Careers in Discovery

David Cook, Blueberry Therapeutics

"It's a little like a Formula One car - it's extremely fast, it's very agile, but you've only just got enough fuel to finish the race."

David Cook is the Chief Scientific Officer of Blueberry Therapeutics, a dermatology company using nanotechnology to treat several common conditions.

We talked about how his childhood and particularly his mother nurtured his interest in science, the differences between academia and industry, his experiences at the forefront of the early days of bioinformatics and Blueberry's journey from start-up to clinical stage Biotech.

He also shared with us the lessons he's learned along the way, and why keeping your eyes open in your career is essential.

Ajan Reginald, Celixir

"It's hard to find what you're good at and passionate about, unless you put in the work."

We sat down recently with Ajan Reginald, CEO of Celixir, an innovative biotech company who are reversing pathology of currently untreatable conditions through their cell and gene therapy technologies.

From his early days as a dentist through to management consulting, business development and running the Emerging Technologies group for one of the world's leading Pharmaceutical companies, Ajan developed the skills and knowledge which led to his co-founding Celixir with the Nobel Prize winner, Professor Sir Martin Evans.

Ajan shares his insights on operating in the "new new", where there's no roadmap, the evolution of his role as CEO, making sure you're asking the right questions and why you need to do the work to find your passion.

Kristen Albright, Prokarium

Kristen Albright, Vice President of Business Development & Translational Research at vaccines and immunotherapy company Prokarium, has had a varied career, spanning big Pharma, Biotech, Venture Capital, and working with startups in developing countries.

She spoke with us recently about:

🗣 Knowing when it's time to leave and do something new

🗣 The rise of social responsibility in Pharma and Biotech

🗣 Taking risks and volunteering for things

🗣 The reality of life in venture capital

Check out the episode to hear her thoughts on these topics and more.

Dave Leese, Concept Life Sciences

"With the right attitude, there's no reason you can't adapt and become an expert in anything."

Dave Leese, VP of Chemistry at Concept Life Sciences joined us on the latest episode of Careers in Discovery, in which we discuss:

🔬 how an early interest in the books of PD James sparked a life-long interest in science, and ultimately a career at the cutting edge of drug discovery chemistry

🔬 the relationship between skills learned as a scientist and broader business skills

🔬 the importance of continuous personal and professional development

🔬 being proactive about the direction your career takes

Along with his work at Concept Life Sciences, Dave is heavily involved with SCI, an organisation which promotes links between science and industry for the benefit of society, giving him a unique view on the transition between academia and the commercial world.

Enjoy the show!

Grahame McKenzie, PhoreMost

Grahame McKenzie is the Chief Scientific Officer of PhoreMost, an innovative Cambridge biotech with a mission to "drug the undruggable" using their proprietary protein interference platform.

Grahame joined us to talk about his work and career, including:

✴ Breaking out of the existing druggable space and explore new frontiers

✴ Creating a drug discovery "playbook" for future generations

✴ The importance of developing breadth as well as depth in your skillset

In his own words, Grahame has a deep love of science but his real passion is using it to develop drugs that have a direct impact on patients. Find out more in this week's episode.

Jon Green, AstraZeneca

Jon Green left school with no qualifications and little idea of what his future held - now, he's the VP & Site General Manager of AstraZeneca's Granta Park site and Chairman of the biotech networking body One Nucleus.

Looking back on an illustrious career in drug discovery, he shares with us what he's learnt from his unconventional path, including the key role that passion for what you do plays, the real life impact of working in drug discovery and development and why "walking the floor" is his modus operandi.

Hear Jon's fascinating story on this episode of Careers in Discovery.

Benedict Cross, Horizon Discovery

Benedict Cross, Head of Functional Genomic Screening at Horizon Discovery, joins us this time.

Join us as we discuss, among many other things:

❇ Functional Genomics and the impact of CRISPR on drug discovery

❇ Why knowing what NOT to do can be the most important thing you learn

❇ How the outcry over GMO kick-started Benedict's career in science

❇ Using your network

Prof. Tom Moody, Almac Group

Professor Tom Moody, VP of Technology Development & Commercialisation at Almac Group joins us this week, and provides a fascinating insight into a career at the cutting edge of chemistry.

We discussed:

Doing the impossible as part of your job

How technology is changing the role of the scientist

The importance of continued learning

The differences between academia and industry, and what you need to make the transition