Our story
At 4TEEN4, we are committed to halting the devastating effects of shock and improving outcomes for critically ill patients. We are advancing our first-in-class monoclonal antibody, procizumab, designed to target a key driver of mortality in shock, circulating dipeptidyl peptidase 3 (cDPP3). This enzyme, while typically intracellular in a healthy state, moves into the bloodstream upon tissue injury and cell death. In the bloodstream, cDPP3 disrupts the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, leading to reduced vascular tone, hemodynamic instability and cardiovascular dysfunction. This can lead to multiple organ failure and death. By targeting cDPP3, we aim to revolutionize shock treatment, directly addressing a molecular cause instead of solely treating shock symptoms.
4TEEN4 is headquartered in Hennigsdorf, Germany, and was built on the groundbreaking discovery of cDPP3, a key driver and biomarker in shock. Our team was the first to uncover this pathological pathway and translate it into a therapeutic strategy that aims to improve survival in critically ill patients. By pairing this unique biological insight with deep expertise in cardiovascular research and drug development, we are advancing a targeted, pathophysiology-driven therapy designed to change the course of shock.
Experienced team
Our leadership team has an extensive track record covering all phases of drug development and commercialization, with deep experience from both pharma and biotech.
Management
Dr. Andreas Bergmann, CEO
Serial entrepreneur and former executive manager of Adrenomed AG, Sphingotec GmbH, and B•R•A•H•M•S (acquired by Thermo Fisher for $480M), where he developed procalcitonin, the golden standard biomarker test for sepsis. Throughout these positions, Andreas raised >$100M in equity financing for biotech companies at different stages of development, from early discovery to clinical development, to Pharma partnering. Andreas was born and raised in Berlin and loves international scientific exchange.
Dr. Karine Bourgeois, CSO
Karine has 15+ years of experience in biotech R&D. She is experienced in leading scientific, regulatory and drug production programs while directing cross-functional and multi-national teams. She established and currently coordinates a large network of key opinion leaders in critical care medicine. Karine holds a PhD from the University of Göttingen, has co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications and enjoys travelling and playing football.
Prof. Mahir Karakas, CMO
As CMO, Mahir is our link to medical practice. He holds the Professorship for translational research and innovative clinical trials at the University Medical Center Hamburg. He is a board-certified specialist in Cardiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine. As a former projectionist, he is still a big fan of arthouse cinema.
Dr. Joachim Struck, CRO
Joachim has more than 30 years of experience in non-clinical and clinical R&D as well as Intellectual Property Development in both diagnostics and pharmaceutical industries (B•R•A•H•M•S, Sphingotec GmbH, Adrenomed AG). Joachim is co-inventor of more than 50 patent families and has co-authored more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications.
Dr. Kilian von Seldeneck, CFO
Kilian brings 10+ years of executive experience in financial and operational management across industries. As CFO, he takes care of our numbers. Having started his career in consulting and banking, he entered the biotech world via the M&A side. Kilian is also a sworn auctioneer and enjoys contemporary art and porcelain.
Dr. Chris Springer, COO
Chris brings 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry as executive at AMGEN and Vifor Pharma where he held leading commercial and strategic positions. He was formerly Chief Strategy Officer at Vifor Pharma, where he was driving the growth strategy, creating value through in-house development and a series of licensing deals & acquisitions and ultimately the acquisition of Vifor Pharma by CSL (acquired by CSL for US$ 11.7bn). He is a Board member at various biotech companies including, Adrenomed, Nagi Bioscience, Quercis Pharma and HICT.
Dr. Peter Ruile, VP, Head of BD&L Pharma
Peter has 25 years of experience and a deal track record of ~ €2 bn. Prior to joining 4TEEN4 he was VP BD&L at Cardior and was crucial for the M&A by Novo Nordisk with a volume of about €1 bn in 2024. Before Cardior he was Operations Director of GPAAD at Helmholtz Zentrum München. Earlier he was Deputy Head BD and Senior Director of Innovation Capital at MorphoSys. Prior to MorphoSys he worked as COO at Ascenion. Peter started as Assistant Managing Director of GSF and soon became Managing Director of ITN.
Advisory board
Renke Lührs (Chair)
Partner at BUSE and a member of the Corporate Law and M&A practice group
Prof. Alexandre Mebazaa
Professor in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Université de Paris and head of the anesthesia and critical care department of the Saint Louis-Lariboisière - Fernand Widal University Hospitals. He is also the principal investigator of our clinical development program.
Dr. Gerald Möller
Former CEO of Boehringer Mannheim Group and former Head of Development and Strategic Marketing at Roche
Dr. Christoph Winterhalter
Chief Business Officer at AGC biologics
Dr. Ute Kilger
Partner at BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT Intellectual property Law Office
Thomas Krause
Managing Director at Brandenburg Kapital GmbH
Laurent Kirsch
Chief Operating Officer at Therabel Pharma
Dr. Marek Kozlowski
Senior Investment Director at NRW.Venture, Life Science Venture Capital arm of NRW.BANK
Hendrik Görlich
Managing Partner at Görlich Gruppe and Görlich GmbH & Co. 1. Biotech KG
