Attending Biotech and Pharma
Speaker Profiles
Dr Nermeen Varawalla, President and CEO,
ECCRO, UK Trade & Investment Life Sciences and Healthcare Sector Specialist
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Dr Nermeen Varawalla leads ECCRO; a specialist CRO focussed on international clinical trials in India. Nermeen became an advocate for including emerging countries in global clinical development programmes whilst at Accenture’s UK Health & Life Sciences Business Consulting Practice. She left Accenture to set up PerinClinical, a niche India focussed CRO that she subsequently sold to PRA International; a leading global player. Nermeen was a Vice President at PRA International for five years during which time she held a number of leadership roles, most notably establishing and growing PRA’s operations in India.
Nermeen received her medical training at the KEM group of hospitals, Mumbai, India. She was awarded the Rhodes Research Fellowship to the University of Oxford to conduct her doctoral research in Molecular Genetics. Nermeen practised as a specialist at two of the UK’s leading NHS Hospitals. She then obtained her MBA at INSEAD.
Dr Andrew Merritt, Associate Director, Chemistry,
Medical Research Council Technology
Dr Andy Merritt recently joined the MRCT Centre for Therapeutics Discovery (CTD) as Associate Director of Chemistry. The CTD is the drug discovery arm of the Medical Research Council Technology group, which looks to develop innovative drug screens emerging out of ground breaking MRC research and subsequently prosecutes drug discovery programmes. Screening of a carefully constructed library provides good medicinal chemistry starting points, which in combination with structural information on targets can be utilized in medicinal chemistry strategies. Andy's Medicinal Chemistry team has more than 100 people years of pharmaceutical company experience and aims to develop hits into lead-like compounds with efficacy in a relevant disease model.
Previously Andy was a Director of Discovery Medicinal Chemistry at GlaxoSmithKline, a role which encompassed global responsibility for outsource support for lead discovery chemistry and for the provision of molecular tools for target validation. He was at the forefront of the development and application of combinatorial chemistry and technologies to drug discovery since the initiation of the approach in the early 1990s. The use of outsourced resources to support early stage drug discovery in GSK was developed within his teams, building an operation spanning the globe and encompassing all aspects of chemistry services for early drug discovery. Dr Merritt joined the former Glaxo organization in 1987 following postdoctoral studies in the US, and initially worked on oncology and pain drug discovery programs.
Dr Zoran Rankovic, Assistant Director, Medicinal Chemistry,
Schering-Plough Research Ltd
Zoran Rankovic is a Senior Research Fellow and Associate Director in Medicinal Chemistry at Schering Plough Research Institute (SPRI), in UK. He received his Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry from the University of Leeds (U.K.) before becoming a medicinal chemist in 1995 at Organon, now SPRI. Since then he developed a track record ranging from hit generation and optimisation to delivering successful leads and development candidates, mainly within CNS and CV therapeutic areas. In his current role Zoran is also responsible for the content of the corporate screening collection. Zoran has active interest in many areas of medicinal chemistry and is an author or inventor on over fifty scientific publications, book chapters and patents, and has given invited lectures at a number of international conferences.
Dr Michael Essers, Research and Development Manager,
Saltigo GmbH
Michael Essers joined Saltigo GmbH, a globally operating custom manufacturer and a wholly owned subsidiary of Lanxess AG, in 2006. He is working as research and development manager in Saltigo’s Fluorine Team, a dedicated custom research service provider in the field of organofluorine chemistry. This team supports the activities of life science customers from drug discovery to preclinical programs providing versatile fluorinated building blocks and scalable fluorination methods.
Prior to working at Saltigo GmbH, Michael started his career in 2003 as a medicinal chemist at Alantos Pharmaceuticals (now Amgen), a biotech company co-founded by Nobel prize laureate Prof. Jean Marie Lehn, developing drugs for the treatment of diabetes and inflammatory diseases.
Michael received his PhD from the University of Münster/Germany and carried out Post Doctoral Research at the Research School of Chemistry in Canberra/Australia.
Dr Stephen Shuttleworth, CSO,
Karus Therapeutics Ltd.
Stephen joined Karus in January 2008 as Chief Scientific Officer. He has more than 15 years experience in small molecule drug discovery and R&D management gained at several international organizations, including Celltech-Chiroscience (Cambridge, UK), Shire (Montreal, Canada), Amgen (San Francisco, California) where he was Associate Director of Chemistry, and Piramed (Slough, UK) where he was Director of Chemistry and PI3K Program Leader. At Piramed, Stephen was responsible for the design and preclinical development of GDC-0941, which is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of cancer, and he played a central role in establishing a major R&D collaboration with Genentech in 2005. Prior to joining Karus he was Head of New Projects Development at Cancer Research UK, London, responsible for CRUK's New Agents Committee and for establishing the portfolio of Phase I and II clinical programs. Stephen obtained his BSc and PhD in Chemistry from the University of Liverpool. He has authored more than 80 publications and patents, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Graham Hughes, Consultant,
Framework 7 UK
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Graham Hughes took on the UK National Contact Point for Health role for Framework Projects this year, having worked for over 20 years in a blue chip Medical Device Company. His previous experience has covered Research and Development, Manufacturing, Business Excellence and Quality/Regulatory fields. Prior to this he was employed as a Clinical Biochemist in the Health Service for five years. Graham has a Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Edinburgh and a Masters in Clinical Biochemistry from the University of Surrey.
The National Contact Point role is a service provided by the Government through the Technology Strategy Board and its purpose is to provide a central resource for information about the European Framework Health Programme, promote the funding opportunities for UK SMEs through the Programme and support them through the application process.
Dr Richard Todd, Director,
CMOpharma Limited
Richard is the founder of CMOpharma Ltd, a CMC consultancy company established in 2008 and offering drug development services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. CMOpharma has worked with several small and virtual pharma companies, assisting with development programs from pre-clinical to Phase II.
Richard has over twenty-five years of discovery and development experience within the pharmaceutical industry. He started his career as a medicinal chemist at Wyeth Research, then British Biotech. After a brief spell at Argenta Discovery he moved to Vernalis, where he held the position of Head of Process Chemistry. In this role he was responsible for the chemical development of pre-clinical, clinical and commercial products. Richard graduated in chemistry from the University of Bath, and obtained his DPhil from the University of Oxford, under the supervision of Professor Stephen Davies. He has authored over 40 publications and patents.
Dr Charlie Johnson, High Potency Business Manager,
Carbogen Amcis
Charlie Johnson serves as the business manager for CARBOGEN AMCIS AG, the Switzerland-based pharmaceutical process development and API manufacturing company.
Johnson holds a degree in Applied Chemistry from Liverpool John Moores University and his expertise is built on the more than 16 years he’s worked within the pharmaceutical industry. During this time, he’s been headquartered in Italy and England, while holding positions with pharmaceutical companies UQUIFA, Avecia Pharmaceuticals/NPIL Pharma, and Zeneca (now AstraZeneca).
In business lead and marketing manager roles, Johnson specialized in sales and operational planning within the high potency and contract manufacturing arenas. His origins as a lead R&D chemist provide him with unique perspective and knowledge of the industry.
Dr Stanislas Veuthey, Business Development Manager,
Sochinaz AG / Bachem
Stanislas is developing the custom-manufacturing capabilities of the CMO Sochinaz, an affiliate of the Bachem Group of companies, in Europe. This responsibility encompasses promoting the company's expertise, especially with high-potency APIs, and managing customers' projects from initial discussions to final material and documentation deliveries.
In previous large and mid-size companies, Stanislas has held various commercial positions in both the healthcare and consumer-goods industries. In particular, he has prepared the successful launch of innovative medicines and line extensions at Novartis in the oncology area, and he grew an international brand at BAT. After obtaining his PhD in biomedical sciences, his early years in the pharmaceutical industry have been in project management roles, including in the development of biotechnology drugs.
Pauline Jäger, VP Business Development,
Avantium Technologies BV
Pauline Jäger is Vice President Business Development for Europe at Avantium. After studying Chemistry at the VU University Amsterdam, she joined the pharmaceutical industry where she has been active in various marketing and business development positions.
During her 20 years in the industry, she gained experience with several stages of drug development. She started her career at Glaxo/Glaxo Welcome, where she was involved in the marketing, sales and clinical trials of marketed drugs. Subsequently, at the Dutch research organization TNO, she was responsible for the development of contract research in preclinical pharmacology. Three years ago she joined Avantium where she is currently responsible for the business development of Solid State Research.
Dr Ton Vries, CEO,
Syncom BV
Ton Vries has been employed by Syncom BV as chemist since 1991.
Dissertation 1995: "Chiral cyclic derivatives of C2-symmetric butanedioic acids" with Prof. H. Wynberg & Prof. R.M. Kellogg at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
From 1996, Ton was Director of Research at Syncom BV, a company specialized in contract research in organic chemistry.
From July 2000, Ton has been CEO/Managing Director at Syncom BV which currently has 135 employees.
Ton Vries holds several patents and publications in the field of organic chemistry and chiral chemistry.
Steve Woolley, New Product Introduction Manager,
Shasun Pharma Solutions Ltd
Steve has worked for over 30 years in the UK chemical industry. Activities over that time have been varied and encompassed areas such as R&D management, pilot plant operations, plant optimisation / trouble shooting coupled together with both plant and project management.
Steve’s current role at Shasun Pharma Solutions encompasses everything from the evaluation of new project opportunities to delivering manufacturing projects at a variety of scales, (intermediates and drug substance), and implementing new processing and operational initiatives.
Dr Ian Chapman, Development Director,
Fulcrum Pharma
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Dr. Chapman has over 20 years experience in drug discovery and development having worked in both the pharmaceutical and service sectors. Prior to joining Fulcrum, he was Scientific Director (Pharmacology) at Quintiles where he focused on efficacy Pharmacology managing the Respiratory, Inflammation and Oncology groups. Prior to joining Quintiles in 1995, he was Head of Respiratory Pharmacology at Syntex Pharmaceuticals with responsibility for the identification and development of novel compounds for the treatment of respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD. Dr. Chapman moved to Syntex from the Preclinical Respiratory Research group at Sandoz Pharma in Basel, Switzerland where he was a group leader involved in the discovery and development of several novel drug candidates including PDE inhibitors, Potassium Channel Openers and Immunosuppressive agents
Dr. Chapman has experience of a broad range of in vitro and in vivo experimental techniques used to model disease in the discovery and development of compounds for respiratory (asthma, COPD, rhinitis, allergy), inflammatory (arthritis, IBD, inflammatory pain, stroke) and oncology indications and has also provided due diligence on early projects in all these areas.
Dr. Chapman holds a PhD in Pharmacology from University of Bristol U.K. He is a Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society and a member of the British Inflammation Research Association, having served on the committees of both societies.
Dr Rod Baker, Managing Director,
Bioedge Pharma Consultancy Ltd
Dr Rod Baker is a highly experienced drug development manager with specialist knowledge in CMC from late stage research to marketed products. Rod has over thirty years industrial experience working for a wide range of companies across different industries including agrochemicals, animal health and human healthcare. In the latter field he worked for British Biotech as Head of Pharmaceutical technology, Avidex as Head of Development & Director of Operations and MediGene as Vice President of Development & Operations.
In 2008 Rod founded Bioedge Pharma Consultancy, a company offering drug development services to the biotech, pharmaceutical and drug delivery industries. Bioedge works with a wide range of companies at all stages of development and has an extensive network of international service providers and consultants that can offer assistance in virtually all aspects of drug development.
Dr Chris Hobbs, Group Director of Chemistry,
Proximagen Ltd
Chris is Group Director of Chemistry at Proximagen. In addition to chemistry he is responsible for ADME-PK. He has 17 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry with Roche, Ionix and Proximagen. He is a coinventor of R1479, a pro-drug of which is currently in phase II clinical trials for hepatitis C and PRX1354 a pro-drug which is in pre-clinical development for Parkinson's disease. He received his Ph.D., from University College, London and carried out post-doctoral studies at University of California, Berkeley.
Prof Hans-Jürgen Federsel, Director of Science, Global Process R&D,
AstraZeneca
Prof Hans Jurgen Federsel is a renowned specialist in the field of process R&D where he has spent his entire professional career spanning a period of [Federsel, Hans-Jürgen] over 30 years. Starting off as bench chemist in former Astra at the major Swedish site in Södertälje he has climbed the ranks occupying positions both as line and project manager. After the merger that formed AstraZeneca he has been the Head of Projects Management at the aforementioned location and was then appointed to [Federsel, Hans-Jürgen] the role as Director of Science in Global Process R&D as of the beginning of 2004. In connection with this he was also given the prestigious title Senior Principal Scientist. The strong academic links have been further developed throughout the years after obtaining the PhD in organic Chemistry at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, which was recognized by awarding him an Associate Professorship there. His long-lasting links to this Institute has [Federsel, Hans-Jürgen] resulted in a seat on the Board of the School of Chemical Science and Engineering[Federsel, Hans-Jürgen] since 2005 . Publishing in peer reviewed journals and books and frequent lecturing has rendered fame to his name that goes far beyond the limits of the own company and Dr Federsel enjoys invitations from all over the world to share learning and experience from his broad knowledge base on process R&D.
Dr Penelope Ward, Chief Medical Officer,
NovImmune SA
Dr Penelope Ward is the Chief Medical Officer of NovImmune, a Swiss biotechnology company specializing in the development of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of autoimmune disease. Prior to joining NovImmune, Dr Ward was the Head of Rheumatology at Hoffman La Roche. During her extensive industry career Dr Ward has been responsible for the clinical development programs of multiple novel therapeutics (including both small molecules and biologicals) and her work has resulted in the approval of 8 novel therapies for the treatment of infectious diseases, osteoporosis and autoimmune disorders in the US, EU and Japan.
Dr Lloyd Payne, Research Director,
Aquapharm Biodiscovery Ltd
Dr Lloyd Payne is currently responsible for discovery and early development activities within Aquapharm Biodiscovery Ltd, a UK-headquartered biotechnology company focused on the development of products founded on the chemical diversity of marine micro-organisms. Aquapharm has successfully developed a range of core capabilities related to the production, extraction, purification, screening, and development of marine natural products and extracts for use as therapeutics and in consumer healthcare products. In addition to its internal expertise, the Company has also built key relationships with several global and European CROs thus enabling a highly efficient and flexible approach to its scientific operations from discovery through to early development activities.
Lloyd was previously Chief Scientific Officer at F2G Ltd, where he led the scientific team that discovered and optimised a new class of antifungal agent with a new mechanism of action delivering a drug candidate which has entered clinical development. Prior to joining F2G, Lloyd was a senior scientist at Millennium Pharmaceuticals responsible for the leadership of multidisciplinary drug discovery project teams based in the UK and the US . Lloyd has provided direction for a number of drug discovery programs from early hit validation through to late stage lead optimisation/early development and has led several successful projects focused on the development of therapies for inflammatory diseases, cancer, and infection. Lloyd has also held senior scientific and management positions within Cambridge Discovery Chemistry and NCE Discovery where he was responsible for a number of collaborative medicinal chemistry projects working with organisations across Europe, Japan and the U.S.
Dr Andy Parsons, VP Head of Preclinical Development,
Center Excellence for External Drug Discovery (CEEDD), GlaxoSmithKline
Andy has led the Preclinical Development function in the CEEDD since its creation. He was previously the Head of Preclinical Development for the Neurology and Gastrointestinal (NGI) Center of Excellence for Drug Discovery (CEDD) and a member of the Executive Leadership Team. Andy joined SmithKline Beecham in 1991 as a lead biologist on the Migraine Programme and played a key role in the identification of Frovatriptan and Tonabersat. He has worked in a number of Therapy Areas within Drug Discovery and has led teams that progressed numerous compounds in development. He was also previously the Chairman of the Imitrex (Sumatriptan) International Scientific Advisory Board. Andy graduated with a B.Sc. and Ph.D in pharmacology, University of Manchester, UK. He worked as a Post-Doctoral researcher at the Institute of Physiology, University of Munich, Germany. He has authored more than 90 peer-reviewed publications.
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