Henrik Klitgaard

With nearly 30 years of experience in biopharmaceutical research, Dr. Henrik Klitgaard has dedicated his life to pursuing new and better treatments for patients with epilepsy. After earning his Ph.D. in Human Physiology from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, Dr. Klitgaard conducted his postdoctoral work at the Pasteur Institute in Paris and Harvard Medical School. Motivated by a desire to see his research translated into workable solutions for patients, Dr. Klitgaard then joined the biopharmaceutical industry and eventually found his way to UCB, where he is currently Vice President and Fellow within New Medicines.

The drug discovery process is extraordinarily difficult, as only around 10 percent of clinical drug candidates make it through the development and trials process to enter the market. Most biopharmaceutical researchers have to accept the reality that it is possible to spend an entire career in the field and not see a single candidate achieve success.

“My work has taught me that drug discovery and development is a tough business,” says Dr. Klitgaard. “There are a lot of ups and a lot of downs. And it requires a lot of patience to succeed because it can take around 15 years to go from initial idea to final product.”

Luckily, Dr. Klitgaard’s patience and hard work have paid off, and he is one of the rare scientists who have seen not one but several of his ideas make their way to patients.

“That has been a tremendous privilege and encouragement,” he says.

Looking forward, Dr. Klitgaard is excited about the potential advance in genetic and molecular sciences will have for epilepsy research. Traditionally, epilepsy treatments have been able to counteract symptoms of the disease but not the underlying cause. With the progression of genetics and our further understanding of pathological disease mechanisms, that is changing.

Yet challenges still remain and always will, which is the nature of innovation.

“Innovative research has to break the logic of a certain scientific discipline, and that’s hard to do,” he says. “Because not only do you have to become successful, you have to also do it in an environment in which there is a lot of skepticism. But if you are a passionate scientist and understand what you can bring to patients, it is much easier to overcome the hurdles.”