner
Salvia GmbH

About Supervisory Board Helga Rubsamen‐schaeff

PROF. HELGA RÜBSAMEN‐SCHAEFF, PHD

Founding CEO of Aicuris

About Supervisory Board Sean Marett

SEAN MARETT

Former CBO and CCO
BioNTech SE

Executive Board
About Executive Board Larry Edwards
Executive Board

Larry Edwards

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Larry Edwards joined Aicuris in 2023, bringing over 20 years of expertise in financing and business development within the U.S.-based biotech and pharmaceutical sector. Most recently, he served as CEO of La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company (LJPC), where his strategic leadership drove the company to profitability and ultimately led to its acquisition by Innoviva with an 84% premium. Prior to this, Larry was CEO of Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TTPH), where he spearheaded the U.S. and global launch of XERAVA®, before guiding the company’s acquisition by LJPC.

Earlier in this career, he led the global commercialization strategies for the launch of ZERBAXA® at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, prior to its acquisition by U.S. Merck. Larry started his career at U.S. Merck, where he held various U.S. and global commercial leadership roles. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at Clarametyx Biosciences and Utility Therapeutics.

Executive Board
About Executive Board Sabrina Kuttruff Coqui
Executive Board

Sabrina Kuttruff-Coqui, PhD

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Sabrina Kuttruff-Coqui joined Aicuris in 2022 with over 10 years of R&D and business leadership experience. Prior to her current role, she served as Vice President of Business Planning and Portfolio Strategy at Immatics N.V., where she developed the company’s strategic plan and managed communications with the Board of Directors, investors, and analysts. Before, Sabrina led Immatics’ Business Planning and Capital Markets as well as Risk Management teams, playing a pivotal role in the SPAC merger between Immatics and Arya, which raised over $245 million in PIPE financing and facilitated the company’s NASDAQ listing.

Earlier in her career, Sabrina served as the development lead for Immatics’ flagship asset, contributing to the establishment of its U.S. subsidiary from the Houston office. Her international, intercultural, and multidisciplinary experience continues to guide her leadership and drive in R&D execution.

Executive Board
About Executive Board Cynthia Wat
Executive Board

Cynthia Wat, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Cynthia Wat joined Aicuris in 2024, bringing over 25 years of global drug development experience to the company. Previously, she served as a Pharmaceutical Consultant and Director at ID Pharma Consultancy Ltd. Throughout her career, Cynthia has held leadership roles at Roche, where she contributed to the development of licensed products such as Fuzeon®, Pegasys®, and Tamiflu®.

A recognized expert in infectious diseases and hepatitis, Cynthia has a proven track record in designing and implementing innovative clinical trial strategies for chronic Hepatitis B, COVID-19, and other respiratory viruses. Her expertise spans a wide range of therapeutic modalities, including small molecules, biologics, RNA therapeutics such as antisense oligonucleotides, and predictive biomarker research.

Cynthia is also an experienced collaborator with health authorities, having provided expert recommendations to organizations such as NICE and other regulatory bodies through her involvement with the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine.

Executive Board
About Executive Board Jacques Dumas
Executive Board

Jacques Dumas, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer

Jacques Dumas joined Aicuris in 2024, bringing over 30 years of experience in pharmaceutical R&D across infectious diseases and oncology. Jacques has a proven track record of driving novel medicines from discovery to launch including non-clinical development and CMC.

He previously served as Chief Scientific Officer at Arrakis Therapeutics, leading R&D efforts and scaling the organization to support collaborations with Roche and Amgen. Prior to that, he was Chief Scientific Officer at Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: TTPH), where he led drug discovery, preclinical development and commercial manufacturing, contributing to the approval of XERAVA®, a tetracycline antibacterial. Early in his career, Jacques spent 15 years at Bayer Healthcare, with a focus in Medicinal Chemistry, where he co-invented two marketed oncology drugs, Nexavar® and Stivarga®.

Supervisory Board

About Supervisory Board Stefan Oschmann

Supervisory Board

Stefan Oschmann, PhD

Chairman

Stefan Oschmann is a German business executive, who served as CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA from April 2016 to April 2021. Prior to becoming CEO, Stefan served as Vice Chairman and Deputy CEO. Stefan joined Merck in 2011 as a member of the Executive Board, where he led the Healthcare business sector until the end of 2014. In his role, he transformed the biopharma business by optimizing cost structures and enhancing R&D efficiency through a targeted portfolio prioritization strategy. Before joining Merck, Stefan spent a significant part of his career at MSD (Merck & Co., Inc. in the U.S.), where he held a series of senior executive positions. He started his career at a United Nations agency and worked for the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI).

Stefan currently holds multiple board and advisory roles, including Chairman of the Board at UCB, Member of the Board of Trustees at the Josef Schörghuber Foundation, Vice President at the National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), and Member of the Supervisory Board at Springer Nature AG & Co. KGaA.

Supervisory Board

About Supervisory Board Helmut Jeggle

Supervisory Board

Helmut Jeggle

Founder and Managing Partner Salvia GmbH

Helmut Jeggle is the Founder and Managing Partner of Salvia GmbH, a position he held since 2014, where he serves as a business angel and venture capital investor. Prior to this, Helmut was General Partner at ATHOS KG, the Struengmann Family Office, from 2015 until April 2021. From 2007 until 2015, he served as Head of Direct Investments of ATHOS Service GmbH. Before joining ATHOS, Helmut held various positions at Hexal AG, including Head of Business Planning & Analyses. He currently serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board at BioNTech SE and is a member of numerous supervisory boards, including 4SC AG. Helmut holds a degree in business administration from the University of Applied Sciences Neu-Ulm and earned his Master of Business Administration from the Stuttgart Institute of Management and Technology.

Supervisory Board

About Supervisory Board Helga Rubsamen‐schaeff

Supervisory Board

Prof. Helga Rübsamen‐Schaeff, PhD

Founding CEO of Aicuris

Helga Rübsamen-Schaeff founded Aicuris in 2006 as a spin-off from the infectious disease unit of Bayer HealthCare, which she had been leading since 1994. She led Aicuris as CEO until March 2015, after which she assumed the chair of Aicuris’ Scientific Advisory Board. Before her time at Bayer, she held the position of scientific and executive director at the Chemotherapeutical Research Institute Georg-Speyer-Haus in Frankfurt. A chemist by training, Helga was awarded the venia legendi from the University of Frankfurt and has held a professorship in biochemistry since 1988.

Throughout her career, she has contributed to numerous high-profile committees, including the Senate of the Fraunhofer Society, the University Council of the University of Vienna and the Jury for the Innovation Prize of the German President of State or the Scientific Panel for Health under the Horizon 2020 program of the EU. Currently, she is a member of the board of partners of E. Merck KG and chairs its research council, and she is a member of the supervisory board of Merck KGaA. She also is a member of the National Academy of Science, Leopoldina. Helga has been awarded numerous scientific and management prizes.

Supervisory Board

About Supervisory Board Sean Marett

Supervisory Board

Sean Marett
Former CBO and CCO BioNTech SE

Sean Marett joined BioNTech SE in 2012 as Chief Business and Chief Commercial Officer, a position he held until his retirement in 2024. Prior to joining BioNTech, he worked in global strategic and regional marketing and sales roles at GlaxoSmithKline in the United States and Pfizer in Europe. He then transitioned to business development executive roles at Evotec and Lorantis (later acquired by Celldex Therapeutics, Inc). During his tenure at BioNTech, Sean was instrumental in licensing transactions, acquisitions and fundraising efforts that brought in $1.5 billion in capital for the company. Whilst at BioNTech, Sean has been Chairman of PHMR Ltd, a company specializing in market access and pharmaceutical reimbursement (sold to UDG Healthcare) and was non-executive director of KWS BioTest Ltd (sold to Charles River). He holds a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from Kings College London and an MBA from Manchester Business School.