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Sanda Ljubicic

Director, Scientific Engagement, Cardiometabolic - Geneva, Switzerland

415-882-27921

Dr. Sanda Ljubicic leads the cardiometabolic therapeutic area for the Scientific Engagement team at Labcorp. She provides scientific expertise to build cardiometabolic biomarker strategies for the development of clinical programs, optimal biomarker test selection, characterization and development, leveraging the broad capabilities of the Labcorp laboratory network across multiple therapeutic indications, including diabetes, obesity and chronic weight management, cardiovascular diseases, fatty liver diseases and MASLD/MASH and renal diseases. Sanda also supports biomarkers in the field of cell and gene therapies, as well as rare diseases.

Dr. Ljubicic brings more than 15 years experience of combined drug discovery, preclinical drug development, translational medicine and clinical trial experience in the cardiometabolic field. Sanda possesses a PhD in Life Sciences with specialization in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and has a certificate in Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products from the University of Lausanne. She completed her first postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Institute in Boston and the second at the University of Geneva.

Area of expertise: Cardiovascular Disease, Clinical Trials, Endocrinology

Notable Roles:

1. AFA Annual Prize for Innovations and Initiatives: Women in Science 2020, Belgrade, Serbia

2. Alex-F Muller Award (Faculty of Medicine) for the Best Publication in 2019: Prize acquired as co-recipient for the paper: S100A9 extends lifespan in insulin deficiency (Nature Communications, 2019), Geneva, Switzerland

3. Bo and Kerstin Hjelt Foundation: 2017, Geneva, Switzerland

Funding acquired as co-recipient in the type II diabetes field

4. Gertrude Von Meissner Foundation: 2017, Geneva, Switzerland

Funding acquired as a co-recipient in the field of type I diabetes and insulin deficiency in children and adolescents

5. Swiss CTI funding – Commission for Technology and Innovation:  2015, Geneva, Switzerland

Funding acquired in Geneva Biotech in the diabetes field in collaboration with Prof. Pierre Maechler (at the University of Geneva)

6. Swiss National Foundation grant for Research for advanced investigators: 2012 – 2013

Funding acquired in the pancreatic islets biology field

7. Swiss National Foundation grant for Research for young investigators: 2011 – 2012

Funding acquired in the pancreatic islet biology field

8. ERASMUS exchange program award for Bsc in Neurosciences at University Louis Pasteur: 2003 - 2004

Education: 

  • PhD, Life Sciences, Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, University of Lausanne
  • Msc, Biochemistry (Option: Neurosciences), University of Geneva
  • Bsc, Biochemistry, University of Geneva
  • Certificate of Advanced Studies in Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products, University of Lausanne