Careers in Discovery

Bill Eldridge, Isogenica

Bill Eldridge is an experienced scientific and commercial leader, one of the founding team members of the VHH antibody company Isogenica, and now their CEO.

Bill joined us to talk about his career, the huge potential that still exists within antibody discovery and the magic of seeing a 96 well ELISA plate turn blue after months of failure!

Enjoy...

Namir Hassan, Zelluna Immunotherapy

Namir Hassan is the CEO of Zelluna Immunotherapy, a cancer cell therapy company harnessing natural immunity to treat solid tumours.

Namir joined us on Careers in Discovery to talk about when precision medicine gets too precise, the importance of servant leadership and trusting the journey in your career.

Enjoy!

Jane Dancer

Now a Non-Executive at a range of leading Biotech companies including Spirea, PharmEnable, Macomics, NanoSyrinx and Elasmogen, Jane Dancer has built a highly successful career in Business Development in the sector.

Jane joined us to discuss that career, how she created a portfolio of NED positions, the real value of an MBA and whether you really need a PhD.

Enjoy!

Samantha Bailey-Bucktrout, Akamis Bio

"I see all the other element of my current role - the leadership, management and mentoring - as enabling the science."

Samantha Bailey-Bucktrout is the Senior Vice President of Research at Akamis Bio, a company harnessing the power of tumour gene therapy in the fight against cancer.

Samantha talked to us about her career in cancer immunotherapy, what Greek mythology has to do with modern-day Biotech, and the importance of a collaborative approach to drug development.

Enjoy!

Beverley Carr, Amphista Therapeutics

"You can learn corporate finance. You can do Excel modelling. You can read books on negotiation. But I strongly believe that Business Development is an art, and it's something that you can only really learn by doing."

Beverley Carr is the Chief Business & Operating Officer of Amphista Therapeutics, a company re-engineering TPD therapies to tackle cancer and neurological disorders.

Beverley joined us on Careers in Discovery to talk about how Amphista are tackling the limitations of first-generation TPDs, why strategic Business Development is coming back into fashion, and the qualities that make a good BD person.

Enjoy!

Janette Thomas, Five Alarm Bio

"I realised that drug development was much more than just research. There's a huge amount of work beyond coming up with a molecule, but research scientists just don't get exposed to it."

Janette Thomas has built a career from Researcher to Project Manager, Operations Director and now CEO of Five Alarm Bio, a company focused on novel approaches to anti-aging.

Janette joined us to talk about the current state of anti-aging research, what makes a good project manager and why you should never be limited by fear in your career.

Enjoy!

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!