Akasi Pharma

Walden Bjørn-Yoshimoto, PhD

CEO & Founder

Scientist turned entrepreneur with a proven ability to build teams, secure funding, and drive strategy in early-stage biotech. Walden founded and led an academic research group at the University of Copenhagen before leaving to focus on Akasi Pharma full-time, and has since taken the company from concept to spin-out while managing investor relations, IP negotiations, and business development. His entrepreneurial instincts are reflected in multiple competitive awards, including best pitch at the Nordic Innovation Fair and both panel and audience awards at the Nucleate Activator 2025. His scientific foundation is in molecular neuropharmacology and GPCR drug discovery, with a PhD from the University of Copenhagen, research stays at Harvard Medical School and the NIH, and numerous high-impact publications. As one of the inventors of the core IP, he brings both the scientific depth and the leadership drive needed to advance Akasi Pharma's programs toward the clinic.

Helena Safavi, PhD

CSO & Founder

One of the world's leading researchers in nature-inspired peptide pharmacology, with a particular focus on venom-derived compounds and their therapeutic potential. Helena is Associate Professor at the University of Utah, where she has built a research program spanning over 46 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact international journals. Her work has been recognised with more than a dozen awards and honors, and has attracted major funding from the NIH, the European Research Council, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and several other international bodies. She is named as inventor on multiple patents in the field of peptide drug discovery, including those directly underlying Akasi Pharma's pipeline of selective SSTR4 agonists for pain. Her research has been covered by the New York Times, Scientific American, The Atlantic, and Discover Magazine, among others. She co-founded Akasi Pharma to translate this scientific foundation into treatments for patients living with chronic pain.

Sophie Heiden Laugesen, PhD

COO

Biochemist and operations lead with a strong foundation in peptide drug discovery and GPCR pharmacology. Sophie trained at the University of Copenhagen, with research stints at the University of Utah and University of Gothenburg, and has contributed to publications in journals including Nature Chemical Biology. She has hands-on experience across diverse laboratory environments and played an integral role in establishing a new lab from the ground up. At Akasi Pharma, she combines this scientific depth with responsibility for operations and in-house research — ensuring the company runs effectively while staying close to the science.

Jessica Preston

Industrial postdoc

Clinical research specialist with deep expertise across the full trial lifecycle. Jessica brings 7+ years of experience in clinical trial execution, regulatory affairs, and GCP compliance from managing over 25 oncology and haematology trials at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center to directing multi-site metabolic disease studies at the University of Copenhagen. Her background spans both translational and clinical research, giving her a strong bench-to-bedside perspective.

Sara Hestehave, PhD

Preclinical pain advisor

Sara Hestehave is a translational pain researcher with experience across academia and industry, focused on improving the predictive value of preclinical pain models for drug discovery. She is Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen and previously held research roles at Lundbeck, University College London, and NYU, where her work centered on the sensory, functional, and affective dimensions of chronic pain. Trained as a veterinarian with a PhD in biomedical research, she brings deep expertise in preclinical pain pharmacology and translational model development for non-opioid analgesics.

Amol Patwardhan, PhD, MD

Clinical advisor

One of the few researchers in pain medicine who is equally at home in the laboratory and the clinic. Amol is Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where he runs an active translational research program and directs a multidisciplinary pain clinic specializing in pain management. He holds a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Texas Health Science Center and completed clinical training in anesthesiology at the University of Arizona and interventional pain medicine at UC San Diego. His research centers on identifying and validating non-opioid analgesic targets, supported by multiple active NIH grants. He has more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, over 3,000 citations, and has served on study sections for the NIH and the Department of Defense.

Kamilla Rolsted, PhD, MBA

Business development advisor

Serial entrepreneur and life science executive with more than 25 years of experience spanning drug discovery, strategy, and business development. Kamilla trained as a pharmacist before earning a PhD in bioanalysis from the University of Copenhagen and an executive MBA from Copenhagen Business School. She has held executive positions at Zealand Pharma and other Nordic biotech companies, and has been involved in securing more than $120 million in financing across her career. She currently serves as CEO of Eygo Bio and COO of Pephexia and advises Nordic biotech companies on strategy and fundraising.