Bioentrepreneurship alumnus Adam builds the first Slovak Health Technology Assessment agency

After working in molecular diagnostics across Europe, Adam sought to deepen his understanding of the business side of life sciences. Today, he applies this combined expertise in a regulatory role, helping shape healthcare policy and assess medical technologies in the country where he was raised.

From molecular biology to bioentrepreneurship

KI alumnus Adam Marták. Photo: Viktor Seč

"Before coming to KI, I studied molecular biology at the University of Sheffield in the UK. I spent part of the summer after graduation on an exchange programme at Fudan University in China and worked for two years as a Field Application Specialist and a Product Manager in molecular diagnostics for a distributor of medical devices and research tools in Austria and countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

After a couple of years of experience on the commercial side of life sciences under my belt, I felt it would be a great time to enhance my skillset with business administration acumen. I thought further education in business would be useful working on the commercial side of life sciences, whether I would end up working on my own projects, or for a consultancy, in the industry or for a regulatory body. I knew of only a few programmes focusing on life sciences from the commercial perspective, and the master's programme in bioentrepreneurship at KI was one of them. Also, the reputation of KI as a world-leading medical university definitely influenced my decision."

Student life and scientific discovery in Stockholm

"My time at KI was pretty great. Retrospectively, I really appreciated how well-equipped KI is for translating results of the cutting-edge research conducted on campus from the bench to the real world. Scientific commercial expertise (KI Innovations) and capital (Karolinska Development) - it’s all there, which, as I have learned from my later experiences, is more an exception than a rule in Europe.

I really appreciated the class trips we were able to make, whether a boat cruise to Tallinn or weekends spent at the cabin by the lake at Solvik. The nightlife in Stockholm is pretty rich, too. Also, Stockholm is a great place to be, both professionally and personally. I ultimately decided to move back to central Europe, mainly due to personal reasons, but I still keep in touch with many of the people I got to know in Sweden."

Building Slovakia’s first HTA agency

"I now work as a member of the core team building the first Slovak Health Technology Assessment (HTA) agency. HTA agencies are key regulatory bodies acting at the interface of policy, academia and industry. Their output is utilised by policymakers to make informed decisions on pricing and reimbursement of drugs, medical devices or other medical interventions.

We are a multidisciplinary team currently working on spinning the agency out of the Ministry of Health whilst also conducting HTA itself. I am able to amalgamate the expertise I acquired so far for what I would consider to be the greater good.

As one could expect, during the pandemic, we were pretty busy. It could be anything from reviewing a drug reimbursement dossier, legislative or planning activities or a plethora of different ad-hoc (also COVID-19 related) projects. Building an HTA agency is one of the key healthcare milestones set by the current government, and we do get a lot of local support as well as support from other HTA bodies from around the world. For instance, I have personally contributed to the qualitative assessment of procured syringes and needles utilised in the COVID-19 vaccination."

Reflections and future outlook

"My studies at KI have not only provided me with a degree from a top-notch university, a great professional and personal network, but also a very unique expertise. I remember in one of our last classes a representative of one of the companies some of my classmates have done their practical placements at, told us: ”I don’t think you realise how good you are.” The mix of scientific and commercial acumen and people who are able to use both sides effectively are actually very rare. This is definitely a unique selling point of Bioentrepreneurship graduates.

Right now, I am channelling all my energy to lift the HTA agency off the ground and get it up and running. From my point of view, it is a way of paying some of my debt back to the country where I was raised. I am honoured that I get to contribute in this way. In the future, I definitely see myself working in the healthcare and life science space.

The 21st century is going to be a century of biology. Unfortunately, we can see not such a cheerful manifestation of this all around the world right now. The silver lining of the current ongoing pandemic is that it has created what I would consider biotech-related disruptive events, which are going to forever change the industry and how younger generations perceive life sciences in general."

Advice to prospective and current students

"While the course curriculum is very intriguing, and you get to experience many different work settings during your practical placements, definitely explore what Stockholm and KI have to offer, also beyond the course itself. KI has great collaborations with SSES, and there are many open lectures on a wide range of scientific topics at KI as well. Network, network, network - it really is the key."