Dr. Nadine Biesemann:
Team Science

Building breakthroughs across borders and disciplines

Frankfurt-based Dr. Nadine Biesemann, Distinguished Scientist and Section Head for Immunology Research at Sanofi, reflects on how collaborative approaches and diverse perspectives accelerate medical innovation.

When I joined Sanofi as a postdoctoral researcher in 2014, I only had assumptions of what the pharmaceutical industry research would look like. I had completed my doctorate at the prestigious Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research. I faced that classic crossroads many scientists encounter: continue in academia or venture into industry?

My childhood inclination to heal people, reinforced by family experiences with serious illness, had already set me on a path toward medicine. "When you want to have an impact and help a lot of people, you should develop drugs and medicines," I remember thinking. This conviction led me to study biomedical chemistry – a multidisciplinary field combining elements of medicine, pharmacy, chemistry, and biology that unknowingly prepared me for my current cross-functional roles.

The bridge from academia to industry

The Max Planck Institute provided an incredible academic foundation. It was a vibrant, international environment with about 20 different nationalities represented. The research was cutting-edge, albeit with the familiar academic frustrations of publishing pressures.

When I spotted Sanofi's advertisement for a postdoctoral position, I applied with modest expectations. I had a clear path forward in academia, and many would have bet money that I would stay there. The interview surprised me – the Sanofi interviewers were refreshingly honest and collaborative, even asking whether I was sure about this career move. Their authenticity resonated with me.

What started as an experiment has evolved into a deeply fulfilling career. After beginning as a postdoc working on aging and skeletal muscle function, I navigated a restructuring that shifted our focus to immunology. 

Simultaneously, I received an offer to lead my own lab and small team – my first leadership opportunity. This parallel development of scientific expertise and management skills has characterized my journey.

The power of diverse perspectives

Today, I lead a team of 25 scientists working across multiple immunology projects, from early-stage research through clinical development. What energizes me most is the diversity within this group – we've intentionally built a team with an equal gender split, and equally balanced between German and international scientists.

We have young talents from academia and very experienced pharma people. I love bringing them together and seeing how they inspire and learn from each other.

This commitment to diverse thinking extends beyond demographics. In developing breakthrough therapies, I've found that success depends on integrating multiple scientific perspectives. When leading global project teams, I focus on creating environments where different experts feel empowered to speak up – even when their views challenge the consensus.

For me, feedback and criticism are natural – you can only learn from hearing different opinions and being challenged. This mindset partly comes from my background as a competitive karate athlete – I competed at the national level in Germany until a disc injury at age 17 ended my sports career. 

Cross-border collaboration accelerates innovation

Perhaps the most transformative experience in my Sanofi career came in 2021, when I spent six months at our Cambridge, Massachusetts site while maintaining leadership of my Frankfurt lab. This arrangement required early mornings to bridge the time difference, but the collaborative benefits far outweighed the challenges.

The ocean is vast at Sanofi. We work with global project teams, but the personal connection is the seed of innovation.

By physically relocating to Cambridge, I could foster those personal connections across continents. I embedded with a team focused on precision immunology – exploring how AI could help identify better targets and describe different patient populations more accurately. Meanwhile, I brought drug discovery expertise to colleagues primarily focused on understanding disease biology.

Upon returning to Germany, I found I could facilitate countless new interactions between the sites. I knew better who was doing what in a big company and who was an expert in different areas. This really helped both sides of the ocean.

Building Sanofi's immunology powerhouse

One of my proudest contributions has been helping build Sanofi's immunology capabilities from the ground up. When we started, we had virtually no immunology research presence. We began with a single project and initiated a collaboration with Ablynx (now part of Sanofi) around NANOBODY® development.

This cross-company collaboration flourished over several years. Today, some of those NANOBODIES® have progressed to clinical trials and are showing promising results.

This growth exemplifies how breakthrough therapies emerge from sustained collaboration. Developing innovative medicines requires navigating complex scientific and regulatory landscapes – something no individual or isolated team can accomplish alone.

Developing medicines is always done in global project teams with experts from different functions. Leading such projects means listening to different experts, challenging the status quo, and finding ways to speed up processes while keeping everyone engaged with one mission: bringing potential breakthrough medicines to patients as quickly and safely as possible.

Leadership through people development

My approach to scientific leadership has evolved significantly over time. If you had asked me five or six years ago how much I would enjoy a big leadership role, I would have said: "I'm clearly a scientist." This leadership role developed as I got to know myself better.

Sanofi supported this evolution through a one-year training program in employee management that proved invaluable as my responsibilities grew. Today, I find deep satisfaction in coaching emerging scientists and watching them technically and professionally develop.

This commitment to people's development creates a virtuous cycle. As team members grow in confidence and capability, they contribute more innovative ideas and take greater ownership of projects. This accelerates our collective ability to deliver breakthrough therapies.

Following passion as a career compass

I offer this perspective for scientists considering career paths in academia or industry: I've always followed what I love most. I always do what I enjoy most and maintain this intrinsic passion to help people.

This authentic approach has served me well. The collaborative environment at Sanofi has supported this organic growth. By bringing together diverse scientists who share a passion for improving patients' lives – but approach this mission with different skills and perspectives – we create the conditions for breakthrough therapies to emerge.

From those early days as a postdoc to my current role orchestrating global research teams and leading a local research group, I've seen firsthand how personal connections and cross-functional collaboration deliver on the promise of better medicine for all. That's the power of team science, and it's what makes my work at Sanofi so fulfilling.