Tobias Kampfenkel, MD, MHBA, Vice President of Early Clinical Development and Translational Research at Miltenyi Biomedicine, on Transformative Drugs in Oncology and Autoimmunity: It's Always the Team!

In this episode, I talked with Dr. Tobias Kampfenkel, Vice President of Early Clinical Development and Translational Research at Miltenyi Biomedicine. Tobias spent nearly a decade at Janssen building the daratumumab story from the German launch and HTA negotiations through global pivotal trials and regulatory submissions — and then did it again with two bispecific antibodies in multiple myeloma. In early 2025, he made a deliberate move to Miltenyi Biomedicine, stepping into an executive committee role to lead a CAR-T program now being tested in autoimmune diseases — one of the most fascinating and fast-moving intersections in drug development right now.

We go deep on what it actually feels like when a late-stage program doesn't land, how to hold a team together after a major setback, and the real tension between hiring for hard skills versus hiring for cultural fit. We also explore what the CAR-T revolution in autoimmune disease could mean for patients who have been on lifelong immunosuppression — and why some people are beginning, very carefully, to use the word "cure." Outside the office, Tobias is a racket sports enthusiast, a recreational runner, an avid reader, and an occasional piano player — and someone who will happily trade a busy schedule for a quiet weekend on a small Dutch island with no traffic and nothing to do.

Here's What You're In For

• Why leadership during failure is about being active, not assuming everyone is okay
• Why some hard skills in drug development can only be built through repetition, not reading
• What it's like to move intentionally from Big Pharma to a smaller, more entrepreneurial company

Timestamps

03:39 – Whether his MHBA at Erlangen-Nürnberg was coincidence or connected to the CASEL trial

04:54 – A decade with daratumumab and what deep team ownership really feels like

07:13 – When a major readout doesn't land and what that does to a team

12:49 – Miltenyi's core strengths in CAR-T manufacturing and the blind spots of a multi-business organization

15:55 – Bridging oncology and autoimmunity across zamtocell and zorpocell

19:59 – Balancing modality expertise, disease experience, seniority, and culture when building a team

23:44 – What moving deliberately from J&J to a smaller company actually teaches you

27:32 – Tobias's first time in autoimmune drug development and the learning curve that came with it

29:39 – The first ever CAR-T treatment in a patient with systemic lupus in 2021

32:52 – What early safety data from CAR-T in autoimmune patients is starting to show

34:13 – In vivo CAR-T, solid tumors, and where cell and gene therapy is heading in the next 10 years

38:19 – Why this is one of the most exciting times to be working in this space

About Tobias

Tobias Kampfenkel, MD, MHBA, is the Vice President of Early Clinical Development and Translational Research at Miltenyi Biomedicine, and a member of the company's executive committee. A board-certified internist and hematologist/oncologist, Tobias spent nearly a decade at Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), where he led clinical development across multiple myeloma programs including daratumumab (Darzalex) and bispecific antibodies teclistamab and talquetamab — spanning the German launch and HTA negotiations through to global pivotal trials and regulatory submissions. In early 2025, he joined Miltenyi Biomedicine to lead their CAR-T programs in autoimmune diseases, including studies in systemic lupus and systemic sclerosis. He also holds a Master's in Health Business Administration from the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg.

Outside the office, Tobias is a racket sports enthusiast — tennis and badminton both — a recreational runner, an avid reader, and an occasional piano player. Above all, he values time with family and friends, which keeps him grounded amid a demanding professional life. Welcome, Tobias.

Connect with Tobias

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobias-kampfenkel-m-d-mhba-026b54b9/
• Miltenyi Biomedicine: https://www.miltenyi-biomedicine.com/

About Charles

My name is Charles Spence and I lead Discera. After many years working in the life-science recruitment world, I decided to work for myself. Before doing recruitment I graduated with a biomedical degree, have worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent a year working in diabetes research in Stockholm. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.

In 2023, I decided to launch my firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.

Connect with me:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/
• Website: https://www.discera-search.com/

Opinions and comments expressed by the guest do not represent the company and are fully their own.