Careers in Discovery

Dan Williams, SynaptixBio

"If you've got into science because science itself motivates you, try and stay with it. Do other things too, learn what you need to, but be careful not to leave that science behind."

Dan Williams is the CEO of SynaptixBio, a company dedicated to developing lifesaving therapies for severe leukodystrophies.

Dan joined us to talk about the challenges of building a company around an ultra rare disease, why exposure to an executive team is critical for career development and what REALLY makes early stage Biotech companies successful.

Enjoy!

Matthew Duchars, CHAIN Biotech

"Taking a vaccine from concept and early stage data through to a licensed product that you're putting into millions of people takes 10-15 years on average, but it was done in 10 months. So how did we manage to acheive that? Nobody wanted to be stuck in lockdown forever and so everyone really focused on coming together - a combination of industry, government and academia, all focused on how to [deliver this vaccine] on the shortest possible time, safely and effectively."

Matthew Duchars is the CEO of CHAIN Biotech, a fascinating company developing oral vaccines and immunotherapies that target the microbiome.

Matthew joined us to discuss the importance of culture and environment in delivering great science, how a career in vaccine development was set into motion by an encounter with a dead mole, and being at the heart of the UK vaccines ecosystem during the COVID pandemic.

Enjoy!

Orla Cunningham, Granular Therapeutics & Ultrahuman 8

"Whatever opportunity arises, it may not be on the path that you think you should be on, but it will bring value. You have to do your best to identify what that value is. So keep an open mind about opportunities - there's sometimes value in applying for something that you only have 30% of the requirements for."

Orla Cunningham is the Chief Scientific Officer of Granular Therapeutics and Ultrahuman 8, companies developing novel single antibody therapies for a range of diseases.

Orla talked to us about her fascinating career to date, as well as the therapeutic potential of mast cells, how to get the best from your CRO partners and why communication is the most important skill scientists must develop.

Enjoy!

Rebecca Godfrey, ExpressionEdits

"LinkedIn is like the professional Instagram. It looks like people's careers were so easy, mapped out and planned. It doesn't tell of the difficult decisions, the failures, the challenges, the dead ends and having to start again."

Rebecca Godfrey is the Chief Operating Officer of ExpressionEdits and the author of "The Leadership Vaccine".

Rebecca talked to us on Careers in Discovery about her journey from Immunology PhD to COO, figuring out who you are professionally and why she loves her job.

Enjoy!

Jenny Barnett, Monument Therapeutics & Five Lives

"Cancer drugs only started working once we realised that we actually had to measure what was going on in the tumour and match them appropriately [to patients]...we're just on the cusp of that approach being accepted in neuroscience."

Jenny Barnett is the CEO of Monument Therapeutics, a Biotech company using precision medicine approaches to develop new treatments for psychiatric and neurological conditions, and the Chief Scientific Officer of Five Lives, a digital therapeutics business focused on reducing dementia risk.

Jenny joined us on Careers in Discovery to discuss her career so far, why academia wasn't for her, how digital biomarkers can improve clinical trial performance and the things she had to learn to become an effective CEO.

Enjoy!

Paul Thompson, Mission Therapeutics

"The most important thing is to enjoy what you're doing. If you're in the lab and enjoying your research, that's great. Keep enjoying it and you'll probably delivery well. If you want to keep focusing on research, you can, and if you want to experience different things, you'll have created the opportunity to do so."

Paul Thompson is the Chief Scientific Officer of Mission Therapeutics, a company at the cutting edge of DUB inhibitor research to treat a range of conditions.

Paul talked to us about his career so far, how his background in clinical development has informed his approach to preclinical research, and how to choose between large and small companies at the start of your career.

Enjoy!

Andy Whiting, Nevrargenics

"Look at oncology 50 years ago. With huge amounts of investment we now think that most form of cancer are treatable. With investment, understanding, time and research that's possible in neurodegeneration - that you can not just slow or even stop but reverse and repair it."

Andy Whiting is the CEO of Nevrargenics, a Biotech company spun out of his research at Durham University using dual-acting retinoic acid receptor modulators as a novel treatment for neurodegenerative diseases.

Andy talked to us about his decision to leave academia to run the company, how he knew when the research had the potential to become a real drug, and why uncertainty and risk shouldn't hold your career back.

Enjoy!

Ross Breckenridge, Arjuna Therapeutics

"[As a CEO] you have to force yourself to think about what's happening in your business - and that doesn't mean doing 8 hours of Zoom calls a day. Just as it's the gaps between the notes that make music, it's the gaps between the timetable acitvities that enable strategic thinking."

Ross Breckenridge is the CEO of Arjuna Therapeutics, a Biotech company working on a novel class of (very) small molecule treatments for cancer.

Ross joined us to talk about the founding of Arjuna, his career leading to that point, working with Patrick Vallance and how the experience of losing patients has shaped his approach to drug research.

Enjoy!