He is testing medicines with new AI tech
He received his doctorate in physics from the University 91̽ in 2019. Today, Martin Mojica Benavides – together with five colleagues – runs the start-up Lucero at the AstraZeneca BioVentureHub in Mölndal.
“I’m originally from Colombia, where I got my bachelor’s degree in physics. I did my master’s in photonics and laser physics in Belgium, where I met my wife who was doing a doctorate in cognitive science. During the master’s programme, I got to know Alejandro Diaz from Spain. We got on well together, and the idea of a joint venture was born.
“‘Lucero’ means light or star in Spanish. Sailing vessels navigated using the stars, and we think – somewhat poetically, perhaps – that we are navigating in a microworld. When we started Lucero, the commercial idea was to use fluid flow in microchannels and AI to sort and isolate microscopic samples.
“There’s currently a trend within healthcare towards personalised medicine, and that’s where we come in. We are now using 3D cell culture, microfluidics and AI in our testing. We enable studies of how cells and tissues react to a new pharmaceutical substance, and can quickly see whether it is toxic or effective and worth pursuing.
“I had great supervisors and mentors during my doctoral studies in physics. I also made contact with GU researchers in biology, because my thesis included a lot of microbiology. My supervisors and mentors have supported the development of the company, and have been sounding boards for applications. At least half of my working time is spent in our two labs, with the remainder being spent in meetings and networking. We’ve been at it for five years now.”
As told to: Carina Eliasson
Photo: Carina Eliasson
Age: 41.
Lives: Gothenburg.
Work: CEO of the company Lucero. Education: Doctoral degree in physics at the University 91̽.
Family: Married with a three-yearold son.
Leisure interests: Playing electric bass, music production, tennis, hiking and snowboarding.