Our team
Jeroen Elassaiss-Schaap, PhD
Jeroen Elassaiss-Schaap is a recognized expert in translational medicine and pharmacometric modeling. With a broad experience in modeling, team representation and senior advisory roles in medium to large pharmaceutical companies, he has worked in most therapeutic areas and on many different targets.
Jeroen founded PD-value in 2014, widening his scope from a big pharma background to the dynamic environment of biotech. The amazing variety of projects in the biotech realm is a real marvel and a continuous source of inspiration. Jeroen furthermore is active at Leiden University as a part-time research fellow, active in areas of physiological based modeling of brain pharmacokinetics, hypervariate modeling and systems modeling approaches.
Jeroen is a real team-player, having the best interest of the collective in mind while providing support from his expertise. Creative thinker, with the stamina to follow through or to push where needed.
Innovation and scientific progress, in the widest possible sense, is a passion also in the off hours when reading books. Jeroen loves to balance his head space by intensive practice of a form of martial arts, Shaolin Kempo.
Basak Tektemur-Altay, MBA, MSc
Basak Tektemur-Altay is the Director Systems Biology and Business Development at PD-value. She is responsible for overseeing the systems biology projects and coordinate business development and commercial activities. After working in a number of commercial roles in the life sciences industry, in 2014, Basak established SysBioSim B.V., a dedicated systems biology and simulations company, to bring systems biology services to the clients in a wide-range of life sciences sectors. She worked as the Founder & CEO at SysBioSim until the end of 2020 right before she joined PD-value. She is committed to bringing her expertise and know-how in the field to PD-value.
Basak has a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics where she obtained a solid scientific background and hands on research experience. Following her passion to join the life sciences industry and to pursue her entrepreneurial ambitions, she obtained an MBA and an MSc on International Business degrees. She brings expertise in business and life sciences as well as a relevant network in the industry, complementing the networks of the clinical and academic partners. She is both instigator and driver of innovation with a proven track-record. Her forte is the ability to bring together the ingredients to turn innovative ideas into business opportunities. Having business degrees and expertise that is built on a scientific background, Basak successfully commercializes emerging opportunities in science with an eye on the positive social impact. She has knowledge and expertise in all management aspects such as strategy, finance, business development and IP.
Basak enjoys spending time with family and friends. She is committed to her yoga exercises and is very enthusiastic about organic and sustainable food and products. She is a self-confessed coffee-lover, occasional futurist, AI and classical music enthusiast, a scientist at heart and a proud book-worm.
Monir Bertayli, PhD (candidate)
Monir Bertayli is a PK-PD consultant at PD-value. He has an MSc degree in biomedical sciences (VU Amsterdam) with specializations in cell biology and immunology. He performed his internships in the fields of oncology and immunology. Joining PD-value in March 2019 and starting his PhD in 2022 as part of the Horizon 2020 QSPainRelief project, he has gained valuable experience as a modeler.
Monir’s broad scientific knowledge ranging from immunology and oncology to pharmacokinetic drug interactions brings new insights to the PK-PD modeling team and helps to understand and apply various aspects of physiologically based PK-PD approaches. Monir is creative in finding solutions, eager to improve himself, and motivated by a strong curiosity.
Being a pharmacometrician allows him to achieve his main goal as a scientist, which is to contribute to the search for cures or prevention of disease. He is passionate about expanding his knowledge on health, disease, and the working mechanisms of drugs. Monir values the fact that his work is varied, allowing him to use his knowledge of different fields and simultaneously learn and explore new areas while also challenging his creativity.
Besides wanting to improve the health of others, Monir is also passionate about improving his own health through regular exercise, such as running and going to the gym, and having a healthy diet.
Anke Kip, PhD
Anke Kip is a PK-PD consultant at PD-value since March 2019. Anke holds a PhD in Clinical Pharmacology (NKI; Netherlands Cancer Institute) and has a background in molecular biology (Utrecht University). Her PhD research focussed on optimizing treatment regimens against leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease. Her PhD work encompassed many stages of (clinical) research including bio-analytical assay development/ validation, laboratory analysis of PK-PD samples and clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacometrics. After obtaining her PhD, she worked as a program manager at Lygature, where she supported different multistakeholder collaborations.
Anke is passionate about making sense of data and solving complex problems. At PD-value, Anke is most enthusiastic to integrate data of different pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo studies, both PK and PD, to increase insight and understanding of the compound being studied in translation to the clinic. Her specific interest is the modeling of PK-PD mechanisms, especially the immunomodulatory properties of drugs. The combination of science and pragmatism is something she values in her work as a PK-PD consultant.
Outside work, Anke enjoys creative projects, traveling, forest walks and food/drinks with friends and family.
Vincenzo Luca Di Iorio, MSc
Vincenzo Luca Di Iorio is a PK-PD consultant at PD-value since May 2019. Vincenzo has a MSc degree in Physics from the University of Padua (Italy) with a focus on computational cosmology. After his MSc program, he worked at GlaxoSmithKline at the Clinical pharmacokinetics & Modelling and Simulation department. Subsequently he worked as a PhD student at LACDR on the modeling of disease progression and pain response in neuropathic pain.
Vincenzo’s specific interest lies in the optimal design of experiments, mathematical and computational aspects of modelling and scientific research. At PD-value he is also co-responsible for the IT-infrastructure, such as data storage and back-up, with particular attention to data security and data confidentiality.
Vincenzo has extensive mathematical, coding (R, Nonmem, PopED etc) and general computer knowledge. He has a strong scientific curiosity in general, is meticulous and has attention to detail.
Also outside work, most of Vincenzo’s hobbies involve computers and/or coding in one way or another: playing old cRPG videogames and creating user modifications for them, playing chess (against computers), reading sci-fi novels and watching – mostly sci-fi – TV shows.
Csaba Katai, PhD
Csaba Katai joined PD-value in June 2021 after completing his PhD in Mathematics at Imperial College, London (ICL). He has a background in chemical engineering (University of Cambridge), aeronautical engineering (ICL) and fluid dynamics (ICL). During his PhD, he worked on asymptotically describing transitional and turbulent flows, such as the flow over surface roughness elements and the turbulent mixing layer. The asymptotic techniques learnt during his PhD allow one to systematically reduce complicated sets of differential equations and identify what physical effects become important in what part of the domain. Apart from fluid dynamics, the techniques have widespread applicability in physics, biology and engineering.
At PD-value, Csaba works with clients to construct mathematical models – preferably from first principles – that describe the underlying physical and biological processes. He is most enthusiastic about extracting essential physical effects from the problems. It includes finding the rate-limiting steps in chemical reaction networks, providing the conditions under which the quasi-steady state assumption can be made and resolving boundary-layer or stiff problems.
Csaba likes cooking, doing physical exercise, and has a growing interest in classics in his spare time.
Lorenzo Cifelli, MSc
Lorenzo joined PD-value in 2023 as a Statistical Modeler after completing his MSc in Statistical Science (Università di Padova), bringing him a wealth of expertise in data analysis and statistics. With a keen interest in probabilistic modeling, Lorenzo finds his niche in crafting solutions for complex data analysis problems. This passion brought him to the completion of a master’s thesis on an innovative clustering algorithm for Single-cell RNA sequencing data based on a Bayesian nonparametric model. Lorenzo is also enthusiastic about coding. He mainly adopts R for data handling and statistical analysis, and when he needs more speed he implements his procedures in C++.
Joining the world of pharmacometrics as part of PD-value has been an exciting new chapter for Lorenzo. He’s eager to expand his analytical toolkit and make meaningful contributions in this specialized field, aligning perfectly with his aspiration to make a meaningful impact on public health. Through his analytical skills, which range from statistical inference to data mining, Lorenzo hopes to translate data into actionable insights that positively impact the well-being of individuals.
Beyond the world of data, Lorenzo is an avid sports enthusiast, particularly enjoying cycling and football. He finds peace in nature. Whether hiking or biking in his Italian home mountains, he relishes the calm atmosphere but also the adventures they may offer. An explorer at heart, he pairs his love for travel with enjoying delicious dishes in company of his family and friends.
Zeyar Mohammed Ali, PhD
Zeyar is a PK-PD modeler at PD-value. With a background in pharmacy, and years of service as both a hospital and a clinical pharmacist, Zeyar’s journey into the realm of pharmaceutical science and drug discovery has been driven by his passion for research and academia. His commitment to advancing his knowledge led him to complete an MSc degree, facilitated by his reception of the prestigious Chevening Scholarship. Furthering his academic pursuits, Zeyar is currently in the final stages of his doctoral program in Pharmacometrics at the University of Barcelona. His research focuses on personalized dosing strategies for tacrolimus in renal transplant patients, reflecting his dedication to improving the lives of those in need.
Zeyar’s commitment to public health extends beyond the laboratory. He has a history of activism with various non-governmental organizations, dedicating his time and efforts to raising awareness and funds for cancer patients and those less fortunate.
In addition to his professional and humanitarian endeavors, Zeyar possesses a deep curiosity about the world and a love for cultural exploration. This multifaceted approach to life reflects his commitment to personal growth.
Yunjiao Wu, PhD (candidate)
Yunjiao Wu joined PD-value in March 2024 as a PK-PD modeler. She has a background in pharmacy and clinical pharmacometrics, with a particular focus on pediatric dosage improvement. She is currently finalizing her PhD at the Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR) of Leiden University. Her doctoral research involves optimizing dosing regimens for preterm neonates by developing population pharmacokinetic (popPK) models and modeling the maturation of glomerular filtration rate and several hepatic elimination pathways. This work extend dosage extrapolation methods from adults to (pre)term neonates. Yunjiao is passionate about her role as a consultant at PD-Value. She finds great satisfaction in applying her expertise to solve complex pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic challenges, contributing to the drug development process. The collaborative and dynamic environment at PD-value allows her to learn and innovate continuously.
In her free time, Yunjiao enjoys reading and watching movies. She is also an avid sports enthusiast who likes swimming, yoga, and hiking. She also likes to try new activities, especially those that offer unique perspectives and enriching life experiences.
Manon Berns, PhD
Manon Berns joined PD-value as a systems biology modeler in May 2024. She has a strong interest in applying models to investigate the dynamics of biological systems. During her PhD (University of Copenhagen), she developed several mathematical models to describe the molecular mechanisms of neurotransmitter release. She enjoyed translating experimental observations to theory, which she subsequently rewrote into mathematical models. Because of the high molecular detail she incorporated in her models, the models can be used to test the effect of disease mutations on neuronal transmission. Manon obtained the biological knowledge required to interpret experimental results during her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science (Radboud University) and Master’s in Neurosciences (Vrije universiteit Amsterdam). Next to that, she also holds a Master’s in Bioinformatics & Systems Biology (Vrije universiteit Amsterdam). During this Master, she developed her passion for mathematical modeling.
Manon likes to use her abstract and logical thinking to develop and analyze mathematical models. She sees mathematical models as a unique framework for testing how different pieces of information fit together quantitatively. Through modeling, she aims to better understand the complex dynamics of biological systems, and how these might be influenced by various perturbations, such as drug application.
In her spare time Manon likes to go for long walks in the forest and play squash. When she has had enough activity for the day, Manon also likes to paint and play board games.
Want to know more?
For further introductions or to explore avenues of collaboration, please send an e-mail to jeroen@pd-value.com or see the contact page for other communication options.