About us – leadXpro

leadXpro

“We unlock tomorrow’s medicines together, better, faster.”

At leadXpro, we are committed to accelerating the discovery of life-changing medicines. Driven by our passion for innovation and cutting-edge science, we specialize in structure-based drug discovery, with a laser focus on membrane proteins. Working together with our clients, we aim to transform our science into therapies—better and faster.

Core Expertise

Our expertise lies in unlocking the potential of membrane proteins, important yet challenging targets in drug discovery. Through advanced methods such as CryoEM, time resolved X-ray crystallography, and ultra-large virtual screening, we provide a comprehensive platform to support pharmaceutical innovation. From early-stage discovery to lead optimization, we empower researchers to accelerate breakthroughs in medicine.

Track Record

Over 10 years of experience in structure-based drug discovery.
Delivering Swiss quality over 10 years of experience in structure-based drug discovery.
Successfully collaborated on 150+ projects on over 90 different membrane proteins with leading biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
Published in top-tier scientific journals, advancing the field of membrane protein research.

Philosophy

At the heart of our work is a commitment to collaboration, excellence, and innovation. We believe success is a shared journey, driven by open communication and diverse perspectives. With unwavering determination, we embrace scientific challenges to deliver impactful results and build lasting partnerships. Excellence is our standard, achieved through continuous improvement, persistence, and precision. By fostering a mindset of innovation and challenging the status quo, we turn scientific discoveries into transformative applications. Together, we strive to make a meaningful impact on structure-based drug discovery for membrane proteins.

Team

Our state-of-the-art labs

Our new, state-of-the-art lab, opened in 2024 at Park Innovaare in Villigen, Switzerland, is equipped to support cutting-edge research in protein expression and purification, biophysical assays, crystallization, and grid freezing. With advanced facilities and the latest technologies, we provide a fully integrated environment that accelerates every stage of your research and drug discovery process. Our lab is designed for high throughput and precision, ensuring reliable, high-quality results for your most demanding projects.

Founders

Gebhard Schertler

Expert, Membrane Protein Science

Biochemist, department head BIO and member of the Directorial Board of the Paul Scherrer Institue PSI

Michael Hennig

CEO and Chairman of the Board

Structural biologist and senior drug discovery executive. Previously, global leader discovery technologies at Roche.

More

After his PhD at the EMBL Hamburg and a postdoc at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel Michael Hennig looks back to 20 years of drug discovery expertise in structural biology and research management at F. Hoffmann – La Roche AG Basel. Helped deliver Tamiflu, Fortovase, Xenical, Carmegliptin, Aleglitazar and is author of more than 70 articles and 8 patents. He holds a professorship position for structural biology at the University of Basel.

Rafael Abela

Technology Expert, Board Member

Physicist at the PSI, scientific project leader for the SLS and SwissFEL projects.

Board of Directors

Michael Milos

Board Member

Molecular Biologist, life-cycle management in drug development at Actelion, project management at Vaxxilon and co-founder of AVANTECA Partners.

John Millard

Board Member

Chemical engineering, MBA at London Business School, positions at BP, ABB, Enron and other companies, co-founder of two companies. Since 2018 Head of Technology Transfer Management at PSI.

Andreas Insam

Board Member

Doctor in political economics, University of Innsbruck. Previously CEO of Bendura Bank, previously Board member of LGT Bank.

More

Dr. Insam holds the qualification Dr. rer. soc. oec. from the University of Innsbruck. He was CEO of BENDURA BANK AG since it was founded in 1998 until his retirement in 2020. He was a long-standing member of the Board of Managers of LGT Bank in Liechtenstein (Frankfurt) GmbH, responsible for the Institutional Sales division. After he obtained his doctorate in Business Administration, he served as Research Assistant at the University of Innsbruck’s Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, and later became Assistant to the Executive Board of LGT Bank in Liechtenstein. Andreas Insam has been a lecturer and examiner at the University of Liechtenstein for many years.

Michael Hennig as Chairman of the Board
Rafael Abela as Board Member