Acerta Pharma is a European R&D centre of the AstraZeneca Group, based in the Netherlands, dedicated to the discovery and development of novel innovative medicines for the treatment of haematological malignancies. Working within AstraZeneca enables us to embrace innovation and experimentation. This blend of creativity and agility, nurtured by the best resources, depth of knowledge and expertise of a world-class innovator, is our model for transforming haematology.
Acerta Pharma began operations in 2013 with the vision of combining cutting edge science, unique covalent technology, and an experienced dedicated team in order to deliver novel targeted small molecule therapies for patients with cancer. In February 2016, AstraZeneca made an investment in Acerta Pharma for 55% ownership,driven by the opportunity to build out its haematology pipeline. In 2021, AstraZeneca exercised the option to purchase the remainder of Acerta Pharma and completed the acquisition of Acerta Pharma.
Acerta Pharma, is based at Pivot Park in Oss, the Netherlands. Due to the significant growth of the R&D activities in the Netherlands, Acerta will move to a new research centre in Pivot Park of more than 3,300 m², with state-of-the-art chemistry and bio science laboratories.
Acerta Pharma in Haematology
Haematology is not a single disease - blood cancers are a diverse and complex family of diseases that, individually, can be uncommon. There are over 130 types of blood cancers and related disorders of the blood, bone marrow or lymph nodes, including leukaemias, lymphomas and myelomas. Given the multifaceted nature of these diseases, there are significant gaps in treating and caring for the estimated 3.6 million people living with blood cancers worldwide.
Our approach in haematology is backed by years of data and real-world experience. At Acerta Pharma we host multiple clinical trials for monotherapy and in combination with other targeted molecules. A large number of employees of Acerta Pharma and other AstraZeneca sites all over the world are engaged in the development of new and existing medicines against haematologic malignancies.
Integration throughout discovery and development builds value at each stage. We are mapping cancer dependencies to understand the complexities of haematological cancers throughout the disease continuum. By developing more relevant disease models we are better able to position new therapies in the most clinically relevant settings, increasing the chance of achieving clinical success.
Beyond clinical trials and research, we are partnering directly with patient advocacy organisations to uncover critical unmet needs and co-create solutions most needed by the community.
Our Leadership
Senior Leadership
Board of Directors
Senior Vice President, CMO and Global Head of Hematology, Oncology R&D
New York, United States
CEO & Vice President, Oncology Cell Therapy Development
Oss & Amsterdam, Netherlands
Carsten Linnemann
CEO & Vice President, Oncology Cell Therapy Development
Carsten Linnemann, Ph.D. joined AstraZeneca in 2025, after the successful integration of Neogene Therapeutics into AstraZeneca Cell Therapy.
Carsten co-founded Neogene Therapeutics, a highly specialized biotechnology company focused on developing personalized, T cell–based immunotherapies for solid tumors, in 2018. Before that, he served as Associate Director, Next Generation T Cell Therapies and Managing Director of Kite Pharma EU. He has co-founded several biotech companies, including T-Cell Factory B.V.
Carsten has co-authored several publications in the field of genetic engineering of T cells and done seminal work on human neoantigen biology. He has been awarded numerous professional honors including the Thesis Prize from the Netherlands Society of Gene and Cell Therapy and the Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Career Achievement Award from The Netherlands Cancer Institute.
Carsten is an alumnus of the German Academic Foundation and the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds – Foundation for Biomedical Research. He received a Ph.D. with honors for his work on engineering T cell immunity by TCR gene transfer in the laboratory of Dr. Ton Schumacher at The Netherlands Cancer Institute.
Lisa Drew
Head of Small Molecule Discovery, Waltham, United States
Lisa joined AstraZeneca in 2001 as a Senior Scientist following postdoc studies at University of California, Irvine and Columbia University, New York. She initially helped establish the oncology discovery group in Waltham, led multiple preclinical programs from target selection through to candidate drug selection and led the in vitro pharmacology teams before being appointed Executive Director, Head of Bioscience for the US small molecule oncology organization in 2017.
During this time, she led establishment of science clusters in the group to support excellence in delivery against the key strategic focus areas including tumor drivers and resistance, cell death and immune-oncology. Lisa was also Discovery Lead for teams that developed the initial strategies leading to extensive builds in Epigenetics and Hematology Discovery which became key areas of scientific focus and excellence for the GHP team.
In 2024, Lisa joined Hematology R&D as Global Head of Small Molecule Discovery and now oversees groups in both Oss, Netherlands and Boston, US.
Sally Sambrook
Head of Hematology R&D Clinical Operations, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Sally has over 20 years of Oncology Clinical Operations leadership experience, spanning Phase I-IV. Sally joined AstraZeneca in 2000 as a Global Study Leader, having previously worked with Eli Lilly, where she was responsible for delivering and optimizing clinical trial programs. During her time at AstraZeneca, Sally has held various leadership roles of increasing responsibility, most recently serving as the Executive Director of GI and Head/Neck in Clinical Operations, where she oversaw the delivery of portfolio studies and led the program management teams. For over two years Sally led the Design, Label and Submission Value Chain in Operational Excellence delivering improvement initiatives including the Global Product Team (GPT) operating model and new Development Review Committee (DRC) format across all therapeutic areas. As part of this role Sally also played a lead role in the integration of Acerta into AstraZeneca, the design of the original Haematology organization and governance structure across AstraZeneca
Michael Coffey
R&D Finance Director Haematology, Gaithersburg, United States
As the R&D TA Finance Director – Haematology, Michael is responsible for financial delivery of the project portfolio as well as functional expense, including Acerta Pharma. He has been with AstraZeneca for 7 years in a variety of roles across R&D Finance supporting projects, governance, and FP&A. Passionate about biopharma, he has over 20 years of industry experience with previous roles at Emergent BioSolutions, Human Genome Sciences, and Biogen. Michael holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University and MBA from the University of North Carolina.
Anas Younes
Senior Vice President, Global Head of Haematology (Early and Late Stage) Oncology R&D, New York, United States
Anas joined AstraZeneca in 2020 as the Senior Vice President, Global Head of Haematology (Early and Late Stage). As a trained clinician-scientist, Anas has spent more than 25 years caring for patients with lymphoma. Prior to joining AstraZeneca, Anas was at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) where he served as the Chief of the Lymphoma Service, in addition to leading a laboratory focused on drug development for patients with lymphoid malignancies. Prior to MSKCC, Anas worked for 20 years at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) where he directed clinical and translational research in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma.
Martijn Bax
Country president AstraZeneca Netherlands, Den Haag, Netherlands
Martijn joined AstraZeneca in 2016 as director of oncology for the Dutch AstraZeneca branch. He moved to a European role in 2019, being responsible for improving access to oncologic treatment, making treatment options accessible to hundreds of thousands of people with cancer. Martijn rejoined AstraZeneca Netherlands as Country President in March 2022.
Niko Andre
Niko Andre, Head of Oncology, Germany, Hamburg, Germany
Niko joined AstraZeneca in 2020 as Global Franchise Head within the global Oncology Business Unit, initially for Haematology and since 2021 for Immuno Oncology. Prior to joining AstraZeneca he spent nearly 15 years at Roche Pharma in life cycle management roles on global and local level, most recently as SVP Global Medical Affairs. Niko is a Medical Oncologist and Hematologist by training. Besides his significant clinical tenure caring for cancer patients he served as a clinical investigator and collaborative group member in a broad range of registrational and scientific programs. During his post doc fellowship at Harvard medical school Niko focused his research on T cell mobilization and molecular patterns of cell migration. Niko is an active member of ASH, ESMO, ASCO, AACR and diverse national scientific and research groups. He lives and operates from Switzerland.
