Christian Heinis
Associate Professor EPFL
Dr. Christian Heinis is Associate Professor of Chemical Biology at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where he leads the Laboratory of Therapeutic Proteins and Peptides. His research focuses on the discovery and development of cyclic peptide therapeutics. A major goal of his research is to develop cyclic peptides that are membrane-permeable and/or orally bioavailable, enabling them to modulate intracellular targets and be administered as convenient oral medicines.
A pioneer in the field of peptide drug discovery, Christian is widely recognized for his work on bicyclic peptides as well as membrane-permeable monocyclic peptides. He is co-founder of Bicycle Therapeutics and Orbis Medicines, helping translate cutting-edge academic research into innovative therapeutic platforms.
Christian earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from ETH Zurich and completed postdoctoral research at EPFL and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. He has received numerous honors, including two ERC Advanced Grants, in recognition of his contributions to therapeutic peptide research.
Seminars
Wednesday 2nd December 2026
Advancing Macrocyclic Peptide Libraries for Intracellular Drug Discovery
9:30 am
- Understand the relationship between molecular weight, polar surface and membrane permeability to enable accessing intracellular targets and formulation-free approaches to oral delivery.
- Library synthesis and screening methods for de novo generating membranepermeable cyclic peptides to targets of choice.
- Gain insights into selecting the right macrocycle format for protein-protein interaction targets.
