Progress through research

Brink is a graduate in economy from UCL in Denmark. He has 9 years of experience from international banking, he has been involved in the establishment of several large companies and holds several board positions. Brink was hired as COO of ACD Pharma in march 2021 too lead the company through commercialisation and the establishment of the company´s bacteriophage factory in Lofoten.

Yang Shen is an internationally recognized expert in the phage community, known for his 16+ years’ experience in research and development of phage-based antimicrobials as diagnostic and therapeutic agents. He began his academic career at University of Maryland College Park, then continued as a high-power scientist and group leader at ETH Zurich, where he led groundbreaking projects in diagnostic phage toolkit development for foodborne pathogens and unravelling phage targeting mechanisms in atomic resolution, and lead optimization for pre-clinical development.  

Andreassen has a background from Tufts University in Boston, where she, as Associate Director of Biomedical Engineering, established TUCCA, a Centre of Excellence for interdisciplinary research and development. Prior to this, she spent three years as a doctoral researcher at Nofima, where she researched sustainable production of proteins and bioactive peptides for use in biological production. She holds a PhD from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo and a master’s degree in molecular and cancer biology from the university’s Faculty of Biosciences.

Bårdsen has been with ACD Pharma since graduating as a microbiologist in 2013. He is a “jack of all trades” in the laboratory, with the emphasis on testing new methods and isolating new bacteriophages.
Bårdsen holds an MSc in microbiology, having studied at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.

Kileng studied molecular biology at The University of Bergen and did his PhD at UiT The Arctic University of Norway on the interaction between the immune system in Atlantic salmon and the ISA virus. As a post doctor at Nofima he researched similar interactions between the immune system in Atlantic cod and the Nodavirus.

Pas joined the Leknes department as an R&D Scientist in February 2025. She specializes in bacteriophage research, with a focus on antimicrobial resistance solutions. Pas earned her Master’s degree from Ghent University, where she also completed her PhD in the Laboratory of Applied Biotechnology. Her research explored engineering strategies for phages and phage tail-like bacteriocins to combat the antimicrobial resistance crisis.

Ingrid Støtvig joined the ACD Pharma research team in 2022. She has a Master of Science in biomedicine from UiT The Arctic University of Norway. She is knowledgeable in molecular methods and applied medical genetics.

Md Sabuj Hosen serves as a Lab Engineer at ACD Pharmaceuticals AS, specializing in phage biology and molecular techniques. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology from Jessore University of Science and Technology in Bangladesh and a Master of Science in Molecular Environmental Biology from UiT The Arctic University of Norway. With his strong background in molecular and phage research, Md Sabuj Hosen concentrates on advancing laboratory processes involving bacteriophages, contributing to innovative biotechnology solutions.

Hannah has a Master of Science in biotechnology from The Norwegian University of Life Sciences and worked for Oslo University Hospital before joining ACD Pharma in december 2022. She is experienced in several molecular-biologic og biochemical methods.

Damgaard has a Master of Science in Biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Southern Denmark. He has worked on multiple projects focusing on both bacteriophage isolation, bacteriophage characterisation and bacterial defence mechanisms against bacteriophage infections. He joined ACD Pharma as a research engineer in August 2023, and works on the screening process, analysis, and development of bacteriophage-based products.