PharmTheon, an IOCB Tech translational research center, bridges the gap between fundamental scientific research and its practical applications in medicine, engineering, and biotechnology.
PharmTheon is part of IOCB Tech, the technology transfer office of the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
We support therapeutic development by integrating medicinal chemistry expertise including high-throughput screening, computational design, and pharmacological profiling with biophysical validation, functional assays, biomarker discovery, in vivo proof-of-concept models, and patient stratification.
We provide medicinal chemistry expertise, including high-throughput screening (HTS), in silico drug design and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies to accelerate drug discovery and optimization.
We assess the binding affinity, specificity, and mechanism of action of the therapeutic molecule (e.g., small molecule) to its target.
We evaluate the functional effects of the therapeutic compound or intervention using cell-based assays and/or animal models.
We identify and validate suitable biomarkers for monitoring therapeutic efficacy, optimizing dosing, and selecting appropriate patient populations, including early-stage or preclinical discovery.
We support translation of therapeutic innovations by assessing intellectual property opportunities and risks, establishing clear decision-making milestones, and upholding rigorous standards for assay quality and reliability.
We identify any patents or proprietary technologies that may interfere with or enhance specific aspects of the project.
We define and assess Go/No-Go (GNG) decision points, including the key data or milestones needed to determine whether the project should proceed, be modified, or be discontinued.
We ensure that all assays used to assess target engagement, functional activity, and therapeutic outcomes are properly validated, reproducible, and meet high-quality standards.
William Lee
Former Executive Vice President of Research at Gilead Sciences
James Lorens
Head of Oncology and a founding scientist at Rigel Pharmaceuticals Inc (RIGL)
Ursula Vogel
Executive Business & Corporate Development Advisor
Vít Perlík
Director of Regulatory Science and Clinical Development in Pharminvent
Štěpán Vyskočil
Former Takeda associated director and oncology medicinal chemist
David Smith
Former Open Innovation Programme at AstraZeneca
Petra Břehová
Head of laboratory
Medicinal Chemistry
Petr Špaček
Automation scientist
Medicinal Chemistry
Ondřej Štěpánek
Senior scientist
Medicinal Chemistry
Peter Urbanovský
Junior scientist
Medicinal Chemistry
Mbilo Misehe
Junior scientist
Medicinal Chemistry
Michal Rahm
Junior scientist
Medicinal Chemistry
Marijo Čičak
Junior scientist
Medicinal Chemistry
Michal Svoboda
Senior scientist
Biochemistry
Matúš Drexler
Automation scientist
Biochemistry
Ilona Kalasová
Senior scientist
Cell Biology
Oksana Tsyklauri
Senior scientist
In Vivo Biology
Veronika Biddle
Junior scientist
Cell Biology
Pavla Duspiva
Junior scientist
In Vivo Biology
Valeriia Kopytko
Research assistant / Lab manager
Biochemistry
Marion Wendenbaum
Research assistant
Cell Biology
IOCB Tech group transforms cutting-edge scientific discoveries emerging from basic research at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB), into real-world solutions by supporting the development of innovative research, fostering biotech entrepreneurship, and bridging the gap between the lab and market. Through commercialization, incubation, and public engagement, we help science grow into impactful technologies that benefit society.
🎄 PharmTheon Christmas vibes - science, lasagna & questionable gifts 🎄 As the year comes to an end, we learned one important thing at PharmTheon: great science runs best on good people, good food… and a healthy dose of humor. ✨ This Christmas, we celebrated: 1. 🍝 Our very first annual Lasagna Contest – 7 lasagnas, 7 personalities, 7 very different interpretations of what “lasagna” actually means (jury still divided). 2. 🍼 A sweet baby shower, reminding us that some projects truly take the longest timelines. 3. 🎁 A Secret Santa that was equal parts funny and insightful, featuring ⛳ a mini-golf toilet tournament (seriously), and 🍷 a wine glass perfectly calibrated for good day / bad day / “don’t even ask” levels (peer-reviewed, of course). Thank you to our amazing team for a year full of curiosity, collaboration, and laughter. Here’s to more discoveries, more shared meals, and possibly even more lasagne in 2026. Wishing everyone a joyful holiday season and a great start to the New Year! 🎄✨ #PharmTheon #TeamScience #LabLife #ChristmasAtWork #ScienceWithHumor
🧬 A Day in the Life of a Translational Research Center 🧬 At PharmTheon, no two days are ever the same, but they all share one thing - a drive to turn great science into real-world solutions. We’re a team of 18 scientists - 9 chemists and 9 biologists, working side by side in three bold projects: 1. Overcoming treatment limitations to enhance conventional therapies 2. Advancing innovative molecules to support next-generation immunotherapies 3. Designing optimized molecules for sharper and faster diagnostics What does that look like in real life? Scroll through the stunning behind-the-scenes photos by Jana Plavec, Czech Academy of Sciences. #PharmTheon #IOCBTech #TranslationalResearch #DrugDiscovery #Biotech #Innovation #AppliedResearch #ScienceToImpact #CzechScience
Happy to share that PharmTheon has launched its new website! We’re excited to showcase our mission, capabilities, and team in a fresh format. 🌐 Explore our work at: https://www.pharmtheon.cz/ #PharmTheon #TranslationalResearch #Innovation #DrugDevelopment #Science
